Scotland: Steve Clarke says ‘easy’ decision to step back from World Cup exit

Clarke informed his players of his decision at 19:00 local time on Saturday, shortly after Scotland’s exit from the tournament was confirmed.

“It’s obviously an emotional moment when you tell your players you’re stepping down after such a journey together,” he said.

“I think seven or eight of them were with me from the start. It was very important to me that the players knew first and obviously I had to tell my captain (Andy Robertson) just before I went into the meeting because I knew he would want to say something to me.”

Despite the backlash to Scotland’s group-stage performance, Clarke was adamant his World Cup experience was “brilliant”.

“I said I was going to enjoy it,” he said. “Coming to the Haiti game with thousands of their Scotland fans and my family in the stands was the best moment.

“The next two matches were tough. We played tough opponents. Morocco and Brazil, they can both go deep into the tournament and we competed with them, no matter what other people said. We competed, both games were competitive.

“We showed a lot of character and we played some good things. We didn’t find the quality in the final third of the pitch, but I can say that for the whole seven years we always chased and tried to find that quality in the final third of the pitch – and I hope my successor will be able to do that.”

Assessing his time in charge, a “100% proud” Clarke believes he has achieved his goal to “change the mindset of the group” and give them the belief that they can compete at the highest level.

“We will become part of Scottish folklore as we go along,” he predicted. “People will be talking about some of these matches, some of these events for the next century.

“Everyone says this core group is finished. They are not finished yet, because they can all make it for Euro 2028.”