Steve Clarke moaners called out by Ian Maxwell as SFA chief dismantles Scotland boss contract 'gamble'

SFA chief Ian Maxwell says it’s staggering if anyone thinks extending Steve Clarke ’s contract as Scotland boss is a gamble. The national team boss signed a new four-year deal which will take him to the end of the next World Cup in 2030 . On the eve of this summer’s tournament in America - which Clarke led us to for the first time in 28 years - he’s committed his long-term future to the country. And Maxwell is adamant that keeping the 62-year-old in the job was a no-brainer.

Clarke has taken us to three of the last four major tournaments, including two Euro Finals. But in Germany two years ago, his side crashed out at the group stage after defeats to Germany and Hungary. Some Scotland fans would have preferred to wait until AFTER next month’s World Cup before deciding on Clarke’s future.

But Maxwell is stunned that any supporter would see the manager’s new deal as a risk, given what he’s already achieved. The SFA’s chief executive said: “How is it a gamble to give a guy who had taken us to three out of four major finals a new contract? “That is a problem with football. Everybody is instant. They say, ‘That manager has lost a game, let’s sack him’. “That is not how we work.

We have always taken a longer-term, balanced view on it. “When you look at how Steve has done since he came in, it’s pretty staggering for anyone to say that giving him a new contract is a gamble. “We are delighted. Steve is our most successful head coach and he’s got us to three out of four tournaments. “Why would extending his contract not be the obvious thing to do? “Steve gets us to major finals and is enthused by the idea of overseeing a transition and bringing in new players. It was an absolute no brainer.” The SFA could have tried to tie Clarke down for just two more years, taking in a home nations Euros in 2028.

But Maxwell wants him to lead Scotland for even longer. And he revealed there’s NO break clause in the middle of it to re-assess the situation. He said: “Every contract Steve has signed has been for four years. “It’s two cycles and it takes away any of the negativity and any of the instant, ‘He’s only got two years, it’s not gone well, let’s change it..’ “We want him to be here for a long time and he wants that too. “So let’s set out the parameters and look at it as a long-term investment into each other. “It’s four years. The same contract he has always signed. “He wants to build on the legacy by being the one that gets us out of a group stage. “And the players want to be the ones who get us out of the group stage. “We are in it together.

We are in it for the long haul. It’s not short term. “He’ll be 66 at the end of this. He’ll have been in it a long time by that point. “For the next four year period, it’s a case of what do we have to deal with as an association and who’s the right guy to do it. “We believe he’s absolutely the right guy.” After the success he’s had with Scotland, Clarke could have been tempted back into club management. Maxwell admits he feared losing him, saying: “The way football works, that’s always in the back of your mind especially when someone is successful. “You’ve always got that niggle that at some point the phone’s going to ring. “Thankfully it didn’t and we’re delighted that it hasn’t because we’d never want to lose him.”