Scotland manager on his debt to a Dutch master

Clarke was a member of the St Mirren side which faced a Feyenoord team that comprised a young Ruud Gullit and an ageing Johan Cruyff in the first round of the UEFA Cup in 1983.

“I was also lucky enough to be on the same pitch as Cruyff at Love Street. That was a big thing at the time. He was one of the iconic figures of Dutch and world football. So it was nice to say you have shared the same pitch as Johan Cruyff. Big names, big history and they’ve still got good players now.

Perhaps the fact that Dutch master Gullit, the AC Milan great who he played alongside when he was at Chelsea, helped to launch his coaching career has something to do with that.“First of all, Ruud was a team mate and then he became player manager after Glenn Hoddle took the England job,” he said. “So he was a team mate as well as the gaffer. So that was interesting. We won the FA Cup with Ruud as manager, which was nice.

“I’d just turned 35 and had some injury issues and was thinking it was probably time for a different career. Ruud gave me the first step and I am grateful for it. “We were pretty similar. I was going to say similar careers, but that’s not quite right! We played pretty similar games and were teammates before. I could see how good he was and then I could see how he adapted when going from player to a coach. It was interesting to see.

“I haven’t spoken to Ruud for a little while now,” he said. “It’s just circumstances. Hopefully he comes to the game and I bump into him. It would be nice to see him."We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.

Source: Loan Digest (loandigest.net)

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