Clarke leaves strong Scotland legacy but exit brings sense of relief

For much of Saturday afternoon, the skies above Charlotte were a dirty shade of gray, the rain bucketing down, the wind blowing hard, thunder and lightning seen and heard every minute or so. If Steve Clarke was looking out of his hotel room, that's the biblical scene he would have taken in. In a sense, the ideal backdrop for a bombshell. Within minutes of Scotland being officially dumped out of the World Cup, the news of the head coach's departure dropped. Unlike the weather, there was no warning. The manner of his exit was typical of the man; low-key, no fuss, no interviews as yet, no need in his mind to explain his thoughts any more than he already has. The length and detail in his valedictory statement suggests this was in the pipeline for a day or two but there's no word on why he has taken this decision. And why so abruptly? Why not get back home, take a break and think about it? Snap judgements and emotional reactions are not Clarke traits, so why has he done this now? The players didn't know this was coming and neither did many of the Scottish FA board. A month ago these same people announced, with some fanfare, that Clarke was staying for four more years.