By SportsBoom

It is the football international break this week, which means many professional footballers and clubs down tools to allow international fixtures to be played.

England face Greece and Finland in the coming days, whereas Scotland have a tricky set of fixtures away at Croatia and at home to Portugal.

And it is the latter, that a famous resident of the Macclesfield area has spoken out on, ahead of the fixtures.

Brian McClair, who represented Scotland at Euro 1992, and lives locally, is adamant that current Scottish manager Steve Clarke is the right man to lead Scotland despite a dismal run of form.

A horrid Euro 2024 campaign in Germany was hard to stomach for disgruntled Scottish supporters, and two disappointing Nations League defeats to Portugal and Poland has done little to encourage fans things will get better. 

But 30-cap former Scotland international and Celtic legend McClair believes Clarke deserves time to turn things around.

Clarke (pictured) was also an international footballer at the same time as McClair. (Image - WikiCommons See ^ bottom)

"I do think Steve Clarke is still the right man to lead the team," McClair told SportsBoom.com.

"There's a good barometer of these games, and I think it was the fact that the Tartan Army stayed so late to applaud the team after the performance in Lisbon said a lot."

"Every defeat is painful, but I think in the context of the opposition and the top level of these groups that Scotland are in, it was always going to be difficult."

"Rather than dwell on the results of those games, I think it's the performances that are more encouraging, after that terrible effort in the summer."

"So there's encouragement there I think, a lot of encouragement."

 McClair believes Clarke has been unlucky with key injuries since taking charge in May 2019.

Brian McClair, whoo won the Premier League five times with Manchester United, also scored twice for Scotland, with goals coming against the CIS and Estonia.

"They've also been hampered by a number of very good, difference-making players, being injured at the moment," offered McClair, who made his international debut in 1986 and enjoyed eight years with the national side.

"And a number of other players that he would probably choose, but are out of contract, haven't yet found clubs, or are maybe about to find a club."

A Scottish Premier Division and Scottish Cup winner with the Hoops, 60-year-old McClair also revealed he'd like to see Scotland Under-21 boss Scot Gemmill give the chance to replace Clarke in the future and more young players offered the chance to shine.

"I'd like to see Scot Gemmill being given the opportunity (at some stage), after all the success and experience he's had at Under-21 level," added McClair. 

"I don't think you need to have had experience of club management, it's completely different."

"And Scot clearly knows all the players who are now in the full squad."

"There are a number of young players that are in the Under-21s who may get an opportunity to get games."

 "Like the young player at Motherwell, Lennon Miller. He's only 18, he's performed particularly well for them, and he was outstanding for the Under-21s the other night."

"I think that Scot would do very well because he's got all the attributes to be successful." 

"From a Scotland point of view, I think that they should be doing everything they can to persuade Harvey Barnes [pictured below] that his international future lies north of the border. Not even that far north, as he's playing his football for Newcastle now.

"He's one that I think would make a big difference, because of his pace and his attacking style."

"And Ryan Gauld, when he was a younger they reckoned he was the type of player that would be very suited to international football. I think he's a good player, he's got good skills and pace." 

Despite playing once for England in 2020, Newcastle United Harvey Barnes is eligible to still play for Scotland, as his only appearance for the Three Lions came in a friendly. (Image - WikiCommons See £)

"Lennon Miller. He's only 18, he's performed particularly well for them (Motherwell), and he was outstanding for the under-21s the other night."

In 2015, McClair briefly worked for the Scottish national football team as their national performance director, but left after 13 months.

Last year, he helped raise vital funds for Silklife Foodbank in Macclesfield.

In other Brian McClair news, he recently contributed to a Bollington resident's nostalgic football book, where he recalled what it was like to play for Manchester United in the 1980s. Please click HERE to read that story.

This story is credited to SportsBoom, please head to their website to find out more.

Image Credit * Kjetil Ree Unchanged https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_McClair#/media/File:Brian_McClair_(2017-07-29_img03).jpg CC 3.0 © 2017 Kjetil Ree

Image Credit ^ https://soccer.ru./ Unchanged CC 3.0 Анна Джалалян https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steve_Clarke_2019.jpg

Image Credit £ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harvey_Barnes_2022_(cropped).jpg Pottercomuneo Unchanged CC 4.0