Steve Clarke's new contract: Reaction to the Scottish men's national team coach getting 4 more years

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:05][music] Hello and welcome to the latest episode of the Terrace Scottish Football Podcast. This is a special episode, nothing we had planned, but then we didn't envision the Scottish FA handing national team head coach, men's national team head coach Steve Clark, a new 4-year contract ahead of the World Cup.

[00:00:25]So, we had to jump on. We had to talk about it. we had to make this special podcast. And joining me, your host, Craig Fer, is my colleague at Newsquest on the Terrace. It's Liam Bryce. Liam, how's it going? You just been back for your holiday and what a baptism of a fire just coming back in for your first day. You've now got to write a column about Clark and you're also this podcast as well.

[00:00:47]>> Yeah, I I mean, you said that we didn't envision this happening, the SFA doing this. I think it is pretty envisionable to be honest.

[00:00:56]>> Is the We didn't envision it. We didn't envision it happen today.

[00:00:58]>> Happen today. Today.

[00:01:00]>> I certainly didn't envision four years.

[00:01:01]I don't know about you.

[00:01:02]>> Yeah. No, I certainly didn't envision four years. Um, and it is the last thing you want. Um, when you've come back for a week off to be dropped into a major story. Um, and you actually have to do Yeah. It's hard to engage your brain for a wee bit. Usually takes three to five business days before that before that is fully operational again. But I'll be the first forced to do it. But, I mean, there's I mean, there's a lot to there's a lot to say. You don't have to think too hard, I suppose. Do you? It's I mean, I don't know what you think about it, but the the thing for me is just why now? Why did we have to do it now? Do you mean before the tournament?

[00:01:39]Yeah.

[00:01:41]So, I don't have a major problem with giving him a new deal before the tournament cuz I think I actually think Clark's played I think Clark's played a blinder here. And I think the SFA have not, which is no surprise whatsoever because I think that Steve Clark is is probably smarter than pretty much every single one of his bosses. But like Clark, he he's made it known. He's made it very well known that he wants his future to be decided before the tournament starts. He doesn't want to he doesn't want to go into the games. He doesn't want to go into the Haiti game for instance or he doesn't want to even go over and and start their camp which they're flying out on on Sunday I believe after the the Curisau game at home. He doesn't want that to be hanging over and if you're the SFA and Clark's made it I'm assuming there's conversations in private but he's also doing it quite publicly through the media saying right I I want this to be sorted. I want to know one way or another. I want to stay on and I want this to be done before the tournament. This is Scotland's first World Cup in 28 years.

[00:02:49]I think it's perfectly acceptable for the SFA to be like, "Right, let's not have any distraction over this. Let's >> let's not, you know, do anything that that might take away from Clark's preparation, from the players preparation. Let's have everybody united." And this is the whole kind of thing with with Clark Scotland. And I imagine you'll have huge buy in from his bosses with this that it is a kind of United team, a United front like we've spoken about so many times is club team mentality and he's kind of loyalty to players. We can maybe talk about that a little bit later on is we look to what the Scotland team might look like once his contract expires in 2030.

[00:03:26]But I think Clark played it really well.

[00:03:29]But what I don't understand, I think it's fine to give him a new deal before the tournament and if it goes badly, like say you give him a two-year deal, say, "Right, okay, home euros, which you know, likely Scotland don't really have to do much to qualify, even if this World Cup campaign goes badly and we draw with Haiti and then we lose to Morocco and Brazil and fans are furious, you can still see it like, okay, it'll probably get us to the next tournament and then that's maybe the ideal break time." The fans wouldn't necessarily be happy about it, but from an SFA point of view, they'll be like, "Right, we just want to get to this next tournament. It's going to be at home.

[00:04:02]Doesn't need a lot to get there, and Clark's going to be a safe pair of hands to do that." Why it is four years, I have no idea. Like I I can the only thing I can speculate about is that Clark had them over a barrel due to that due to their wanting to get this sorted being afraid of of causing too much of distraction looking at the next years and thinking right Clark's a man for us for this campaign and then Clark's being like no I want four years and I'm not signing unless it's four years but then it's hard for me to imagine Steve Clark going that far. It's a massive length of contract for somebody who's been in a job that long and for that side of it, it doesn't make any sense to me. I think it makes sense to give a new deal before the tournament starts.

[00:04:48]>> I think you're asking for trouble whenever you do that, but I can see the reasoning behind it. But four years, no, I'm flumxed.

[00:04:56]Yeah, I think the four years is because I feel like you don't I mean do do you often see managers in general getting fouryear contracts nowadays? It's obvious I feel like clubs maybe tend to hedge their bets a wee bit more on that like I mean sometimes the length of the contract for a manager is not even disclosed. I think I'm struggling to to just like yourself wrap my head around the logic of you know what's why does it need to be that way? Why why did we need to give four years? I like yourself not, you know, not necessarily opposed to giving Steve Clark a new contract. I know that, you know, the longer a manager stays in post, there's always this kind of inevitable kind of want for change, like sort of grass is green on the other side type sentiment that creeps in. And I think there's there's been kind of viable reasons kind of for that. the performances at the tournaments that he's got as to, you know, not been good. There's an understandable kind of hesitancy going into this one that it's going to be uh you know, it could potentially be more of the same.

[00:06:03]So, why you would want to commit for that length of time uh is a wee bit baffling. Um, I mean, I'm sure we'll, you know, Scott Cla this weekend, we'll hear from Steve Clark what he's got to say on it, why he wanted to stick around for another four years, but I mean, it's going to take him, you know, past a decade in charge if he if he sees out the contract. And it's I mean again as I said I'm not wasn't you know really opposed to give and see part but I do I kind of get over like kind of quite get past the the doing it before the tournament just I know that they they have to maintain unity in the camp if Steve Clark wants to wants it to be you know done and dusted and out the way. I can understand if the SFA they they didn't want to sort of put him in a position where you know kind of without saying so basically saying you know you're you're on trial for your your next contract over the you've you've got three games to earn a new contract. I think his stature and what he's done that possibly they could possibly have viewed that as being a we bit disrespectful towards them to saying that you have to audition to keep this job. But at the same time because of the how the last two tournaments have gone, it does create this risk that if we do, you know, go to the USA and stink the place out again, the the sort of ground swell of backlash to this decision is, you know, potentially massive. and the sort of you know even after you know turning us into tournament regulars again you could argue that I still feel that the default position around Scotland is you know anything bad that can happen will happen and it's almost as if we're willing this into existence now that we've given Steve Clark this new contract >> I will say in fairness like if you're the Scottish you can't think like that yet we we as fans can do this like why why are you giving a manager a new deal on the eve of a tournament that's only going to go wrong cuz this is like cuz this is a superstitious as football fans have kind of even if you're not necessarily superstitious yourself we've all as football fans got a level of it where we're like right you're given a new contract right before the tournament that's only going to go one way because that's what the narrative demands but the SFA can't think like that they can't they can't be they can't be scared of that can't be like oh no things are going to go horribly wrong they they want to they want to create an environment which is conducive to success and I think that's that is their thinking of it but you're right and that it does make you feel nervous and and speaking time just before the curate game came as well because there's two things under Steve Clark we're really rubbish at.

[00:08:38]>> Yeah.

[00:08:39]>> Well, three things international tournaments one of them getting there we're good at.

[00:08:43]>> Well there no so much but the other things is that we are rubbish in friendlies and we're rubbish against teams who are we are stronger than >> so it's all going into like the perfect mix for us to draw one each on Saturday.

[00:08:55]The players have been booed off before they go to America and everybody's already going that fouryear [ __ ] CONTRACT. WHAT'S GOING ON?

[00:09:01]>> I know. Is it too late to ask what Argentina are up to? Maybe if they fancy it on Saturday. I feel like we could have that better. If they fancy coming over for a week, I come back. Maybe I know because this is the thing like because of the sort of nature of international football. You the way you kind of get to see the team play for 180 minutes or so every few months and then whatever happens across those sets the tone, sets the narrative for the next time. And the last thing you kind of want to to do is be into this this tour with any any sort of negativity, isn't it? And as you say, like, God, we just struggle to get up for friendlies that they just not they're just I mean, I you'd like to think that, you know, the the opponents, you know, I think we played Japan the bit of a non-event, wasn't it? It was a kind of a non-event of a game against a good side.

[00:09:57]You'd like to think this sort of there'll be more of an atmosphere at Armed because it was very flat that day.

[00:10:01]I remember just something that can kind of lift is over the line to a good performance and a good result going into the tournament. Obviously, we get the other friendly coming up. But again, it's to do it right on the Kura game as well.

[00:10:18]Again, as you say, SFA can't think like that. They can't, you know, prepare for these superstitious scenarios unfolding before our eyes. But I think we can sit back here as senior and just s like, oh no, you know what's going to happen here now, don't you?

[00:10:35]>> Well, you mentioned our performances international tours before, but something that we should probably mention as well is our performance levels in general over the last qualification campaign.

[00:10:46]>> Yeah, we qualified for the World Cup. We won the group. First time we've qualified for international tournament, sorry, the World Cup 20 years. Don't want to take too much away from the achievement of it, but we were [ __ ] Like, we were [ __ ] for a lot of those games. And I do think there's I do think part of that is part of Clark's strength. Scotland don't I mean, maybe maybe the Greece game is a bit of an exception, but in general, Scotland don't beat themselves in matches really like that. That's what Clark's done. And also I think that kind of that unity as well. I think Craig Anderson said this before in the podcast like that that unity means that they can they can dig deep in these moments and even when they're not playing well they can they can come up trumps in those in in those key situations in games like in the Denmark game at home like in the like in the Greece game at home like going away to to Denmark and grinding out that result. But there was certainly like undoubtedly a degree of fortune. Like we could have easily have been like two three-0 down at home to Greece before we we rose from the deck and like rose from the deck like Brad Pitt and snatch and produced a knockout blow for nowhere. Like the Denmark game at home like even even getting to that situation the Denmark game at home, Denmark drawn at home with Bellarus, a result that nobody saw coming. a match you could play probably another 99 times and the result is going to be a win for Denmark and it ends up being a two all drawn instead and gives us a hope and then even in the last game like a very kind of soft red card given to Denmark and I'm not sure we won in that game otherwise and then also we we win it with two absolutely howitzers of of goals and injury time as well so the trend in terms of performances is is something to be concerned about as well that our luck will run out in that regard And you can only dig deep so much and you need to actually start playing well which we could do. We have kind of gone on kind of peaks and troughs under Clark in terms of performance and sometimes like one I can't remember one of the nations league campaigns where we played quite well in every single game and and I think I don't know if we even got relegated or or finished third or something. I can't I can't remember exactly the details. It was one we were playing like Slovakia and that we seem to play well in every game but couldn't get the results.

[00:13:03]So it's it's not always good. So luck has sometimes gone against them as well.

[00:13:07]But I that is a concern that we are in terms of performances, we are trending in the wrong direction. And if that continues, by the time we get to four years down the line, you're going to be absolutely hopeless.

[00:13:21]And I think that the the the Brad Pitt comparison there was spot on because like not only did he get off the canvas, but he did continue to throw punches that reflected how absolutely steaming he was. And that's which is kind of how we we look even though we we come back in that game. But I I think I I wrote about this a we while ago like I think the kind of through the the that that campaign there in particular we looked like a team who just kind of they just exist in moments like and I think as you you've sort of said there it does speak to the the the sort of togetherness and the ability to to dig things out that they were so consistently able to to produce these moments. But it's when when the moments don't come when we when we can't pull something out of the hat, we we just looked, you know, just really less than the sum of the parts considering some of the, you know, the the players that we've got. And I mean, I don't necessarily sort of buy into this thing that it's a that the the quality of the group is massively massively higher than some of the performances that we've >> no >> we've put in. I think we're >> I think the squad I think the squad's I think the squad is very overrated by a lot of Scotland fans because one I think a lot of our players played Ser and I think that's overrated by a lot of Scotland fans who kind of treat it as a Ser that we grew up watching and it's it's [clears throat] not nowhere near that strength anymore >> but also as well that we look at our top end talents we look at Scott Mctomin we look at Billy Gilmore and these guys and we're like oh man because we've not had players that good we've not had a player like Scott McTominay >> no >> but like what my entire time watching Scotland in terms of that level of ability, but at the same time, we have him. We don't really have anybody we can really trust up front like to play every single match. Put it that way. I think I I quite like Adams, but in Scotland games, he certainly certainly has better games and he's does some poor games. London Dyes, I think, is now at the stage where he's only really kind of much of a use off the bench or if we're playing against a team that we're expected to really just sit back and we just stick him up front and cause chaos. But there there's like so many areas of the squad. Center back were a bit dodgy.

[00:15:37]>> If Hickeyy's injured, which he often is, right back's a bit dodgy. We've only really got one winger. Like Finley Curtis is is looking like a really good prospect, but I'd still be surprised if he gets any like many meaningful minutes at the World Cup. So, we've only really got Do again quite injuryprone. Yeah, we've got a as usual we've got a raft of set of midfielders, but even like a like the other Fred's position, left back Robertson's starting to age, tier starting to age due to his injuries. We we've don't really Angus Guns a steady enough number one, but not that great.

[00:16:08]Like there's many areas of the team where we're not that strong like and we're pretty much the same as Scotland teams of the past. We've just got these kind of the sprinkling of kind of top end talent, your McTominres, your McIns, your Gilmore that we didn't have before.

[00:16:22]But it's not it it shouldn't be looked upon as like this incredible Scotland squad that that Steve Clark is kind of wasting which I think some fans do actually think that they think because these players we should be playing like a more >> kind of maybe not expans like controlling games keeping possession being just but but we kind of thrive in the chaos and I think Clark's kind of good for that and I think this team needs to thrive in the chaos cuz again I just don't think we're actually as good as a lot of people think we we are.

[00:16:54]>> No. No. And it's, as you said there, like quite well stocked in some areas and then others not so much. I mean, I think what what kind of sums it up is the is this endless ongoing debate about who should start up front. Like obviously we can't there is no standout option in that area. And then that is exactly why that we're con constantly arguing about it or should it be you know you know should it be Shanklin Adams Dyes should be big should have brought Ollie McN into the squad that's where we got to >> because that would become such a debate.

[00:17:27]Um I suppose the kind of other thing is you know it's to touch on if you know we're talking about the the sport and you know you're talking about some guys who are now moving into the later stages of their career is I think is sort of giving Clark this contract is is this sort of essentially trusting him with what's going to be a rebuild going forward. Do you think he's there sort of there's some sort of you know long-term plan now in place that's been negotiated as part of this to now because we're going to have to start evolving the squad at some point you know after this do you know I think because it's it is getting to that stage I feel like guys are you know as you said Robertson maybe on the decline tierney aging doesn't you know comes off a lot for Celtic maybe not quite what he was guys up front getting into their 30s as well does it start to think like you know we are being he up for, you know, Clark to lead a rebuild after this this tournament.

[00:18:21]>> So, I would like to think that as part of these negotiations, they've had discussions with Clark and they've asked him to lay out how he foresees transitioning this team into another one. That, to be fair, there's a list of players I'll bring up soon that are still going to be available for the next like for for 2030. That that means that we should still have if injuries aside and there are some players there who are a bit injuryprone but like injuries aside we should still have some some strong players going going forward and it's not quite the I don't think it's quite the as scary a situation as people I'll get to that soon enough but going back to what we said about the negotiations I'd like to think that they said right lay out for us if they were going to give you a long-term contract how's this going to look what what's what's your plans, what you envision in doing, how do you see ex player being in it around the national team, etc., etc. Like having really kind of in-depth chats and almost kind of auditioning for it because like when you're talking about that length of contract, I think you should I think these conversations should be happening.

[00:19:36]I don't have any faith really in the the upper echelons of the SFA that that was happening. I think >> you like to think so, but I don't think so. So yeah, it's going to be an interesting one. But sorry, I'm trying to find this list of players. Somebody put it up recently in our our group chat and I'm trying to find it to go through.

[00:19:56]But what do you think? Do you think that do you think that the these conversations would have happened or do you think it was a case of like I kind of said earlier, Clark was like, "Right, give me a four-year deal." Ness, if you just go, "Okay."

[00:20:08]>> Yeah. just typed it up there and then and no I mean surely like I think you know it's we're kind of having a laugh and well sort of half a joke about it but you think like if if you are giving anybody a fourear contract in any position there has to be some future planning put on that and you'd think even if you know even if it didn't you know feature high on the SFA's list of questions surely Clark is coming forward and saying this is how I see the next four years panning this is what I think we can do over these next four years because he's you know if you'd think he sort of you know he at one point it looked it was he was maybe you know teing up his departure and then obviously things have happened in between then he wasn't really committing either way but then the closer it got round to this tournament after qualification you could see him you know maybe sort of you know leaning towards the fact that he wanted to stay so I mean you'd think that he's got to have a a vision in And I know there's this this perception around him and it's maybe justified to a certain extent at times about he's just going to keep on picking the same guys over and over and over. But I mean even if he does have this reputation for being stubborn which again is not entirely without merit. I he's not dafted. He knows you'll know that there has to be if he's wants to stick around for the next four years and there's going to have to be some sort of you know succession plan in terms of the squad.

[00:21:37]is that the right way or you know plans to evolve it. I'd like to think if he's wanting a 4-year contract then he has a sort of an idea in mind of what that's going to look like because you know it it there will come a time where it just has to happen. It it has to kind of move on from uh some of the main stays that we've seen in the squad just because I mean you know you kind of look at the likes of Gant Hanley. He's still part of the squad now but he doesn't play a lot for Hibs. Yeah, >> anymore. He's certainly not as much as he did, I don't think, um, at the start of the season. So, you know, there's, you know, there's guys like that.

[00:22:14]>> We're going to have to do something about the goalkeeper situation.

[00:22:17]>> Well, at some point, >> I'm not sure the goalkeeper situation is quite as much of an issue because Angus G like >> I think Angus Gun is fine. I think he's great, but he's fine. He's only 30.

[00:22:29]>> If he can, the key is for him to get himself playing regularly at club football, which is what we need. We can have him being a backup. this entire time, but he's only going to be 34. So, I'll go through some of the players that they're saying that this the future might not be as bleak as we think. So, all these guys have been capped by Scotland or at the very least called up and are still going to be 30 or under by the next tournament. So, you've got Aaron Hickey. If he continues to break apart, you would hope that Nathan Patterson maybe realizes his potential by then.

[00:22:58]So, you've got a couple of decent options there at right back. Josh Doy quite unlucky not to be in the squad at present. I think he's doing very well in Seriel himself. Decent opposite left back, center back, we're struggling. We don't really have anybody. We're going to probably like everybody's kind of aging out. So, that is a bit of a concern. But Scott McKenna will be 33.

[00:23:20]He's probably still going to be decent enough maybe [laughter] level to stretch it a bit. But you're hoping as well that >> like for instance Luke Graham and and some players coming through can can fill that void. And so we're maybe struggling a we bit set off half but like in the midfield as well Ben Ganon do you've also got Lennon Miller Lewis Ferguson still going to be under 30 obviously Curtis has just come in Conway Kieran Bowie he could be the answer longterm to our striker solutions.

[00:23:55]Who else have we got? Andy Irvin. So there's a it's it's not quite there's not quite Mctobury there but there's enough there that if all going well that we should be okay in terms of strength of squad and these are guys at CL and I think I think Clark's stubbornness and picking the same guys all the time I think it's quite I think it's quite overstated and I think a lot of the time it comes from familiarity breeds contempt both with Clark and the players.

[00:24:26]>> Yeah. Because a lot of the times it's like so you mentioned Hanley and you can say that Anthony Ralson's another one.

[00:24:31]>> Mhm.

[00:24:32]>> I mean say what you like. Yeah. These guys don't play for their clubs like well Ralston doesn't play for his club and Hanley and a first choice hibs team probably doesn't play either but they've done jobs for Clark. Clark still sees enough in them and that in a situation where you need an emergency cover for a game if you need to bring them off the bench to see out a match then he's got to trust them to do that.

[00:24:55]And then and it really just feels like a lot of people are arguing around the mar mar mar mar mar mar mar mar mar mar mar mar mar mar mar mar mar mar mar mar mar margins with this >> like you're talking about your fourth choice center a half you're talking about like your third choice right back >> like oh why is he this go why is this other player going to score well because the other player like might not get a game either. Yeah, there's a we bit of club tribalism comes into it as well.

[00:25:13]People tend to want to, you know, if there's if there's guys who are of, you could argue of a similar level >> and playing for their club, they become more, you know, inclined to think, well, why we not picking him over, you know, but it's, as you say, it's it's very much around the margins, isn't it?

[00:25:29]>> Yeah. And we've still got guys with the squad like Curtis and Ross Stewart and Hurst and He like, you might not like them, but they're guys who have not been around Scotland. Those are all guys with under 10 caps.

[00:25:41]>> Yeah, >> it's a bit like pick new guys. No, I know those ones. [laughter] >> The one I like the one that plays for my club. Like how fans go on and on about Craig Hal instead of Grant Hanley. And yeah, absolutely. Craig Hal at this stages of their respective careers.

[00:25:56]Better player than Grant Hanley. Craig Hal was getting held together by sticky tape by hearts towards the end of that season and ultimately fell apart. And I don't know for certain that Clark knew that, but I think he probably had an at least an inkling and probably did actually know cuz there is communications a lot of time between the national team manager and and managers of club teams. And if you're if you're looking at somebody going right, he's better, but he's also like I mean I think Al's like 30 as well. He's not exactly kind of somebody for the future.

[00:26:25]And if if there is a if there is a chance that this injury-prone player is going to get injured again and you've just alienated the guy who's been in your squad this entire time and is it's always turned up and has always always got your trust in them and then you're like right okay you're bombed out for this guy and then Halit snaps his Achilles and you're like oh Grant I'm really sorry about that but can you please come back like that's it's not necessarily the biggest deal in the world but it's not necessarily great for Harmony as well. not kind of what Clark's built and I think that he's constantly has evolved this team as it's gone along. He's not just I think it is really overstate the fact that people kind of make out is almost he picks the same players all the time. Yes, he has guys like Dykes that he continually goes to when their club form's not good. But Dyke continually comes up trumps for Scotland even in the last campaign. Like he come like he he scores he scores against Greece. He's I can't remember it was one of the games like he starts against Denmark away. Did he start at Denmark at home? Trying to remember like he had he still he wasn't that he's at the best we've seen dice for Scotland but he still did a job. And this is what it is. Like people, I think a lot of time treat the national team as if like it's a lifetime achievement award. Like if you play well then you must be in the Scotland squad because then you you quote unquote deserve it. That's not how it works. Like Clark's there to win games for Scotland. He's not there to give players accolades for playing well at club form. So I do think that side of it overstated. I think our future is a bit overstated. My concern is that just things just go quite stale and I worry that they're going stale already.

[00:27:51]>> Mhm. Yeah. I think I I think the last few months especially I mean if you take away you know the sounds ridiculous to say taking away the that whole massive thing about qualifying for the first World Cup in 38 odd years but I think if you just boil it down purely to some of the performances and the kind of the feeling around it it it does I mean it's like I mean it happens in it's a natural kind of thing in football that everything runs its course and I think that is if we're coming you know back around to it's the the whole thing about four years it's it is it is running the risk of it really going stale into the into that time I think um because you can kind of as you say there there are some signs of it you know performance is not particularly great just sort of trudging through games as I said earlier on just like feeling as though we sometimes only exist in moments. And I mean, I mean, don't get me wrong, some of those moments have been absolutely incredible, but the fear is that the if you can't sort of find those consistent levels of performances that the I mean, saying calling it luck maybe feels a wee bit, you know, too a bit too strong, but like you start to run out of road a wee bit because I think you've see a Especially, you know, the teams of club football, like you can only grind out, I think, results for so long. Or maybe that's not true. Maybe just having watched Celtic grind out about 10 wins in a row to to win the Scottish Premiership. Maybe we'll have to talk about that.

[00:29:40]>> I know. I know. I really shouldn't have, but I forgot who I was talking to there.

[00:29:44]But I think the general you know your point stand you need to be you need to find consistent performances or you run the risk of the results >> the level of performance and the results you know coming to meet each other in the middle and then kind of getting the outcomes that the >> that you could argue the performances deserve. So I think that's it you do get the fear about that a we bit. I definitely agree with you there.

[00:30:12]Anything else to really discuss around this? I think we've kind of covered it all.

[00:30:16]>> No, I think we I think we have I think there's I think it's now just a case of waiting and seeing, isn't it?

[00:30:23]>> Waiting for that draw against Haiti and everybody to lose their [ __ ] mind.

[00:30:28]>> Yeah, I uh I mean let's honestly let's hope that doesn't come to that.

[00:30:34]But you know it is just as I said it's a case of waiting and seeing. It could turn out to be, you know, the master stroke. The SFA could be turning around as all in a few weeks time and just saying, you know, [ __ ] a lot of you [laughter] and you knew what we knew what we were doing the entire time. And I I mean, I'd be I'd be absolutely fine with that because that'll mean that we've had a good World Cup and then we can, you know, we can talk about what comes next after that in terms of, you know, Euros and the future. That's you you make a good point because that is if you're the if you're the Scottish FA you could be looking at this from a very glass half full perspective and that you could be saying right we'll beat Haiti we'll get enough we'll do enough in the other games not to lose by loads because we we don't generally do that >> to to go through >> then make kind draw we win a knockout game but regardless getting out of the group Scotland never done it before perfect like I said before very high chance of us qualifying for the next Euros at home just cuz the way it's structured with us being part of the the home nations. So he gets us into that and then even if things kind of go wrong, you're still only paying up a guy for a final two years. But there's a path there where it's like right, we get outside the World Cup groups, then we qualify for the next Euros. Why not just keep the same manager? And it's also as well that we really touched upon.

[00:31:56]>> There's no really kind of standout candidate right now to come and take over. Like I think a lot of people could have thought like Derek McKinnus maybe early in the season, but considering how good a season H Heart's had, I think he might want to stick around for a wee bit longer knowing that off the back of that campaign and the body of work he's had before that a Scotland job probably will be waiting for him somewhere down the line. David Moyes isn't ready to step away for club football yet. He could be another one kind of like four years down the line. might happen. He still I mean Moyes will be getting on by then but >> that that might be perfect for him to then step into the national team. they might have looked at the best possible candidates and went these guys probably won't be available for at least two years anyway and and with the money they'll make for the World Cup and stuff as well like wonder if they're just I still don't get the four years but I'm trying still don't get the four years but I'm trying to give them just thinking [laughter] we can just pay maybe who knows maybe this is a week for break clauses maybe there's a break clause in it like if you if we don't go out the groups of all cup then you get sacked immediately but otherwise it's a four your deal >> maybe. But we've come back round to that about four times now, haven't we? We've went down about four or five different threads and then we always just come back to why four years. [laughter] But but [gasps] again, what do we know? What do I know?

[00:33:14]Certainly.

[00:33:16]Right. I think that'll do us then. Liam, thank you very much for joining me.

[00:33:19]>> No problem, mate. Thanks for having us.

[00:33:21]>> And thank you to everybody for listening. If you'd like to read Liam's work, then the best way to do that is to go to the terrace.scot/subscribe where Liam, myself, Graham McGarry do well those two guys more so do excellent work for the Terrace website and you can sign up for as little as £1 for the first three months. If you do all that, you sign up through the website, then after that, the best thing to do is download the Terrace app. So sign up through the website cuz that gets you the offer. Then download the app, put in your details, and then you can have a one-stop shop for everything the terrace do. That's the articles, that's the podcast, that's the videos. So that is the best way to support the terrace as well. So we thank you very much for tuning in and we will talk to you again very soon. Goodbye.