Steve Clarke Incredible impact as head coach
Scotland had been ruuning in the top on Euro 2024 qualifying group, winning their first four matches, FA boss says Steve Clarke Incredible impact as head coach.
Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell has praised Clarke’s work, noting that he has taken the team from a pot four team to a pot two team. This article will explore the incredible impact that Steve Clarke has had on Scotland and how his work has helped to foster a renewed sense of optimism among Scotland fans. Scotland had victory over Spain with 2-0 on Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Tuesday’s success against Georgia made it 10 consecutive qualifying victories. “I remember when we announced him at the press conference in 2019, we said we needed a manager to make a pot four team a pot two team,” Maxwell said.
“We’re now a Nations League Group A side, so he’s actually taken us a bit higher.
“The only word I can think to use when talking about his impact is incredible.”
It is the first time Scotland have started a campaign with four successive wins, with Spain beaten at Hampden and Norway edged out by two late goals in Oslo.
It leaves Scotland eight points clear in Group A, with a trip to Cyprus next up in September.
“It’s not done yet, but we are very, very close,” Maxwell said in a interview
“We are a really good team and I’d be amazed if we don’t pick up more points over the rest of this campaign – and that’s what we need to do.”
“The transformation under Steve and his staff is fantastic, it just highlights how good he is at his job,” Maxwell added.
“For one of the four years he’s had, he didn’t see the players at all because of Covid. Then the post-Covid international windows were three games, so he was doing no training. It was just getting ready for games.
“For me, the biggest thing was qualification for Euro 2020 meant we had a pre-tournament camp in Portugal – then during the Euros period he had the best part of three weeks with the players.
“He’s a coach, he wants to be on the grass. When he got the job, he told me, if it was clubland, he would have the team playing the way he wanted after a month.
“When he came in, all the talk was of Kieran Tierney and Andy Robertson – and can they play together? Well, he fixed that.
“Timing is a factor too. At the end of Alex McLeish’s tenure, we were having conversations about right-sided centre-halves being at a premium and we didn’t have a huge amount of right-backs. Look at it now, we’ve got Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson, Ryan Porteous and Jack Hendry.
“We have real depth and the manager has managed to foster that belief and desire in a squad of 25, 27, up to 30 players.
“It’s a good thing to be a Scotland fan again. That’s what winning on the pitch does. Success breeds engagement.” On other hand Republic of Ireland had victory over Gibraltar with 3-0 on the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Steve Clarke over his career
Steve Clarke was appointed as head coach of Scotland in 2019, and his impact has been immediate. In his first campaign, Scotland qualified for Euro 2020 and had a successful pre-tournament camp in Portugal. Clarke has also been able to foster a sense of belief and desire in the Scotland squad, with players such as Kieran Tierney, Andy Robertson, Aaron Hickey, Nathan Patterson, Ryan Porteous and Jack Hendry all thriving under his guidance.
Tuesday’s success against Georgia made it 10 consecutive qualifying victories for Scotland, and it is the first time that the team have started a campaign with four successive wins. This includes a victory over Spain at Hampden and a narrow win over Norway in Oslo. With eight points clear in Group A, Scotland are now on the brink of reaching back-to-back European Championship finals under Clarke.
On the eve of the opening Euro 2024 qualifying win over Cyprus at home in March, Clarke extended his contract to remain in charge until after the 2026 World Cup. This shows the faith that the Scottish FA have in Clarke and his ability to lead the team to success. Turkey had victory over Wales with 2-0 in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
