Duncan Ferguson
Duncan Ferguson
Duncan Ferguson would be open to speaking to the Scottish Football Association about replacing Steve Clarke. Ghana's defeat to Croatia on Saturday night confirmed Scotland's World Cup exit, leading to Clarke's resignation.
The World Cup appearance was Scotland's first since 1998, but defeats to Morocco and Brazil following a 1-0 win over Haiti left them outside the top-eight places in the third-place table. SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell has vowed to cast the net wide in his search for Clarke's successor, with boss among the favourites with the bookies.
However, Ferguson, who has had two spells as interim Everton boss and then the manager's role at Forest Green and Inverness, would be open to holding talks with the SFA over the role.
“I would certainly have that conversation, no question about that,” he replied when asked if he would be interested in the role.
While the Blues icon also said: “It's gonna be tough. Where is a good Scottish manager out there that can take that job on and do better than him?
“I would like the Scottish manager to be Scottish, I'd like the English manager to be English, I'd like the German manager to be German. That's just me. So I want a Scottish guy leading the Scottish team.”
Clarke was the first men's head coach to lead Scotland to three major finals, and he only signed a new four-year contract before the tournament but now departs having faced criticism for their performances.
And Ferguson, appearing on on Sunday, was critical of Clarke's decision to quit, saying: “I was in a bit of shock when I saw Steve resign.
Steve Clarke following Scotland's defeat to Brazil (Image: Getty Images)
“I thought he'd done a fantastic job for the country and got us to three tournaments. He's been wonderful, you know what I mean?
“And I think he's jumped the gun, he's resigned too quickly. He signed his four-year contract, you know.
“Scotland weren't gonna win the World Cup, so what's changed from three weeks ago? Right, we've been beaten by Brazil. But really, who was expecting us to beat Brazil?
“He should have took a deep breath. I think he shouldn't have resigned the way he did, he should have waited, got on the plane. Go home, have a think, speak to your family, and then make a decision.
“Why have you just signed a four-year deal and walked out? I don't get that part. Maybe he spat his dummy out a wee bit because he was getting a bit of criticism. Maybe. I don't know the guy personally, I just think he's reacted too quickly.”
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While during an appearance on the Stick to Football podcast, Ferguson was asked by Roy Keane who was out there for Scotland to get there, and he replied: "I've got no idea. The only one I can think about is David Moyes, but he's in a job."
When asked what was next in terms of a replacement, SFA chief Maxwell said: “The process for that starts now. Football is a very small world.
“I wakened this morning to a few messages from people who are interested in the job. We are a really attractive job for the right manager, right head coach.
“We have a Euros that we are hosting in 2028 to look forward to, there has been a lot of success over the last few years and we need to appoint someone who can improve on that and continue to drive us forward.
“It is really difficult to put dates on it, we obviously have (Nations League) games coming up in September.
“There is a four-game window at the end of that month. It will be soon as we can but as long as we get the right coach.”
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