There was one element of the Scottish Football Association’s otherwise baffling decision to give Steve Clarke a four‑year deal weeks before a World Cup ball had been kicked that made sense.
When assessing alternatives to Clarke as the Scotland manager, it is apparent that paucity of talent among the country’s footballers is replicated in the coaching ranks. Clarke’s sudden resignation places the SFA in a position it was not only desperate to avoid but requires something it typically lacks; out‑of‑the-box thinking. Clarke has spared himself and his paymasters an acrimonious, lengthy goodbye while placing them in precisely the quandary they thought they had seen off.
History should treat Clarke fondly. He ended his nation’s painful wait to appear at major tournaments. This was done three times, despite massive limitations on playing resources, to which Clarke’s critics appear blind. It was such a pity his tenure ended amid polemic relating to another finals disappointment. Scotland froze at the World Cup, which is at least partly the responsibility of coaching.
Had Clarke determined, as was originally his position, that this World Cup and a seven-year stint was sufficient to stop familiarity breeding contempt, people would have been more sanguine about his departure. This always felt a salient end point. Instead there is bewilderment about why his paymasters seemed unwilling to factor in events in the US when tying up Clarke for a potential tenure of more than a decade. The SFA’s approach to all things Clarke has been typically tone deaf and arrogant.
Clarke does not need the aggravation provided by a demanding football nation and an ageing player pool that is diminishing all the time. He does not need the money, either; the 62-year-old has admitted previously that he timed his switch from assistant to manager when he was self-sufficient enough to fail. It turned out he did not anyway. While Clarke will be hurt by the nature of Scotland’s timid exit, one glance at his demeanour during post‑match media duties in Miami on Wednesday depicted an individual who could live a far more peaceful life.
Clarke is an honourable man who has done an honourable and rare thing by choosing to walk out on guaranteed money. Criticism of him has all-too-often been personal and over the top. And it was striking that in a lengthy open letter to supporters and staff, Clarke did not expand on the precise reasons for his resignation or thoughts on why Scotland fell short in the US. As the 11th-ranked third-placed team out of 12, the Scots were a long way adrift of their stated aim of reaching the last 32.
The SFA is left in the position of having to prove its decision‑making can be anything other than lazy. Administrative lightweights, so fond of the limelight under circumstances of their own choosing, will need to raise their game. The recent appointment of Craig Mulholland as chief football officer has done nothing to remove the whiff of a culture that is all too cosy and narrow in outlook.
The position vacated by Clarke is no longer a job for a Scot. Instead it is a fortunate opportunity to allow a world outside Glasgow to assess and improve a national football model that is failing badly. Scotland must look towards coaches who have made great strides at similarly sized nations. Fixing sights on managers in other countries is not because the SFA need to be bold or different; it is an essential move at this point in time.
Only two Scottish managers – David Moyes and Alex Neil – feature in English football’s top two leagues. Derek McInnes has always been portrayed as a Scotland manager in waiting. So, too, has Moyes. Club commitments render both unattainable. McInnes aside, there are five Scottish managers in the Scottish top flight. The only credible candidate for the national job among them is John McGlynn, who has worked wonders at Falkirk. There will be concern over whether McGlynn’s skills could transfer sufficiently to wow Scott McTominay or John McGinn. The riposte is that the output of both players has been so dismal in back-to-back tournaments that the argument is irrelevant.
Steven Naismith, Clarke’s assistant, will inevitably be quoted as a candidate, but the 39‑year‑old must be culpable by association for a grim World Cup. Even by his standards of landing jobs he barely seems qualified for, it would be extraordinary were he the best the SFA could source. Paul Lambert, another name floated, has not managed since leaving Ipswich in 2021.
People in positions of power and elsewhere in Scottish football shudder at the mention of Berti Vogts. The German’s spell in charge of Scotland is perceived as disastrous and erratic. The allegations are partly fair, albeit he inherited a declining and geriatric squad. Ange Postecoglou ticks almost every box for Scotland. It does, however, seem fanciful to suggest the same applies in reverse.
Scotland’s domestic game has never been more multicultural. When Hearts needed to replace Rangers-bound McInnes they turned towards Belgium. Jens Berthel Askou worked wonders at Motherwell last season having been plucked from the coaching system at Copenhagen. It is arrogant to believe Scotland’s football system cannot learn from others. England have a German manager. The mighty Brazil have no issue with an Italian in Carlo Ancelotti. Fresh eyes can assist with overall development that is essential for Scotland. Small‑mindedness and a parochial mentality has harmed the country’s national sport for decades.
Clarke’s replacement must be in position before Scotland begin another Nations League campaign in September. Thereafter comes – on paper, anyway – the relatively straightforward task of qualifying for Euro 2028. Scotland’s path will be easier as a host nation. A key Clarke achievement has been the raising of expectations. The SFA now has the capacity to douse some of the noise; they can do so by ignoring borders.