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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Ewan Murray

No wonder Steve Clarke is smiling: Scotland manager has new deal and future built on youth

Scotland manager Steve Clarke with Billy Gilmour during a training session at Lesser Hampden, Glasgow
Steve Clarke with Billy Gilmour in training. The manager has been popular and successful but still has hurdles to overcome. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

The summit of Scottish football provides a wonderful environment for those who value long-term career stops. Neil Doncaster, chief executive of the Scottish Professional Football League, arrived at the then Scottish Premier League in 2009. Ian Maxwell, bizarrely headhunted from relegation-bound Partick Thistle, has been the Scottish Football Association’s chief executive since 2018. Scot Gemmill’s tenure as the nation’s under-21 manager has lasted a decade despite underwhelming results.

Glass half full or half empty; either this is a domain that delivers admirable continuity or one in which no one makes sufficient progress to appeal to those in bigger ponds.

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