Ex-Scotland international reveals what Steve Clarke told him following World Cup exit amid 'rebuild' poser

Clarke, 62, quit his role as Scotland head coach last month following his side’s third successive failure to get past the group stage of a major tournament, with the 3-0 defeat to Brazil in their final Group C game proving to be his final game in charge.

The departure came as somewhat of a surprise to some, with Clarke having put pen to paper on a renewed four-year contract on the eve of the tournament. Former Scotland international Nevin, who was teammates with Clarke at Chelsea during the pair’s playing days, admits he was shocked that he’d committed to such a long deal in the first place as he opened up on a text message conversation they recently shared.

Sign up to The Scotsman’s daily football newsletter to get unrivalled Scottish football news and analysis - subscribe for free here.

“I'm surprised Steve Clarke signed a new contract in the first place,” said Nevin. “But I understand why the SFA wanted him, he guaranteed Scotland getting to major tournaments. I was just taken aback that he left so quickly. Knowing him and the reaction from Scotland fans, I'm not surprised he's moved on. Scotland have reached three of the last four tournaments after a long drought. We were beaten by the fifth and sixth best teams in the world, but we weren't good enough in the end.

Nevin, who was part of the Scotland at the 1992 European Championships in Sweden, stopped short of given his recommendation as to who should be the next national manager, but admits they’ll be some fans who believe it needs a rebuild with several members of the squad reaching the tail end of their careers.

Several members of the 26-man squad list at the summer tournament in North America are now aged 30 or above. Mainstays such as Grant Hanley and Kenny McLean will be 38-years-old by the time the next World Cup rolls around, talisman duo Andy Robertson and John McGinn will be in their mid-30s, while goalkeeper Craig Gordon has already confirmed his retirement from football at the age of 43.

“I'm meeting him in a couple of weeks so I’ll speak to him in person,” Nevin told Betano Online Casino. “He texted me and said it ‘felt right.’ Am I surprised? In time, no, I'm not. Knowing what happened at the tournament, and the reaction from Scotland fans, no, I'm not surprised. Why would you hang around? In the end, Scotland have now got to three out of the last four tournaments when they hadn't got to anything for so long.

“A cynic might say that the top players are getting old and the next manager has a hell of a rebuild on their hands. If they'd managed that one more point, they'd have been fine in the US.”