Good luck trying to guess the identity of Steve Clarke's replacement. Sneaking a peak at the 'next Scotland manager' market just complicates things further with, at the time of writing, 15 candidates priced no bigger than 10/1 to be the next chief of the Tartan Army.
The bookies' leading 15 contenders are a mish-mash of Scottish football royalty, Old Firm old boys and international journeymen. Each one can boast their own unique selling point, as well as a few footballing skeletons in their closet.
Just how many of those 15 names will even be in contention when the top brass from the Scottish Football Association draw up their shortlist? Probably only two or three at most.
So, rather than be guided by the odds -- several of which appear both skinny as well as skewed -- we've drawn up three different categories (dream, realistic and intriguing) and have picked two possible options from each.
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Dream candidates (the expensive options)
Ange Postecoglou
The current favourite with the bookmakers to replace Steve Clarke, but 'Big Ange' would not come cheap. The former Celtic and Tottenham boss has been out of work since an extremely brief spell in charge of Nottingham Forest last year. Successful at most clubs he's spent more than 39 days at; winning two A-League titles with Brisbane Roar, the 2019 J-League at Yokohama F. Marinos, a domestic double followed by a domestic treble at Celtic, then the 2024-25 Europa League with Spurs.
Postecoglou also offers plenty experience of international football, having spent more than four years in charge of Australia. He took charge of the Socceroos at the 2014 World Cup, won the 2015 Asian Cup and then helped the team qualify for the 2018 World Cup but, two weeks later, moved to Japan to join Yokohama.
However, would his style of football -- high-intensity pressure with a very high line that condenses the pitch for the opposition -- suit the current group of players Scotland have to choose from, especially given both the defensive and attacking issues during their recent World Cup campaign?
David Moyes
Only Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson have managed more games in the Premier League than Moyes, a name that's been regularly linked with the Scotland job over the years. In fact, speaking to the BBC in 2021, the current Everton manager said he had ambitions to take charge of his country one day.
"Yeah, I do," Moyes told the BBC in 2021. "I'm getting now to a stage in my career where I really enjoy club management and feel I have unfinished business to do yet. But I think at the right time, when things are right for me and if it's right for Scotland, then it might be a consideration."
There are probably more questions than answers with this one. It's unlikely Moyes would quit his job as Everton manager, and it's unlikely he would be allowed to take the Scotland job on a part-time basis while continuing his role with the Toffees.
However, his name is likely to be top of the list of many of the Tartan Army foot soldiers when it comes to the appointment of Clarke's successor.
Right man, wrong time?
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Realistic candidates
Alex Neil
A man who needs no introduction to Scottish football. The 45-year-old Scotsman spent 11 seasons as a player in Scotland, including 10 years with Hamilton Academical, before becoming their player-manager in 2013 at the age of just 32.
Headhunted by Norwich City in January 2015, on to Preston in 2017, Sunderland then Stoke City in 2022 and now doing well at Millwall, who finished third in the Championship last season and narrowly missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League.
His teams are pragmatic, organised and adaptable with a strong defensive shape -- Millwall kept the most clean sheets (18) in the Championship in 2025-26 -- and his players regularly win matches despite having less possession than the opposition.
Fast, direct transitions and set-piece threats could be ideal for knockout football, making Alex Neil one of the more favourable candidates for the Scotland job.
John McGlynn
One of the most successful Scottish managers domestically in recent years, McGlynn achieved back-to-back promotions with Falkirk then led the Bairns to a top-six finish in the Scottish Premiership last season on their return to the top flight.
Nominated for PFA Manager of the Year three years in a row, diligence, hard work and dedication have all paid off for a man who in the early years of his career had to fit his coaching around his day job as a plumber.
Forward thinking tactically, McGlynn may know the Scottish game inside out, but no real experience of elite level management might count against him on this occasion.
In addition, if he were to leave Falkirk for the Scotland job, would he command instant respect from players used to strutting their stuff in the Premier League and Serie A?
Intriguing options
Kasper Hjulmand
Very intriguing and definitely should not have odds as long as he does in the betting to replace Steve Clarke.
The Dane has been out of work since leaving Bayer Leverkusen at the end of last season. Prior to that, though, the 54-year-old had a successful four-year spell in charge of Denmark. He led his home nation to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 -- England denied them a place in the final thanks to Harry Kane's extra-time winner at Wembley. Hjulmand subsequently led the Danes to qualification for the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024.
A proactive, possession-oriented coach, he has vast managerial experience and an excellent pedigree both domestically and on the international stage. His first taste of success as a manager came in 2012 when he led FC Nordsjaelland to their first Danish Superliga title in 2012.
While he might be unfamiliar with Scottish football in general, Hjulmand did well in charge of a nation that is of similar stature and resources to Scotland and, crucially, he knows what it takes to qualify from the group stage of a major tournament.
Sébastien Pocognoli
At just 38 years old, and the youngest of our six featured selections, the former Belgium international left back might be a candidate from left field, but he is also widely considered one of the most promising young coaches in Europe.
Influenced by Louis Van Gaal -- who he played for at AZ Alkmaar for two seasons -- Pocognoli prefers a modern 3-4-1-2 system with a bold brand of high-intensity counter-pressing. His possession-based style of football is a dominant one both with and without the ball.
In 2024-25 -- his first season as a manager -- Pocognoli led Union Saint-Gilloise to its first league title for 80 years and he was named Belgian Coach of the Year. That success led to interest from Monaco and he moved to the Principality in October 2025, but a seventh place finish in Ligue 1 saw him sacked on June 1 after failing to qualify for next season's Champions League.
Pocognoli would tick many boxes -- a talented free agent who would be available without the need to pay compensation -- but his lack of experience as a manager (just 107 games in charge at USG/Monaco) means he would also come with plenty of risk.
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