Disaster Index: 4.1 Entry: Head Coach Interregnum Cause: The Scottish FA closing in on a head coach appointment to succeed Steve Clarke, with the Nations League campaign weeks away. Category: Administrative Evidence: Clarke departed after the World Cup. The SFA has been operating in appointment mode through the summer. "Closing in" is the official register for a process that has not yet closed. Historical precedent: Scotland has a reliable pattern of managerial transitions landing close enough to competitive windows that preparation time becomes a variable to be managed rather than assumed. Affected parties: Playing squad, Nations League planning, the new appointment's ability to establish any system before the first fixture. Immediate outlook: Appointment imminent; the gap between imminent and done remains the active risk. Filed: 8 August 2026