FA President Mike Mulraney believes that Steve Clarke’s record of qualifying for major tournaments has vindicated the decision to keep him as manager of the national team.
Scotland’s 26-man squad left Glasgow for Fort Lauderdale on Sunday where they continue preparations for their first appearance at a World Cup finals in 28 years at the Florida Blue Training Centre.
From there they fly to New Jersey for their final warm-up game against Bolivia on Saturday. After that comes a settling in period at the squad HQ in Charlotte, North Carolina before the opening Group C game against Haiti in Boston on June 14 and games against Morocco and Brazil.
The longest serving Scotland manager in history, Clarke continues to divide opinions amongst supporters. The first coach to lead the team to three major tournaments the Scottish FA harbour no such doubts after handing him a new contract until 2030.
“I knew I was right the day I appointed him,” said Mulraney, Clarke’s champion from day one. “I knew he was right the day he qualified us for a major tournament.
“I know I am right on the days it goes wrong and I believe I am still right as I sit here today.
“It might sound arrogant, but I don’t need vindication.
“The only person I have to convince that I am doing it right is me.”
Clarke has drawn flak from supporters for performances and results at back to back EUROS as well as his tactics and stubborn loyalty to key players over his tenure.
Facing calls to pause a decision on the Ayrshireman’s future until the World Cup was over Mulraney and Clarke have now shaken hands on a new four year contract.
“If you believe in your project and believe what you are doing is right then show the commitment,” said the former chairman of Alloa. “Show commitment.
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“We all know that football is a different world and that anything can happen in the meantime.
“But I believed it two years ago. I believed it four years ago and I believed it six years ago.
“So I believe it now. I need that out of our minds. We know what we want.
“Everybody discusses at the end of every tournament what we could have done differently.
“I want to win every game and Steve wants to win every game. But there are some clubs who dumped their manager in the last few years who, quite frankly today, would probably wish they hadn’t.
“What often happens in football is that you do not appreciate how good you have it until you don’t have it anymore.
“Right now we have got the right man in the right job for our nation who has qualified for three of the last tournaments and it was nearly four out of four.
“It’s a wee while since we have done that, so for me he is the right man at the right time and whether that time was six years ago or May 2026 we have the right man at the right time.”
