Steve Clarke revealed he KNEW he would quit as Scotland boss if they failed to get out of their World Cup group despite signing a long-term deal just FOUR weeks ago.
The 62-year-old dropped a bombshell when he quit the national team moments after their elimination from the tournament was officially confirmed on Saturday evening, ending his near seven-year reign at the Hampden helm.
Clarke's Premeditated Decision
Clarke went to America dreaming of history with his squad as he targeted a knockout stage place at a major tournament for the first time ever, with an expanded 48-team competition making the route to glory easier. But it went horribly wrong with just one point – a 1-0 victory against minnows Haiti in the opening Group C game – as defeats to Morocco and Brazil saw Scotland finish 11th of the 12 third-placed teams, with the top eight advancing.
While the news stunned the Tartan Army, Clarke confessed that it was always in his mind that he would step away if Scotland failed to get out of the group in his third major tournament as manager, having previously been boss at two European Championships. That thought was in his head even as he penned the four-year contract handed to him by his Scottish FA bosses.
Emotional Farewell to Players
Speaking on the SFA’s own YouTube channel before flying back from the team HQ in Charlotte, Clarke said: “Before signing the contract it was a case of trying to give a little bit of comfort to the players, knowing that we could continue the journey. But I always had it in my head that if we didn’t get out of the group, something we’ve tried to do across three tournaments, it would probably be the time to step away. If we had managed to get that extra point and got out the group I’d probably have stayed on and tried to do another tournament.”
“So in some respects it was an easy decision because I already had it in my head what I wanted to achieve as the head coach. I’d also ticked all the boxes. I want to go to a major tournament with my country and I did that with the first Euros. That was Covid-affected, the second Euros was great. The tournament didn’t go as we wanted but getting to Germany was fantastic. And my lifelong ambition was getting to a World Cup with my country and I’ve done that. So not a bad time to step aside.”
Andy Robertson's Role in the Exit Meeting
Clarke admitted it was an emotional meeting when he broke the news. He said: “I called a meeting for 7pm because we felt that was the time it would be confirmed. I sat all the staff and players down in one room. A lot of people in the room and it’s an emotional moment when you tell your players you’re stepping away after such a journey together. Some of the boys have been with me right from the start, seven or eight of them, so it was important to me that they knew first. And just before we went in I had to tell my captain because I knew he’d want to say a few words back to me. Saying goodbye to my players and staff was an emotional moment.”
Reflecting on the Campaign
On the campaign itself, Clarke said: “I said I was going to enjoy it, coming out for the Haiti game with the Scotland fans there in their thousands and my family in the stands was just the best moment. That was good. The next two games were tough, we played difficult opponents and Brazil and Morocco can go really deep in the tournament. And we competed with them, no matter what other people say. We competed with them.”
“Both games were competitive. The Brazil game we allowed them to have the kind of game they wanted. They like to play on the counter attack. They like big spaces, we gave them that with conceding the early goal but we showed a lot of character and we played some good stuff. We didn’t find the quality in the final third but I could maybe say that across the whole seven years, chasing and trying to find that quality in the final third and I hope my successor manages to do that.”
Final Message to the Squad
Clarke had one final message to his players as he delivered his farewell speech. He said: “I was still there gaffer until that meeting! Our qualification record is probably unsurpassed in Scottish football history so all I said to the boys was to not use the free pass (potentially qualifying as co-hosts) to get to the next tournament (Euro 2028), make sure you qualify in your own right because we do that and do it well and it gives you a good feeling. I look forward to sitting watching the boys in the next Euros.”
