Kris Boyd has labelled criticism of Steve Clarke an "absolute disgrace" after he stepped down as Scotland head coach.
Clarke's resignation was announced after Scotland's World Cup exit was confirmed by Ghana's defeat to Croatia on Saturday night.
The World Cup appearance was Scotland's first since 1998 but defeats to Morocco and Brazil following a 1-0 win over Haiti left them outside the top-eight places in the third-place table.
Clarke, the first men's head coach to lead Scotland to three major finals, signed a new four-year contract before the tournament but departs having faced criticism for their performances.
"There's a lot of criticism flying around," former Scotland international Boyd told Your Site News.
"When you put yourself in managerial shoes and things don't go to plan, you're always going to be criticised.
"But I think a lot of people need to step back, realise where they've been, and realise where they are now.
"It's been night and day since Steve Clarke took charge of the national team. You go right back to the start. There were a few ropey performances in there, a few heavy defeats, and now all of sudden he's being judged at major tournaments.
"Yes, there's disappointment at the level of performance at tournaments they've got to, whether it's the Euros or the World Cup.
"But getting there has been a huge obstacle for a lot of managers and players from '98 until the Euros a few years ago.
"He wouldn't have signed a four-year deal if he felt Scotland had reached their max. I think he thought there was an opportunity. He felt there was enough youngsters coming through to give them a chance to qualify for the next World Cup.
"I think a lot of the criticism that has been flying around for the last three or four days has been an absolute disgrace for someone who has given a lot of Scotland fans the best time of their life in terms of following their country.
"I get the fact the fans have spent a lot of money. I understand that. But there would have been people before ready to spend a lot of money, who weren't able to because the team didn't reach major tournaments.
"This team has reached major tournaments under Steve Clarke and he's still being criticised.
"Ultimately, they came up against a team ranked sixth in the world in Brazil. Morocco were ranked seventh in the world.
"There are other groups where the highest-ranked teams were 17th and 19th, but we had two of the top-seven teams in our group. It was always going to be difficult.
"The win against Haiti was only our fifth victory at a World Cup. It shows you how difficult it's been for, I would say far better teams at World Cups to get victories.
"So, for me, the criticism has been way over the top because it was always going to be difficult."
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell revealed he had applicants for Scotland's head coach position just hours after Clarke departed following the nation's 2026 World Cup exit - and isn't ruling out a foreign manager as the country's next appointment.
"I awakened this morning to a few messages from people who are interested in the job. We are a really attractive job for the right manager, right head coach," he said.
"We have a Euros that we are hosting in 2028 to look forward to, there has been a lot of success over the last few years and we need to appoint someone who can improve on that and continue to drive us forward."
When asked about the nationality of the next manager, he added: "Nothing is off the table. We need to cast the net as wide as we can.
"It is about getting the right coach, it is not about necessarily where they come from. There are a lot of good managers out there. It is up to us to make sure we pick the right one."
Maxwell admitted that Clarke's "mind was made up" when they spoke after Scotland's final group game against Brazil, which all but ensured their elimination days before they were finally put out of their misery on Sunday morning.
He said: "He just wanted to step down. It was his decision. We speak a lot. We spoke after the Brazil game, everyone was very down.
"That was the lowest from a Scotland perspective that anyone has felt for a long time. I spoke to him [on Saturday] and he made up his mind that he wanted to step down and that's ultimately his decision.
"I can understand why, obviously we didn't perform as well as we wanted to, There has been some fairly hysterical commentary back home, which hasn't helped, but ultimately it is up to Steve."
Clarke's exit has prompted speculation about who could be next in the Scotland hotseat, with Everton boss David Moyes and former Celtic head coach Ange Postecoglou among the reported candidates.
But Boyd does not feel the Scottish Football Association can compete financially for big-name managers as they plot their next move only a month after tying Clarke to a new four-year deal.
"I've not really given it a thought and I'm not sure the SFA will have either because they thought Steve Clarke was the man to take them forward which is why they agreed a new four-year deal with him a few weeks ago.
"Now that's been ripped up and they have to go again. You imagine there will be a shortlist drawn up pretty soon but I don't see any outstanding candidate.
"You hear and see people like David Moyes and Ange mentioned.
"I don't think we're daft enough to think the Premier League isn't paying high wages. Moyes is still under contract there.
"I think in the future David Moyes will be a Scotland manager, but right now he's the manager of Everton Football Club and will be on a big salary. The SFA won't be able to compete with that.
"Ange Postecoglou is another one, but he's been on big salaries for his last two or three jobs as well.
"So, unless he wants to come down to the level of what the SFA are paying, it's never going to happen.
"It's quite easy for everybody to throw names out, but the SFA and the majority of countries like us don't have the riches of other countries who can just go and get whichever manager they want.
"It will need to be within the wage structure of the SFA and that will rule a lot of big candidates out."
