There are 3 Scotland youngsters who can retire the old guard because we need freshness NOW – Tam McManus

Big Eck called it. He always did to be fair. I bumped into my old Hibs gaffer McLeish in a Stuttgart bar a day before the Hungary game and he was fearing the worst for our must-win Group A clash.

I was like a burst couch after 10 days in Germany but big Alex was in top form. Unfortunately Scotland played like I felt and a Euros so memorable for all the brilliant scenes off the park was finally over after another instantly forgettable performance on it. McLeish told me he was worried there was a lot of over-confidence going into the Hungary game. He knew the Magyars were no mugs.

More to the point he was concerned about Scotland’s lack of creativity in the first two games. He said they’d sit in and we’d struggle to open them up. That’s exactly what happened. And that’s the point that sickens me most because I’m still convinced we have players that should have been able to open up Marco Rossi’s side.

Steve Clarke is taking a lot of stick and there’s a few things I think he should have done differently. There were baffling substitutions and in that crucial Hungary game it was crying out for Lawrence Shankland and James Forrest to come on at half time to go 4/4/2 and attack them.

But the biggest problem was that our players simply never turned up. Look across the squad and you struggle to find anyone who did well across the three games. Grant Hanley might be as close as we got. A centre half that never even started the first game.

From middle to front absolutely nobody turned up and that’s nothing to do with the manager. It’s down to individuals. The formation we played was good enough to beat Spain in qualifying so it should have been good enough to at least make a decent mark on Group A.

But the big players never turned up