Kilmarnock manager Clarke sweating on SFA rap over remarks

the league and facing the prospect of being relegated and turned them into a top-six side challenging for a place in Europe shows he is the ideal candidate.

Scotland made a disastrous start to their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign under McLeish, losing 3-0 to Kazakhstan away in Nursultan last month and then failing to impress against San Marino in Serravalle.

Former Republic of Ireland Under-21 player Dicker feels that Clarke could lift the national team in their remaining Group I games.

“The job he’s done here is such that you can hardly believe it,” he said. “Having been in that dressing room when he first came in, I know how bad the place was.

“I don’t mean that as in what previous managers were like, but there’s just been a change in mentality. Even the calibre of player we are now bringing in has come on leaps and bounds to be fair.

“The whole club has moved up a gear or two and that’s credit to the gaffer, all the staff and the boys as well.

“I’ve said it before, you look at all the other squads that have been down there this season. They’ve ripped them apart bringing in 15 to 20 players, changing it all about. He’s brought in one or two and that was it. The rest is down to his work.

“I can see why people will think if he’s improved Kilmarnock maybe he can do the same with Scotland.”

However, Dicker doesn’t reckon Clarke - the former West Brom and Reading manager who has publicly admitted he is keen to work in England, where his wife and family are still based, again - will take the Scotland job if the SFA approach him.

“I don’t think he’ll be looking at that at this stage although that’s just me guessing,” he said.

“I think he likes the day to day stuff. He’s a coach as well as a manager and he enjoys being around it.

“I don’t think he’s one to sit around. He loves training and is always in and about it. Me speaking, I can’t see it, but you never know.

“I know Scotland got beat that time (in Kazakhstan), but everything does get blown up.

“Obviously it was a bad result and you can pick the holes out of anything and hammer anyone. I think it’s one of the easiest things to do in any walk of life is criticise.

“They should be doing better. But look at the squad they had that night and players who aren’t playing. If you think of the boys who don’t play at the moment, that’s more of a concern. Why?”