Scotland’s brief dalliance with a foreign manager went so catastrophically badly the failed experiment has never been repeated.
On paper, Berti Vogts, the former European Championship and World Cup winner who had led his native Germany to victory at Euro ’96 in England, was a good choice to succeed Craig Brown in 2002.
Alas, the former Borussia Monchendgladbach defender proved hopelessly ill-equipped to lead the national team through what was a difficult transitional period.
Nobody among the Tartan Army mourned the departure of Der Terrier, as he was known in his homeland, when his calamitous two-and-a-half year reign was brought to an abrupt end after a draw with Moldova.
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Would it, given how poorly the only overseas manager to take charge of Scotland fared, be folly for the SFA to look beyond Hadrian’s Wall to replace Steve Clarke?
The coming seasons are, as they were when Vogts was in situ, likely to be extremely challenging due to the inevitable retirement of several established internationalists.
Whoever comes in will have to bring through inexperienced youngsters and may find results hard to come by as they do so. Will there be an appreciation of their predicament among a support which has grown accustomed to qualifying for major tournaments in recent years? It is unlikely.
Just ask Vogts or Alex McLeish. They both found that there was little understanding in the stands when their new-look sides were struggling against far superior opposition on the park.
There is a strong argument for going for somebody who is familiar with the peculiarities of Scottish game, with the psyche and limitations of the players, at this time. Several names have already been put forward by pundits and fans.
John McGlynn, who has worked wonders on a limited budget at Falkirk, would be a popular choice with some. The former Raith Rovers, Hearts and Livingston manager has taken lower league part-timers and turned them into assured Premiership performers during the past four years.
Barney Stewart was playing for Heriot Watt University in the East of Scotland League when McGlynn plucked him from obscurity in 2024. The 6ft 2in 22-year-old scored 18 goals in the 2025/26 season, was named Scottish Football Writers’ Association Young Player of the Year and then got transferred to West Brom for £1.3m.
Having an individual in charge of Scotland who has a proven track record for improving raw talent here while playing entertaining, attractive, attacking football might be appealing for the SFA.
At 64, a move into the international game may be enticing for the three-time PFA Scotland Manager of the Year as well.
But how would Premier League and Serie A players like Che Adams, Lewis Ferguson, Ben Gannon-Doak, Billy Gilmour, John McGinn, Scott McTominay and Andy Robertson react to that appointment?
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Clarke, who had played and coached at a high level in England for a long time with the likes of Aston Villa, Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle United, commanded the total respect of his charges. Would McGlynn?
Steven Naismith, who was part of the Scotland set-up during the successful World Cup qualifying campaign and over in the United States, might fancy stepping up to take the top job.
He is a former international player who knows the set-up and has ambitions to become a manager again. But he only spent a year-and-a-half in the dugout at Hearts and he lost his job following a poor run of form. Is he really ready for such a demanding, high-profile position?
As always when a managerial vacancy arises, there have been some fanciful suggestions. It will be a major surprise if Scott Brown, Duncan Ferguson, Steve Gerrard, Robbie Keane, Roberto Martinez, Kieran McKenna, Davie Moyes, Ange Postecoglou or Alex Neil take over.
But Neil Lennon, who is among the early bookmakers’ favourites, is an intriguing proposition. The Northern Irishman, who led Dunfermline to the Scottish Cup final last season, knows international football, knows the game in this country, knows how to motivate players and knows how to get results.
Being in the public spotlight would not faze a guy who spent two spells as Celtic manager. The 55-year-old is a big personality who enjoys interacting with the media and is very good at it. He would give the opportunity his full consideration if he was approached.
The SFA should not, however, discount bringing in a foreign manager at this juncture. Having failed to progress at Euro 2020, Euro 2024 and World Cup ’26 due in no small part to the lack of threat posed up front, a fresh pair of eyes, a completely new approach, a different tactical insight might be exactly what is required.
There was uproar among the Carling-swilling, Daily Mail-reading, Reform UK-voting hordes down south when the FA announced they had chosen German coach Thomas Tuchel to take over from Gareth Southgate last year.
Scots, though, would have no issues with somebody from overseas coming in as long as he had a decent curriculum vitae and the nous needed to make their beloved national team perform better.
More than half of the countries which have made it through to the last 32 of this World Cup have coaches who were born elsewhere at the helm. To suggest that a Scot needs to manage Scotland is a ridiculous, outdated concept.
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Kasper Hjulmand, who led Denmark through to the Euro 2020 semi-finals, is available after departing Bayer Leverkusen earlier this month and is one of the early frontrunners.
There are sure to be many more like him who would be keen to work with Kieron Bowie, Tommy Conway, Findlay Curtis, Josh Doig, Lewis Ferguson, Tyler Fletcher, Ben Gannon-Doak, Billy Gilmour, Luke Graham, Aaron Hickey, Andy Irving, Max Johnston, Calvin Miller, Lennon Miller, Josh Mulligan, Nathan Patterson, Barney Stewart and James Wilson.
The Scotland job is a tough one and no mistake. Clarke, who raised standards enormously during his record-breaking reign and was a victim of his own success in many respects, has been savaged after defeats to the fifth and sixth placed teams in the FIFA World Rankings.
The fact that his goalkeeper had played 45 minutes for Nottingham Forest in the previous 10 months and his right-back had played four minutes for Everton this year was ignored by his detractors. His replacement will have to deliver or face the consequences regardless of what he has at his disposal.
But a foreign coach might be best placed to build on the progress which was made under Steve Clarke and take Scotland to the next level. The SFA should cast the net wide during the forthcoming recruitment process.
