Steve Clarke explains his Scotland poker face and 'usual coaching s***e' helping him drive nation to Germany

The better it gets, the harder it is to tell any more.

Well, Steve Clarke never has been one for bothering with life’s little details. You know, like showing human emotion. Not when he’s got football on his mind. And yet, somewhere deep inside, as he attempted to exude an air of complete indifference facing the media in the Ullevaal Stadium, he must have felt fireworks go off in his belly.

The game face stayed the same throughout as the questions rained down upon him, following another quite historic Scotland victory. Eyes staring into the middle distance. Mouth turned down at both sides. Nine points from nine in Group A. Another victory over Georgia tomorrow will mean Clarke has managed something no other Scotland boss has achieved by rattling off four qualification wins on the bounce. What is happening here is bordering on the extra-ordinary as Clarke and his players peer down on Spain, Norway and the rest while closing in on automatic qualification for Euro 2024.

If he wasn’t feeling it he wouldn’t be human. But Clarke believes that keeping all the excitement in check has become a major part of his Scotland success story.

It’s 10 minutes later, after the cameras have been packed up. He’s a little more relaxed now, standing in a corridor, arms folded. Almost cracking into a smile – but not quite.

The first question is an obvious one. How on Earth does he do it? How can he remain so resistant and so detached from the moment when what he’s just done has overwhelmed every other Scot inside the place?

“Listen,” he says with a concessionary shrug, “It’s a big result for us but, as I said after the last camp, you have to capitalise on the next one. I don’t want to beat Cyprus, beat Spain, beat Norway and not qualify! I want