Steve Clarke appointed new Scotland manager after leading Kilmarnock to Europa League place

New role: Steve Clarke takes over as Scotland boss after leading Kilmarnock to a third-placed finish in the Scottish top-flight
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George Flood20 May 2019

Scotland have appointed Steve Clarke as the managerial successor to Alex McLeish.

The 55-year-old guided Kilmarnock to a third-placed finish in the Ladbrokes Premiership this season and takes the national job after McLeish's 14-month stint was ended in April following a disappointing start to Euro 2020 qualifying.

The Scottish Football Association said in a statement it was "delighted" to announce Clarke's appointment.

"Steve joins from Kilmarnock on a three-year contract until the end of the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign and was appointed after an extensive recruitment process undertaken by the Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell and endorsed by the board," the statement added.

Clarke won both the PFA Scotland and Scottish Football Writers' Association Manager of the Year Awards for steering Kilmarnock to their highest-placed finish since 1966.

The former West Brom and Reading manager has also had spells as coach under Ruud Gullit, Jose Mourinho, Gianfranco Zola and Kenny Dalglish at Newcastle, Chelsea, West Ham and Liverpool respectively.

"It is an honour to be appointed Scotland national head coach and I will undertake those responsibilities with pride and commitment," Clarke said.

"I firmly believe we have a talented group of players who can achieve success on the international stage. I look forward to working with them and helping them to fulfil those ambitions."

Scotland were embarrassed 3-0 in Kazakhstan in March before labouring to an unconvincing victory over minnows San Marino.

They host Cyprus in June before a tricky trip to face Belgium in Brussels.

Additional reporting by the Press Association

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