New deals, new starts and sudden exits – Steve Clarke’s Scotland timeline

June 13 – Scotland beat Haiti 1-0 at Boston Stadium – just their fifth World Cup win. “My boys are fine,” was his response when some questioned the performance.

Nevertheless, it was Scotland’s win on the main stage, and there was a wave of relief that they had not slipped up – heightened by the performances of Cape Verde and DR Congo.

June 15 – During a routine in-camp media conference, Naismith joked that Clarke was “doing cartwheels at breakfast” after the Haiti win.

The former forward really emphasized on the pre-tournament preparations and the head coach’s desire to enjoy this edition.

June 19 – Scotland conceded within the first two minutes of their match with Morocco and improved in the second half but tasted defeat. Clarke later came under some criticism after a tense off-pitch interview: “I don’t even know why we do these interviews.”

23 June – Speaking ahead of the Brazil match, Clarke joked about returning to the Azteca Stadium in the last 32 – a venue where he once scored as a player at the 1983 World Youth Championship.

“If we have to go to Mexico to play in Mexico, we will be happy because it will mean we have qualified. We will be very happy to have the opportunity to go.”

June 24 – Scotland’s chances of reaching the knockout stages for the first time were dashed by a 3-0 loss against Brazil in Miami.

Post-match Clarke came under further scrutiny for his approach to his post-match interviews. After another brief, tense exchange in which he appeared to be leaving, he later told the media, “Of course we’re going home”.

Such negativity floored the fanbase, when the Scots had a 42% chance of making history.

June 25-26: As that percentage drops, so does the door to the squad. No one talks to the media when the nation is at a standstill.

27/28 June – Just before midnight in the UK, Scotland’s fate was sealed as one of the lowest-ranked third-placed teams secured their exit from the tournament by beating Croatia.

Thirty-two minutes later, it was announced that Clarke had resigned as Scotland head coach in a 1,000-word letter to the nation saying his overwhelming emotion was “pride, closely followed by satisfaction” and witnessing “the reunification of our national team and fans”.

10 minutes before his departure was announced to the squad, Clarke broke the shocking news to them with the most credit for his hearty cheers.