Lyndon Dykes doesn't buy Scotland statbomb as defiant striker sees big picture that numbers don't show

Lyndon Dykes can see the bigger picture with how things are going under Clarke

If you only concern yourself with facts and figures you’d think Scotland are now at a crisis point in Steve Clarke’s reign. But Lyndon Dykes isn’t a stats man.

Which is probably just as well, given the big striker’s last goal for his country was 17 games ago. No, he can see the bigger picture. And he reckons it’s important that his manager’s critics appreciate how they actually got to this juncture. One win in 15 games doesn’t make good reading. But after earning a crack at the top tier of the Nations League, Scotland HAVE competed with the big boys in their group.

Narrow, one-goal defeats to Poland, Portugal and Croatia might ordinarily give off negative vibes. But the performances have suggested otherwise. The Scots’ 2-1 loss in Zagreb on Saturday night followed a similar pattern to the previous two. Clarke’s men were well in the game against Luka Modric and Co and took the lead through Ryan Christie’s strike. Even at the death, they looked to have snatched a priceless point, only to be denied by VAR.

Despite his lack of goals, Dykes performed well. And rather than being down in the dumps about the run the team are on, the Birmingham City front-man insists there’s still positivity in the camp.

He also urged the doubters to remember how they ended up mixing it with Europe’s best in the first place. Ahead of Portugal’s visit to Hampden tomorrow night, Dykes said: “We’re determined to get it right. Football is tough when you’re on a long run and not winning games.

“Especially after the results we did get, winning and changing the way the Scotland national team had been for years. We’ve done that.

“Now, it hasn’t gone so well. But we’ve still got the same players, the same characters in the changing-room. And we’ve got to this place in credit. Yes, at the moment it’s tough but we’re going to get through it.

“It doesn’t seem to be going our way right now. We had another good performance against Croatia but had no points to show for it. There are positives there. And listen, that’s what happens when you’re in the top group against these teams.

“Sometimes you don’t get the little things you need on your side. It was tough on Saturday night but I’m super-proud of the boys. We have to make sure we keep going because it will change for us.”

When a team is on a winless run, you expect morale to be dented. But listening to Clarke’s players, you don’t sense that. If anything, there seems to be a renewed belief in what they’re doing - despite the squad being decimated by injuries.

And Dykes believes they’re just lacking a bit of good fortune that has so far eluded them in this Nations League campaign. He said: “I thought we looked good in Croatia. We didn’t look like a team that were just going to give up.

“We scored a goal and looked dangerous. We looked strong in our previous games as well. But at the moment, things just aren’t going for us. That’s football, it can be harsh sometimes.

“Even when you’re playing well enough to get results, it can happen that way. But we’ve had fresh faces come in, which shows change - and we’re still playing well.

“So we have to make sure we’re all together as we are because this is a massive family. And the travelling support, who came out in their numbers again to Croatia, were amazing.”

When Scotland took on glamour friendlies against top sides like England, France and Holland before Euro 2024 - it resulted in heavy defeats. Even though Clarke’s side are still getting beat, at least now they’re competing.

Against Poland, Portugal and Croatia, they’ve gone down swinging which signals improvement. Dykes says it proves they can mix it with the best.

But he knows trying to get a result against the Portuguese - who lead the section - will be another big ask for the players. He said: “We always thought we could compete with the big nations.

“And we’ve done so well to get into this top tier. We’re playing top teams in every camp now. We’re not going away any more, playing teams where you’re expected to beat them easily.

“These are tough teams we’re up against and every single player on the pitch has to be on it. The whole squad does. But football is about fine margins and right now, it’s just not going our way.

Hotline Live: Tune in and have your say

In case you haven't heard, we've launched a new Hotline Live show, airing at 6pm every day, with the exception of Fridays and Saturdays.

Join our panel for a laugh, a moan and a look at all things Scottish football, as well as having your say on the biggest issues in the game.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel so you never miss a single episode.

Alternatively, you can watch on Facebook or Twitter.

Need to get something off your chest? Have your say on what's happening in the world of Scottish football by contacting us at hotline@dailyrecord.co.uk.

You can find out more about the show here and also catch up on previous episodes with our full Hotline Live playlist on YouTube.

“That’s almost out of our control. So we have to stay positive and look forward. How do we turn it around against Portugal? Win the game. Make sure we get points on the board.

“In all the Nations League games we’ve played so far, that could have been the case. Tuesday is going to be a difficult game. Everyone knows that from when we played them last time.

“You know the players they have so it’s not going to be easy. We’re not going to rock up at Hampden assuming we’ll get points. But we also can’t think: ‘Poor us, it’s not going our way’.

“We have to work hard as a team and make it difficult for them. The crowd will support us and we must make it ugly for them. If we do that, we can win and come away with something.”

Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.