The former England manager opened up on who could be the next man to lead the Scottish national team after their World Cup exit was confirmed
10:34, 30 Jun 2026
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Sam Allardyce
Former England manager Sam Allardyce has said Scotland should look to David Moyes to replace Steve Clarke as manager after he resigned in the wake of the World Cup exit.
Clarke has been Scotland's most successful manager of this century, leading the national team to two European Championship finals and then back to the World Cup finals after a 28 year absence.
However, they have failed to then kick on and get out of the group stages with some commentators criticising Clarke's defensive approach to big matches.
But Allardyce told BOYLE Sports and Footy Accumulators’ podcast, No Tippy Tappy Football: "What Steve Clarke has managed to achieve with a limited squad, in terms of selection, is remarkable. It's a sad end to what has been a fantastic career as Scotland manager; I just hope he doesn't regret making his decision too quickly or was impulsive.
"He's clearly fed up with the press and the questions, and is probably asking the Scottish FA: 'What more do you want me to get out of this squad?' You can see the harmony he's got with the players and how he's reconnected the squad with the fans, but he can't coach out individual mistakes from players."
Asked who the Scottish FA should appoint to build on Clarke's foundations, Allardyce was in no doubt. "Scotland should look at David Moyes next," he said. "It could be his life's ambition to manage Scotland; managing at international level has to be on his cards! It suits him given the stage he's at in his career."
Everton boss David Moyes
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Everton boss David Moyes(Image: PLZ Soccer)
After beating Haiti, two defeats to Morocco and Brazil left Scotland in third place in Group C and reliant on other results to progress. After an agonising few days, Ghana's defeat to Croatia on Saturday night confirmed Scotland's World Cup exit, leading to Clarke's resignation.
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SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell has vowed to cast the net wide in his search for Clarke's successor, with Everton boss David Moyes among the favourites with the bookies.
Moyes is entering the final year of a multi-million-pound contract at Everton, where he returned for a second spell in 2025 to stabilise the club and has since guided them to back-to-back 13th-place finishes. The 63-year-old Scot said back in 2021 that he would be interested in leading his nation in the future.
The former Scotland boss on his journey home
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The former Scotland boss on his journey home(Image: PA)