APPOINTING a manager with vast experience at a high level who has turned a group of underperforming players with the threat of relegation hanging over them into a side challenging for a European place in little over a season would meet with the approval of most Scotland supporters.

But will the majority of the seven Scottish Football Association board members who will decide who succeeds Alex McLeish agree that Steve Clarke, an outspoken individual who has been highly-critical of both the SFA and SPFL during his time in charge of Kilmarnock, is the best man for the job?

Clarke, who yesterday sent out mixed messages when the country’s media quizzed him about the prospect of taking over the running of the national team at the pre-match press conference ahead of the Ladbrokes Premiership match with Aberdeen at Rugby Park this afternoon, himself has his doubts.

And what Alan McRae (president), Rod Petrie (vice-president), Ian Maxwell (chief executive), Neil Doncaster, Mike Mulraney (both professional game board), Thomas McKeown (non-professional game board) and Ana Stewart (non-executive director) think, not who the fans favour, is what really matters.

Clarke has certainly not held back in his condemnation of both governing bodies in the time he has been back in his homeland. The role of the compliance officer, the disciplinary process and the scheduling of matches have all, among many other things, been savaged in the past year and a half. Indeed, he blamed the two week lay-off his side has just had for the injuries they have picked up ahead of a crucial fixture yesterday.

Will the SFA high heid yins be prepared to bring in such a forthright character? The former Chelsea and Liverpool assistant - who has admitted he is keen to manage in England, where his wife and family are still based, in future and conceded he would miss being involved with players on a day-to-day basis if he moved from the club to the international game - will certainly not be holding his breath and waiting for his phone to ring in the coming days.

“It’s not that long ago since the Scotland job was available and they didn’t speak to me then,” he said. “So so why would they speak to me now? The most important people when it comes to vacancies are the people who are going to make that appointment and they may not like me.

“The SFA may not want me because they’re fed up with me complaining about them and the SPFL might not have liked the criticism either. I haven’t exactly been quiet for the last 18 months. I’ve pointed out some things that could be done better in Scottish football.”

It could, of course, be no bad thing to have a man at the helm who is unafraid to point out a few home truths to the SFA as Scotland attempt to end an absence from a major tournament that stretches back 21 years to France '98.

Yet, Clarke also feels that McLeish, who was sacked on Thursday after just 14 months in charge despite leading Scotland to a Euro 2020 play-off spot back in November, got something of a raw deal. Would he, then, be interested in filling his shoes after the difficult experiences he had in the dugout at West Brom and Reading?

“Alex is a good man and I’m very disappointed for him,” he said. “He was really enthusiastic about the job and he did well to win the Nations League group which gives us a good stab at qualifying if the current campaign doesn’t end well. He was down here four weeks ago and I had a good chat with him. It just shows you how short-term football can be sometimes."

It would be no great surprise if Clarke decided that he had taken Kilmarnock as far as he could and sought out a new challenge in the close season. Even if the Ayrshire club secure a European place when the five post-split fixtures are finished. But where he will end up if he does depart is unclear. He has been linked with a move to Fulham as well as Scotland in recent days.

“There are many, many considerations for me,” he said. “Professionally, I would stay here forever. I’m enjoying the job, have a great board of directors, a fantastic group of players, a support that actually quite likes me, which doesn’t always happen in football. Professionally, I am really, really happy here.

“But sometimes in life, especially when you are getting a little bit older, some personal things come into it as well. That will be the difficult decision for me.”

Derek McInnes, whose Aberdeen team Kilmarnock play at home today, has stated that Clarke would be ideal for the job. But his counterpart feels that he, and others who have put his name forward may, have ulterior motives. “Maybe they don’t like Kilmarnock punching above their weight!” he said.

“Seriously, though, it’s always flattering to hear other people praise you because it’s a difficult job and you only get that praise because of the work my players have done. Without them, I’m nothing. I don’t think my players want me to get the job – they want me to stay.

“I don’t look at too much social media so I don’t really know what’s going around but I gather that people have had some good things to say about Kilmarnock and that’s not just about me because I have a good staff here as well.

“But if you’re doing a good job somewhere then you’ll always be linked with other jobs elsewhere, in the same way that if you’re doing a bad job then you’ll soon be on the outside and forgotten about. So it’s important to enjoy the good times and the kind words that people say about you but you can’t get too carried away by it.”