Steve Clarke on 'easy' Scotland exit decision: 'If we qualified at World Cup, I would've stayed'

Steve Clarke says he would have stayed on as Scotland boss if the national side qualified from the World Cup group stage.

Clarke brought to an end a seven-year stint as manager after Scotland’s elimination from the tournament was confirmed on Saturday evening.

Scotland mustered three points from nine in Group C to end up behind Brazil and Morocco, with a minus-three goal difference.

The former Kilmarnock manager had penned a fresh four-year deal prior to the tournament in North America, which could have kept him in post through the next World Cup in 2030.

Football

Steve Clarke waves farewell after stepping down as Scotland head coach

Clarke told Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell that he was calling time on a seven-year tenure

However, the 62-year-old resigned after leading Scotland to three out of the last four major tournaments and the national team’s first appearance in the World Cup finals since 1998.

He told the national side’s YouTube channel: “It just feels like the right time to step away.

“Signing the contract before the tournament was a case of trying to give a little bit of comfort to the players.

“I always had in my head that if we didn’t come out the group, something we’ve tried to do across three tournaments, then it was probably the right time to step away.

“If we managed to get that extra point and got out of the group, I would’ve probably stayed on and tried to do another tournament.”

He added: “In some respects, it was easy [decision to step away]. I already had in my head what I wanted to achieve as the head coach and I had ticked all the boxes.

“My lifelong ambition was to do a World Cup with my country. I’ve done that. So it’s not a bad time to step aside.”

Clarke told his players of his decision at 7pm local time on Saturday, immediately after Scotland’s exit from the tournament was confirmed.

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

“I think seven or eight of them have been with me from the start, right the way through. It was very important to me that the players knew first, and obviously just before I went into the meeting I had to tell my captain (Andy Robertson) because I knew that he’d want to say a few words back to me. Saying goodbye to my staff and my players was emotional.”

Despite the backlash to Scotland’s group-stage performance, Clarke is adamant he had a “brilliant” World Cup experience.

“I said I was going to enjoy it,” he said. “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.

“The next two games were tough. We played difficult opponents. Morocco and Brazil, both of them can go really deep in the tournament and we competed with them, no matter what other people might say. We competed, both games were competitive.

“We showed a lot of character and we played some good stuff. We didn’t find the quality in the final third of the pitch but I could maybe say that across the whole seven years we’ve always been chasing and trying to find that quality in the final third of the pitch, and I hope my successor manages to do that.”