The Liverpool defender and Scotland captain insists the vast majority of fans are happy with the progress of Steve Clarke's side
22:30, 01 Apr 2026
Scotland captain Andy Robertson applauds the Tartan Army
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Scotland captain Andy Robertson applauds the Tartan Army(Image: Paul Currie/Shutterstock)
Andy Robertson says real Scotland fans are proud of their team - and he’s promised them they’ll be ready for the World Cup.
After two friendly defeats to Japan and Ivory Coast, some supporters vented their frustration by booing Steve Clarke’s side. Jeers could be heard from the stands at full-time in both games after the Scots failed to score in either.
But after the 1-0 loss to the Africans at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Tuesday night, Robertson and his team-mates were given a standing ovation when they eventually left the pitch.
And the skipper is adamant that the vast majority of the Tartan Army are delighted with their progress - and qualification for three out of the last four major tournaments.
Robertson said: “At the full-time whistle on Tuesday, I heard a couple of boos and some people weren’t happy. But when we did our lap of honour, the reception we got was magnificent.
“It was Scotland fans happy with what they’d seen. They’re happy with their team because we’ve just qualified for a World Cup - the first time since 1998.
“The people in the stands were proud of the lads and the performance in the second half. Look, we’re annoyed at not winning. We want to win every game.
“But we also want to learn from friendly games.”
Clarke’s squad will head for America in June for their first World Cup in 28 years.
The warm-up games against Japan and Ivory Coast didn’t go to plan in terms of results but Robertson insists there were positives to build on ahead of the summer.
Clarke got a look at several fringe players, as well as trying out a different, 3-5-2 formation against Ivory Coast.
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Lewis Ferguson and Andy Robertson(Image: Getty Images)
Even though a minority of fans were left uninspired, Robertson is convinced they’ll be ready to perform when their World Cup opener against Haiti comes around on June 14 in Boston.
The Liverpool left-back said: “Under this manager, we’ve shown that when it comes to qualifiers, we’ve stepped up.
“People can argue that in the Euros we couldn’t take the next step by getting out of the group.
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“So that’s the next step for us, that’s what we want to do and work towards in the summer. Those two games will help us do that.”