Steve Clarke feels he has reached the “pinnacle” of his career after being unveiled as the new Scotland head coach.
The former Kilmarnock boss has signed a three-year contract, and Scottish Football Association chief executive Ian Maxwell was delighted to secure his services.
Speaking at a press conference, Maxwell said: “On behalf of the board on the Scottish FA, I am delighted to welcome Steve Clarke as our new national team head coach.
The new boss 🏴🙌#NothingMattersMorepic.twitter.com/FtqVUkT2q2— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) May 21, 2019
“Over last few weeks, the board and myself have conducted a diligent and robust process with a number of high-quality candidates. Through each stage of this process, Steve jumped out as the outstanding candidate.
“I think the job he has done at Kilmarnock, taking them from the position they were in when they took over to a top-six finish last season, was incredible, and to surpass that with a third-placed finish and European football with a record number of points is an outstanding achievement.
“I would like to thank Kilmarnock for the way they have handled this process, it can’t be easy for them to lose a manager who has achieved success in such a short space of time, but we are absolutely delighted to have Steve’s services and look forward to the rest of the qualifying campaign and the future.”
Clarke was also grateful to Kilmarnock for the chance they gave him to prove his Scotland credentials.
He said: “I am absolutely humbled and honoured to be in charge of the national team. I played for Scotland but to manage Scotland is probably the pinnacle.
“I wouldn’t be without the time I had with Kilmarnock. It was an unbelievable 18 months I had there with great success. Again, I want to thank Kilmarnock for everything they gave me to make this opportunity possible.
“But now it’s a new chapter, a new challenge. And anybody who knows me knows that I like a challenge. I like to challenge myself. If I was a lazy person I would still be at Chelsea in the assistant manager’s seat. This is a big challenge and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
