Scotland's World Cup campaign has concluded with their elimination confirmed, prompting the resignation of manager Steve Clarke after a seven-year tenure. The team returned home from their North Carolina base following the confirmation of their exit on Saturday night.
Scotland's hopes of advancing were dashed when Croatia's victory over Ghana eliminated them from contention as one of the third-placed teams. The team's journey began with a 1-0 win against Haiti, but subsequent losses to Morocco (1-0) and Brazil (3-0) left them in third place in their group.
Players including John McGinn, Andy Robertson, and Tyler Fletcher were seen departing their Charlotte hotel. Clarke, who announced his resignation shortly after their elimination was confirmed, expressed his gratitude to his players in a statement.
"The most emotional part of this goodbye is for my players, without whom we wouldn’t have had any of the memories that we’ve accumulated from 2019 until now," Clarke wrote. "They deserve all the praise and adulation that they receive and it was truly an honour to be called their Gaffer."
However, former Scotland striker Duncan Ferguson criticized Clarke's decision to resign, particularly given that Clarke had recently signed a new four-year contract. Ferguson, speaking as an ITV pundit, suggested Clarke had resigned too hastily.
"I was in a bit of shock when I saw Steve resign. I thought he'd done a fantastic job for the country and got us to three tournaments. He's been wonderful, you know what I mean?" Ferguson stated. "And I think he's jumped the gun, he's resigned too quickly. He signed his four-year contract, you know. Scotland weren't gonna win the World Cup, so what's changed from three weeks ago? Right, we've been beaten by Brazil. But really, who was expecting us to beat Brazil?"
Ferguson advised Clarke to have taken more time to consider his decision. "He should have took a deep breath. I think he shouldn't have resigned the way he did, he should have waited, got on the plane. Go home, have a think, speak to your family, and then make a decision. Why have you just signed a four-year deal and walked out? I don't get that part."
Ferguson speculated that Clarke might have reacted prematurely to criticism. "Maybe he spat his dummy out a wee bit because he was getting a bit of criticism. Maybe. I don't know the guy personally, I just think he's reacted too quickly," he added.
Regarding the future of the Scotland manager role, Ferguson expressed a preference for a Scottish national to lead the team. "I would like the Scottish manager to be Scottish, I'd like the English manager to be English, I'd like the German manager to be German. That's just me. So I want a Scottish guy leading the Scottish team," he said.
When asked if he would consider the position himself, Ferguson, who has prior coaching experience including interim spells at Everton and managerial roles at Forest Green and Inverness, responded positively. "I would certainly have that conversation, no question about that," he said.