Clarke sure he’s best man for Scots after new dealFigure caption, ‘People were clamouring for me to go’ByJonathan Sutherland & Andy BurkeBBC ScotlandPublished13 minutes agoSteve Clarke says his near U-turn to continue as Scotland head coach was based on his conviction he is the best man for the job.The 62-year-old, who has also been inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame, recalled a “clamour” for him to go after Scotland’s Euro 2024 disappointment before securing a World Cup place. The Scots lost to Germany and Hungary and drew with Switzerland in between at the finals two years.Clarke had suggested at the beginning of Scotland’s World Cup qualifying programme he was around 75% sure it would probably be his last campaign. He then rated his chances of staying on as 50-50 after securing a place in this summer’s finals.But this week it was revealed the head coach had signed a new deal that will run until 2030, by which time he will be in post for 11 years.
“I’ve probably got a better understanding of what’s next than somebody coming in fresh,” Clarke told BBC Scotland. “That was a lot of the thinking behind it.
“After the last Euros, it was obviously disappointing – a lot of people were clamouring to get me out of this position.
“I had a good think about it. I knew I had a group of players that could qualify for a World Cup and we decided, or I decided, that was the path I would take. The qualification obviously went as well as we hoped it would.”
Clarke also believes “it was always important” to agree new terms before this summer’s showpiece.
