Steve Clarke: What now for Scotland as manager enters final chapter?

Three hundred and sixty five long days ago, Steve Clarke’s Scotland strode out at Hampden Park, their last auf wiedersehen before they went off to give Germany, Switzerland and Hungary what for at Euro 2024.

By the time they finished their farewell on the back of an uninspiring – and at times chaotic – 2-2 draw, those in the stands could probably tell what was about to unfold over the next few weeks.

They had seen it all before at the previous Euros. They had bought the T-shirt and the sticker album.

A year on, that feeling lingered in the Glasgow air again. Against a bang average Iceland, Clarke’s Scotland were meek, weak and bleak.

The snarling Scots who bloodied the noses of Spain were nowhere to be seen. No whiff of the streetwise bunch who suckered Croatia and Poland within days of each other last November.

Another night at Hampden has left more questions than answers.

Clarke may have hauled Scotland to two major finals, but there have been some real raw moments of alarm that have brought a dose of reality and gravity to it all.

This was the latest one, a sucker right between the eyes. “Don’t get cocky boys, remember, you’re Scotland, you don’t qualify for World Cups. Down you go.”

Qualification for the 2026 global showpiece does not start until September for Scotland, but this was meant to be the first step towards it.

Instead, the Tartan Army are entitled to wonder where Clarke’s team is going.