Steve Clarke is done as Scotland manager. He stepped down after the World Cup, and he’s already thinking about how the next guy should handle what he left behind.
He didn’t walk away bitter. Clarke brought Scotland back from a two-decade exile from major tournaments. Two European Championships. A World Cup. That’s not nothing for a nation that spent years watching from home. But he also never got them past the group stage, and that’s the part that stings.
In his final sit-down with the Scottish FA, Clarke talked about what comes next. A lot of it came down to one thing: the young guys need to learn from the old guys before the old guys are gone.
The veterans aren’t done yet
People keep saying the core is finished. Andy Robertson. John McGinn. Ryan Christie. Scott McTominay. These guys carried Scotland through multiple cycles. Clarke has heard the talk that they’re past their primes.
He doesn’t buy it.
“They’re not finished yet,” Clarke said. “They’re definitely not finished because they can all make it for Euro 2028. Home Euros.”
He’s probably right. Robertson is still a quality left back. McTominay is in his prime at club level. The question is whether they can carry the team one more time, or if the younger group has to start carrying itself.
Clarke pointed to the younger guys already in the squad. Ben Gannon-Doak. Findlay Curtis. Tyler Fletcher. Tommy Conway. James Wilson. Lennon Miller. That’s the next wave. Some of them are teenagers. Some of them are already getting minutes in the Premier League or Championship. Clarke’s message was simple: watch the older guys, learn how they prepare, how they handle pressure, how they carry themselves through 90 minutes when nothing is going right.
“We had about a thousand caps in the squad going into this tournament,” Clarke said. “That’s a lot of experience at international level. The next generation needs to learn from that group and carry us forward.”
The free pass problem
Scotland is co-hosting Euro 2028 with England, Ireland, and Wales. That means they get a safety net. If they don’t qualify through normal means, there’s a backup path. Two spots are reserved for the best-ranked co-hosts who don’t make it as group winners or best runners-up.
Clarke warned the players not to lean on that safety net. In his final team meeting, he told them to earn their spot the hard way. Qualify on merit.
“Our qualification record is probably the best in Scottish history,” he said. “Don’t use the free pass. Qualify as of right. That’s what we do well. It’ll give you a better feeling going into the tournament anyway.”
He’s not wrong. Scotland has become a reliable qualifier under Clarke. That was never a given before he took over. The next manager inherits a team that expects to be at tournaments. That’s a win by itself.
Clarke is planning to watch from the stands. He joked about asking the FA for a couple of tickets. “I’ll watch without the stress,” he said. “Just hoping they finally do what nobody has done for Scotland before.”
He meant getting out of the group. That’s the next hurdle. Clarke got them to the dance. Someone else has to stay past midnight.
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