How does record-equalling Clarke stack up among Scotland bosses?

World Cup qualifying: Scotland v Greece

Venue: Hampden, Glasgow Date: Thursday, 9 October Time: 19:45 BST

Coverage: Watch live on BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer; listen live on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio Scotland; follow live updates, goal clips and be part of conversation on BBC Sport website & app

By the end of the week, no men's head coach will have managed more Scotland games than Steve Clarke.

When Greece come to Hampden on Thursday, the 62-year-old will equal the late Craig Brown's record of 71 matches in charge.

And when the Scots kick off against Belarus three days later, the former Kilmarnock boss will stand alone as the men's national team's longest-serving boss.

Despite that, it feels somewhat strange that fans are perhaps polarised on how good a job Clarke has carried out in his six years in charge.

He is the only man to guide Scotland's men's side to a major finals over the past 27 years, something he has managed twice at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024.

A first World Cup appearance since 1998 would elevate Clarke's legacy to new heights, with the upcoming camp potentially pivotal in achieving that.

While the head coach focuses on maintaining a positive start to the current qualifying campaign, BBC Scotland has reflected on his 70-match reign.

A late Oliver Burke winner over Cyprus in Clarke's first match in charge set the tone for six years of ups, downs and drama.

There was pain before gain, with Belgium and Russia dishing out two defeats each to the sorry Scots over the next four games.

At that point, the nation had not featured at a major tournament in more than two decades.

If you had offered any member of the Tartan Army two Euros appearances over the next six years, you would have been lucky to still have a hand.

A shift of shape to a back three and a nine-match unbeaten run culminated with Scotland defeating Serbia on penalties in a play-off to secure a place at Euro 2020.

The Scots failed to progress from their group in the delayed finals, though, and many questioned if Clarke had hit his ceiling after defeat by Ukraine in the 2022 World Cup play-offs.

But resilience has been in the Scotland boss' make-up throughout his tenure.

A stunning start to Euro 2024 qualifying, including a landmark win over Spain, ensured Clarke's men reached the finals with two games to spare.

However, those doubts came flooding back - and louder than ever before - following a deflating summer on the pitch in Germany.

Scotland failed to progress from their group again, but the head coach's cautious approach attracted most of the intense criticism.

Clarke vowed to fight on in a bid to reach the World Cup next year, and his squad are in good shape after taking four points from their first two qualifiers, with back-to-back home games next up.

If Clarke is able to lead his side to the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer, he will become the first Scotland boss to take charge at three major tournaments.

He has won 30, drawn 16 and lost 24 of his 70 matches - a win rate of 43% - and his teams have scored 97 goals while conceding 91.

Meanwhile, his win percentage of 55% in competitive qualifiers - 17 victories from 31 games - makes for impressive reading.

The Scotland boss has benefitted from having a talented group at his disposal, but one thing he has lacked is a goalscoring striker.

Clarke instead found a way to get goals from John McGinn and Scott McTominay, and it is the midfield duo who have had the most goal involvements during his reign.

Aston Villa captain McGinn has scored 20 times and set up another nine in 65 caps under Clarke, while Napoli's McTominay is on 12 goals and two assists in 56 games.

It is, in fact, McGinn who has featured most for Clarke throughout his tenure, with current captain Andy Robertson, McTominay, Ryan Christie and Callum McGregor making up the rest of the top five.

A World Cup in 2026, hopefully.

Clarke's current deal is set to expire after those finals next year. In March, he said there was a 75% chance he would not renew his contract.

Perhaps a World Cup appearance would bring his Scotland story to a natural conclusion, or failure to get there would open the door for something fresh.

But before that is formally addressed, there are crucial qualifiers to navigate, with the upcoming home games against Greece and Belarus pivotal to the Scots' hopes.

Victory in both of those fixtures - live on the BBC - could result in Scotland having a play-off place guaranteed for next summer's finals, should other results go their way.

However, automatic qualification is not beyond this squad. If that is achieved, the nation's view on Clarke's tenure should unify.