Steve Clarke has some Scotland soul searching to do after another Euros flop has him in danger of delusion - Keith Jackson

Not only is he an honest man and a genuine straight shooter but, more importantly, he’s also done enough to earn the trust of the nation over the course of his five years in charge.

Steve Clarke might be a bit too dry to be everyone’s cup of tea but there can be no argument when it comes to the improvements he has overseen during his time as Scotland’s head coach. And yet, even though he is owed a debt of national gratitude for the work he has done, perhaps the time has come for him to ask himself some searching questions and to come up with some truthful, heartfelt answers.

Before he commits to another qualification campaign, Clarke must first look deep inside and be certain that he is still the man best qualified for the job. And, indeed, if he still has the appetite to keep pushing water up the hill.

If he has even the slightest doubt over his own ability or desire to pick this team up off its knees after suffering this latest humbling trauma on the global stage then he should take this opportunity to step aside and allow someone else to see if they might do better. It’s not that he should be hounded out of office for failing to make the last 16 here in Germany. Of course he should not.

Simply by leading the country to two successive European Championships, Clarke still has a decent amount of credit left in the bank of credentials. But it’s a lot less than he had nine months ago when his team was peaking in the qualifiers as they blazed a trail towards Germany.

That Clarke and his players crashed and burned so horribly on arrival is the reason for a moment of reflection. He was adamant lessons were learned from the Euros flop of three years ago. But the same mistakes have been made all over again which is why Clarke