Steve Clarke's Scotland future addressed as options emerge for World Cup training base
Manager ‘not closing any doors’ after making history
Steve Clarke is open to continuing as Scotland manager after the World Cup. Although he admitted it was still a little early to speak about the question of his future given the emotional context of the country’s return to the tournament, there were signs he could be persuaded to stay on.
He revealed he was “still thinking” having previously rated his chances of leaving after the end of this qualifying tournament as “75 per cent certain”. While the World Cup might seem a good time to bow out for the first man to lead Scotland to three major finals, Clarke was asked whether part of him now believed there was something else to achieve with a group of players who are clearly all still playing for him.
“I haven’t really thought about it,” he said. “My only focus is to help this squad get to the World Cup. We will go to the World Cup. I don’t know, my bosses may want to sit and have a chat. I don’t know. I don’t think about me. I haven’t given it any thought.”
He did however qualify this by saying he isn’t “closing any doors”. He spoke earlier this year about intending to have one more shot at club management. Now 62, and with the buzz of leading Scotland to the World Cup still pulsing through him, he appeared to row back a bit on this ambition in the aftermath of Tuesday’s epic 4-2 victory over Denmark.
“I would need to go back in the gym and get myself fit if I am going back to club management because you need to do it day in day out day in day out!” he said. “I am going to leave it at that. The door is always open. You never know what is going to happen in the future. Nobody can see ahead. I don’t close any doors.”
Asked if he might seek discussions with the SFA hierarchy before the World Cup, he answered that he “wouldn’t be in a rush to do it”. His current contract is due to run out as soon as Scotland are no longer in the World Cup equation. The win over Denmark extended Clarke's stay to the end of the group stage at least, which is the end of June next year. He has already overseen the most games of any Scotland manager.
On any clamour for him to stay on longer than this summer, he said “it would make a difference to the clamour to get me out!”
Clarke spells out draw trip
Clarke plans to savour the promise of World Cup participation in this pre-Christmas period, which includes attending the World Cup draw in Washington on 5 December.
There is also the little matter of running the rule over Scotland's tournament base. Fifa have already issued a prescribed list of “elite team base camps” that will become “your home away from home”. As well as learning the identity of their opponents at next month’s draw, Scotland will discover the geographic zones for their group matches. They can then consider the FIFA approved team base options in these areas.
“From 5 December you have until 6 January to organise a base camp,” Clarke explained. “It is pretty quick. I haven’t really thought about the ins and outs of it. I have got a rough idea that we are flying out to Washington in early December. Then we have to work out where we are staying once the draw is made. The good thing is we will know where we are going.
"It is not a play-off, it is not a pathway. We will know where we are going to be. Then we can go there and look at all the facilities and decide where we are going to base ourselves. That is the first step.”
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