You have Scot to help me says boss
STEVE CLARKE has urged Scotland’s players to reach Euro 2024 – so he can spearhead the next World Cup campaign.
The national team’s hopes of reaching Qatar 2022 were ended by Ukraine at Hampden on Wednesday night.
Now, Clarke has to regain momentum through the Nations League before trying to reach the Euros in Germany.
His current SFA contract expires in 2024 but the Scotland boss has revealed he is desperate to be in charge for another crack at the 2026 World Cup in USA, Canada and Mexico.
Clarke said: “These players are at an age where they should keep improving, they should all get better.
“In terms of the next two campaigns, I don’t know if I’ll get to 2026 if they don’t get to 2024.
“So I need them. I need them to help me because I want to go to a World Cup with my country.
“I told them that after the game on Wednesday. It was a big ambition of mine to go this year and it hasn’t worked.
“I’d love to go in 2026 but obviously results and circumstances will dictate what happens to me. This group of players, whether they’re led by me or someone else, can definitely go to 2024 and 2026.
“There are actually enough of them in this group who can think beyond that because they’re so young. I’m too old to think beyond that! I’ll just think about 2026.”
Clarke will meet his players again today after giving them 24 hours off.
He’ll analyse the 3-1 defeat to Ukraine in the hope they’ll be better should they face another play-off in the future.
But after that, his full focus will be on Wednesday’s Nations League opener against Armenia, then a trip to Dublin to face Ireland on Saturday.