Browsing: Clarke

After recovering from a different first hour or so to come back and beat Greece 3-1 on Thursday, Scotland will make changes for what will be a different kind of test.

Lewis Ferguson and Ryan Christie are suspended and Aaron Hickey injured, meaning Billy Gilmour, Lyndon Dykes and Tony Ralston could be in line to start.

Clarke expects Belarus to sit deep at Hampden and make it difficult for Scotland, but said the onus was on his side.

“In my time here, we’ve done well against the so-called lesser teams and it’s very important you get the points off them,” he said.

“They’ll come here and be organised, they’ll be difficult to break down and until you break them down, it’ll be a long night.

“It’s up to us to approach the game properly, which we will. It’s up to us to create enough chances to get the crowd excited, which we hopefully will.”

Clarke also insisted he was not thinking beyond Sunday’s match, with a trip to Greece and a home match against the Danes following next month.

“All I ever try to emphasise is that if you want to qualify, these are the games you have to win,” he said. “If you drop points to the teams ranked below you, it makes qualification difficult.

“No room for complacency. At no point am I looking too far ahead.

“I’ve been in the game a long time and if you look too far ahead, sometimes you trip up – a little bit like [assistant coach] Steven Naismith did in training today when he joined in.”

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Even close proximity to a global superstar cannot divert Scotlandâ€s attention from their World Cup dream. Or is it a teenage one? Katy Perry shared a city centre hotel with Steve Clarke and his squad this week as the singerâ€s Lifetimes Tour stopped off in Glasgow. Clarke did not quite go as far as saying, “Katy who?†but he was nonplussed by his squad rubbing shoulders with a bestselling artist.

“Was she?†said Clarke when asked about Perryâ€s whereabouts. “I didnâ€t know she was there. Iâ€ve heard the name and Iâ€m sure if you played me a couple of her songs Iâ€d say: ‘I recognise that one.†But I couldnâ€t name you one of her songs. Thatâ€s no disrespect to Katy but Iâ€m from a different generation.†Pressed on whether he would even recognise Perry, Clarke – by now laughing – added: “Eh, no. And she wouldnâ€t recognise me.†This very much feels like two worlds that should never collide.

Clarke was understandably more serious on the challenge likely to arrive from Greece on Thursday as Scotland kick off a crucial double-header. Belarus also visit Hampden Park on Sunday, as Scotland look to build on the positive World Cup-qualifying opening provided by four points out of an available six.

The backdrop is a curious one. Rangers†sacking of Russell Martin, with Steven Gerrard to hold talks over a return to Ibrox, and off-field rumblings at Celtic mean the national teamâ€s matches have rather crept up on even seasoned observers. Even Hearts†high-flying domestic start and woes at Aberdeen have felt more prevalent in Scottish football discourse. “I do glance through the headlines sometimes and itâ€s been strange in the buildup to such a big game that the national team has not been the main headline,†said Clarke. “But listen, thatâ€s the nature of football in Scotland.

“The players understand that every game in a qualification process is important, to get as many points as you can. We managed to pick up four points in the two away games last month and we hope to pick up as many as we can this month and that will put us in a good place going into November. The players understand what they have to do.â€

John McGinn (right) in training with Scotland. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

The Greece clash will mean Clarke matches the late Craig Brownâ€s record of 71 games in charge of his country. Somewhat typically, the 62-year-old has no desire to focus on personal landmarks. “I havenâ€t really thought about it, I have to be honest,†said Clarke. “Having had a half-decent career as a player and a half-decent career up to now as a manager and a head coach … I donâ€t think Iâ€m finished yet. Let me finish and then look back and I will tell you exactly how I feel about it.

“I have enjoyed it. When you take the job you donâ€t think youâ€re going to be in for six and a bit years with so many games under your belt. I have been lucky enough to work with a really good, consistent squad of players who have done ever so well for me. All my coaches have helped me and to get to this stage is been really nice. But at the moment my focus is only on qualifying for the World Cup next year.â€

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Greece landed in Scotland with confidence, having swaggered to a 3-0 Nations League win at Hampden Park in March. “The players did not quite hit the heights that they had before,†said Clarke of that wounding encounter. “So if this is a chance to make amends, hopefully that is what we do.â€

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This is a harsh blow to start the season for a Memphis team needing to prove it can make noise in a deep Western Conference.

Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey — the teamâ€s starting power forward and center — as well as backup center Brandon Clarke are all going to miss training camp and the start of the season recovering from surgeries, the team announced Friday.

An All-Star last season and a former Defensive Player of the Year, Jackson had surgery to help deal with a turf toe injury back in July. Last season he averaged 22.2 points per game, shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc, while playing elite defense. Because of his two-way play as well as Ja Morant being in and out of the lineup in recent seasons, Jackson has become the Grizzlies†best player and losing him is a huge blow. Santi Aldama will move into the starting lineup in his place.

Edey made First-Team All-Rookie last season, averaging 9.2 points and 8.3 rebounds a game, while blocking 1.3 shots a night.

Clarke has recovered from the knee sprain that slowed him at the end of last season but now suffers from right knee synovitis — an inflammation of the synovial membrane that surrounds and helps lubricate the knee — and that required his knee to be scoped. While there is no timeline on Clarkeâ€s return, he is going to be re-evaluated in six weeks, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. That likely pushes his return into November.

All these frontcourt injuries will put a lot more pressure on Ja Morant to keep the Grizzlies afloat to start the season until everyone gets healthy. In a West with a minimum of 13 teams thinking playoffs, that will be a big ask.

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Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Brandon Clarke will undergo an arthroscopic procedure to address knee synovitis, which he suffered during offseason training, the team announced Friday.

Clarke is set to be reevaluated in six weeks, sources told ESPN. The Grizzlies said Clarke is expected to make a full recovery from his synovitis, an issue affecting the lining of the knee joint, but did not disclose a timeline.

The 29-year-old Clarke missed the final month of the 2024-25 season with a posterior cruciate ligament sprain, which fully healed without surgery.

Clarke’s injury announcement was one of a number of updates from the Grizzles on Friday. The team also said that center Zach Edey (ankle) and forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (toe) had been cleared to begin ramping up basketball activities. Edey is set to miss another six to nine weeks, while Jackson is expected to return to play in four to six weeks, the Grizzlies said.

Clarke has dealt with a number of lower-body injuries in his career. Along with this latest issue and the PCL strain, he tore his left Achilles tendon late in the 2022-23 season and missed most of the following year.

He played in 64 games last season and averaged 8.3 points and 5.1 rebounds over 18.9 minutes. Clarke has two years and $25 million left on his contract.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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September 12, 2025 07:18 PM With Ben Griffin, J.J. Spaun, and other U.S. Ryder Cup rookies excelling at the 2025…

‘We need to keep feet on the ground’ – Clarke