Scottish FA Nears New Head Coach After Clarke's Departure

The Scottish FA is moving into the final stages of its hunt for a new head coach, with Steve Clarke’s successor expected to be confirmed soon as the clock ticks towards the autumn Nations League campaign.

Clarke walked away in the summer, just weeks after signing a new four-year deal in May. Scotland’s group-stage exit at the World Cup brought a brutal full stop to his seven-year spell in charge, and the 60-year-old chose to resign rather than attempt another reset.

That decision has left a sizeable void at the top of the national team structure – and a tight turnaround.

Scotland are next in action on 26 September, when they open a four-game block of Nations League fixtures away to Slovenia. The new head coach will inherit that schedule immediately, with no gentle introduction and little room for experimentation.

Inside Hampden, the process has been driven by chief executive Ian Maxwell and Craig Mulholland, who stepped into the role of the SFA’s chief football officer in May. The pair have cast the net wide, speaking to candidates from across the UK and overseas as they try to identify the right figure to build on Clarke’s work rather than rip it up.

Interviews have already taken place. The governing body is now understood to be closing in on an appointment, though there is no indication yet whether the successful candidate will be a Scot or a foreign coach. What is clear is that the decision will shape the next phase of a squad that has grown used to tournament football – and the expectations that come with it.

One familiar face expects to remain part of that journey. Steven Naismith, who served as Clarke’s assistant, said last month that he anticipates continuing in the national team set-up under the new boss. His presence would offer a thread of continuity from the previous regime, at a time when everything else around the dugout is changing.

The World Cup exit drew a line under Clarke’s reign. The next appointment will decide whether that line marks the end of a chapter, or the start of something more ambitious for Scotland.