What Scotland fan are you? The 4 types of supporter after latest Euros heartache

Scotland's 1-0 defeat by Hungary and agonising exit from Euro 2024 has elicited a number of emotions from Scotland fans.

Hundreds of thousands of Scots made the journey to Germany to watch the team's three Group A matches against the hosts, Switzerland and Hungary, while many more watched on TV across the globe.

We look at the spectrum of feelings across the Tartan Army, from the realist right the way through to those who want radical change.

Type 1: The pragmatist

As painful as Scotland's defeat was against Hungary, some supporters accept that this is where Scotland just are in the football foodchain. A nation of limited resource in terms of playing pool, they believe head coach did well just to get Scotland into the Euros and that qualifying for the knockout stages is always going to be a tall order. Taking on the host nation, a seasoned Switzerland team and a Hungarian outfit that came into the Euros having lost one match in 18 months showed exactly what Scotland were up against.

Scotland supporters travelled in their numbers to watch the team in Germany. | Getty Images

Type 2: The tactician

Everyone thinks they can be a football manager, right? Steve Clarke will have done well to blank out the noise about who should play and what system should be deployed. Scotland's reluctance to stray from a 5-4-1 formation irritated a lot of supporters but what was the alternative, and would it have brought better results? Lawrence Shankland has become a popular figure and calls grew louder and louder for him to start ahead of Che Adams in attack. Wingers: Scotland don't use them, getting the majority of their width from the full-backs. This irks many too. Armchair head coaches everywhere.

Type 3: The executioner

There is an increasingly growing battalion of Scotland supporters who would like to see Steve Clarke axed. Scotland have only won one match since last summer - against Gibraltar - and the formbook is not the prettiest for the head coach. Then there is the style of football, with Scotland's cautious nature under Clarke, who has been in post since 2019, starting to grate more and more. Beating Spain at Hampden back in March 2023 is just a distant memory. David Moyes, a pretty strong critic of Scotland's performances at the Euros, is seen as the saviour by some.

Scotland fans party during the match against Switzerland. | Getty Images

Type 4: The here for a good time, not a long time

No Scotland, no party, right? The jocular Scotland supporter just loves being involved in the tournament, able to head over to a foreign land and enjoy company with good friends while supporting the country. While this Scotland fan of course wants victory, the sport is almost secondary to the experience of just being there at the heart of it, soaking up the atmosphere - and the beer. Such nuances of 5-4-1 vs 3-5-2 are not of great interest. Many fans over Germany have spoken of a once-in-a-lifetime experience of being at a major tournament, making memories for life. They are thankful to Clarke and Co for making it happen in the first place.