Thirty-one days can whisk by in a flash. Just ask Steve Clarke.
That is the time that passed between his signing of a new four-year deal and his abrupt resignation as Scotland head coach.
Following Wednesday’s defeat by Brazil in Miami, Scotland’s World Cup exit appeared to drag on just as much as their 28-year wait to return to the biggest stage of them all.
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That fate was sealed just before the clock ticked into Sunday in Scotland as Croatia defeated Ghana 2-1.
For just over 30 minutes, attention officially then turned to the future – what would come next for Scotland after another abject major tournament showing.
Then the bombshell news hit.
Though 00:30 BST on home shores, the notification from North Carolina woke everyone up. News, that some may have been thinking, but never imagining hitting the headlines.
But how did we get here, though?
From brazen optimism of creating history to national disappointment and managerless in 30 days, BBC Sport Scotland charts Clarke’s final 31 days in charge.
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Pre-tournament optimism
28 May – Clarke signs a new four-year deal, saying it was important to “plan for the future” and give “certainty ahead of the World Cup”, while laying “foundations for the long term”.
Some questioned the timing so close to the start of the World Cup, but at least it offered some security before Scotland’s eagerly anticipated World Cup return.
Just 15 months beforehand, he said there was a “75% chance” he “will not renew his contract after the World Cup”, so the fact he signed a four-year deal raised eyebrows, to say the least.
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30 May – Scotland beat 10-man Curacao in a tournament tune-up. Clarke claimed it offered a “glimpse into the future” after 19-year-old Findlay Curtis scored and Tyler Fletcher – son of Darren – made this debut.
Scotland left the country on a high in their Hampden send-off match and with youth given a run-out, most appeared content on their journey across the pond with the objective of making history.
31 May – Scotland travel to Fort Lauderdale, north of Miami, for a pre-tournament training camp in sweltering and thunderstorm-laden conditions.
This was viewed as a crucial step in their World Cup campaign after some debate over their previous choice of camps for the proceeding European Championships.
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It gave the players downtime, the chance to aclimatise and there was a sense of a culture shift among the squad from previous campaigns.
2 June – Clarke tells the media the SFA had “spent more than they wanted to” for the stay at the home of Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, but they were provided with “everything they asked for”.
Assistant coach Steven Naismith confirmed later in the month the players were consulted on what they liked and didn’t like from previous tournaments, and were asked what they wanted – with acclimatising and a longer pre-tournament camp among the priorities.
6 June – In their final warm-up match, Scotland beat Bolivia 4-0 with Clarke saying, “for once I got everything I asked for”.
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Scotland – finally – head into a major tournament on a high, with goals aplenty in an eye-catching performance. A real feel around the camp that they could “do something special” in the Boston, Miami, and maybe beyond.
8 June – Scotland’s camp officially starts in Charlotte and during an open training session, Clarke addresses the watching media “welcoming them to Charlotte” and thanking them for coming.
It may seem a minor point, but the fact the boss once again – after doing so on 2 June – took the time to come and greet the media was well received by those in attendance. A real sense of difference and openness from previous tournaments.
9 June – Clarke sits down with the BBC interview citing “this time it’s a different Clarke”.
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The 62-year-old openly admits he didn’t enjoy the previous two tournaments. He put too much pressure on himself, not allowing a chance to take a beat and enjoy the occasion. This time it seemed different, or at least he wanted it to be different.
A smile, a laugh – little hints that he wanted to let loose a bit.
12 June – On the eve of the opening match against Haiti, a buoyant Clarke shares what he learned from previous tournaments; “don’t want to get humped” and their desire to “do something special”.
Since the draw in December, all the noise was ‘beat Haiti, beat Haiti and we qualify’. Clarke came across as composed and assured that they were ready.
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Cartwheels to criticism for Clarke
13 June – Scotland labour to a 1-0 victory over Haiti at the Boston Stadium – just their fifth World Cup win. “My boys are all right,” was his response as some questioned the performance.
Despite that, it was a Scotland win on the major stage, and there was a wave of relief that they didn’t slip up – heightened more by the performances of Cape Verde and DR Congo.
15 June – During a regular in-camp media conference, Naismith joked that Clarke was “doing cartwheels at breakfast” after the Haiti win.
The former forward put a real emphasis on the pre-tournament preparations and the head coach’s desire to enjoy this edition.
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19 June – Scotland concede within the first two minutes of their match with Morocco and despite improving in the second half, they taste defeat. Afterwards Clarke receives some criticism after a tense off-pitch interview saying: “I don’t even know why we do these interviews.”
23 June – Speaking before the Brazil match, Clarke joked of returning to the Azteca Stadium in the last 32 – a place where he once scored as a player at the World Youth Championships in 1983.
“If we have to go to Mexico to play Mexico, we’ll be happy because it will mean we qualified. We’ll be very happy to have the chance to go.”
24 June – Scotland crash to a 3-0 defeat against Brazil in Miami leaving their chance of reaching the knockout stages for the first time in tatters.
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Post-match Clarke comes under more scrutiny for his approach in his post-match interviews. After another short, tense exchange where he appears to walk off, he tells the media later, “for sure we are going home”.
Such negativity floors the fanbase, when the Scots still had a 42% chance of creating history.
25-26 June: As that percentage plummets, so does the access doors to the squad. Nobody speaks to the media while the nation is in limbo.
27/28 June – Just before midnight in the UK, Scotland’s fate is sealed as Croatia beat Ghana to confirm their exit from the tournament as one of the lowest-ranked third-place teams.
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Thirty-two minutes later, it is announced Clarke has resigned as Scotland head coach penning a 1,000-word letter to the nation saying his overwhelming emotion was “pride, closely followed by satisfaction” and witnessing “the reconnection of our national team and fans”.
His departure was only announced to the squad 10 minutes beforehand, with Clarke sharing the shocking news to those he credited most in his heartfelt cheerio.
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