Steve Clarke: The 0-0 draw with England was one of the highlights of my Scotland career
Steve Clarke has been proud of his seven-year journey—while pushing Scotland to the last two Euros and this World Cup, the 0-0 draw with England at Wembley at Euro 2020 was a memorable moment for him.
Steve Clarke is set to resign as Scotland manager next Saturday after winning two Euros and still in charge at the latest World Cup. In an emotional tribute to fans, Clark briefly reflected on his seven-year tenure.
Clarke has led Scotland to the last two European Championships and qualified for this World Cup — a feat that, despite failing to get past the early stages of tournaments, has had some memorable moments. In particular, he said one of his highlights was the night he held England to a 0-0 draw at Wembley Stadium at Euro 2020, which was postponed to 2021 due to Covid.
In the latest World Cup, Scotland won their first match 1-0 against Haiti, but later defeats against Morocco and Brazil sent them crashing out in the group stage. That single win on matchday one did not match the best third-place finish in the World Cup as one of the six teams competing, resulting in Scotland's exit from the tournament.
As Clarke points out, Scotland have a remarkable record of failing to advance in their first ever World Cup appearances: they have failed to progress past the first round more than any other nation (nine World Cups each) and failed to make it past the group stage. Also, all four of their European Championship entries have ended within the group stage.
In his letter, Clarke defined his role as a simple objective: that the main objective was to qualify for a major competition. During those seven years, his emotions were appreciated as well as satisfied. According to Clarke, taking Scotland to a major final again after Craig Brown in 1998 felt like a dream come true for him.
While the task may seem like a bit of a 'dump squib' during Euro 2020, Clarke said he was saddened by the lack of large numbers of the Tartan Army at the tournament due to Covid restrictions, as he recalled that Wembley night inspired Scotland fans. He predicted that at the next Euro in Germany three years later, those fans would come back in huge numbers to support the team.
Clarke pointed out that one point in particular was education: Scotland's players had just won a World Cup finals for the fifth time, and that victory was our first in 36 years at the last feature, he pointed out. Finally, Clark said he feels his team is giving fans a lifetime of memories and is proud to be a part of that journey.