Pundits react to calamitous Iceland defeat

BBC News

06-06-2025

Michael Stewart on BBC Radio Scotland: "Very difficult [situation for Steve Clarke to manage Cieran Slicker now]."There is another game coming up, Angus Gunn looks like he's not going to be fit, and I think it is quite apparent that it will be a big call."Do you stick with him and hope he can put in a performance that gives him some belief and feels like he's capable, or do you go for damage limitation and recognise that he's not really going to be playing for Scotland in the future and give Robby McCrorie an opportunity?"I don't think there's a right or wrong way to play this. I feel for Slicker, it's a horrible situation to be in, but that is the ruthlessness of football at this top level, and it's been exposed there badly."Willie Miller on BBC Radio Scotland: "You have to find out what's in the player's mind as well, how he's feeling about it."What you're looking for is honesty from him [Slicker]. Does he feel like he can take on the challenge in the next game, or that he doesn't want to?"Does the manager want to take him out of the firing line?"There are a lot of questions there, and I think it's difficult for us to answer what decision the manager should make without knowing all of the facts and without having spoken to the player himself."Scotland striker Lyndon Dykes on BBC Scotland: "Football is a lot about momentum."When you're playing you need to be winning games. When you don't win them, and you're not winning, you don't perform, it's extra hurt, it's extra eyes looking in."I think we need to go back to our basics. We've been here before, people doubted us all the time. We need to make sure we get back to it and get the hunger back."Former Scotland forward James McFadden on BBC One Scotland: "There has to be a concern."We need to start building momentum going into this qualification campaign because it is a tough group."Former Scotland forward Steven Thompson on BBC One Scotland: "We're getting closer to the real stuff and it's been so long since we qualified for a World Cup.If you go back only a very short period of time Steve Clarke could do no wrong.This is still a defeat, at home, to a weaker nation than ourselves and questions will be asked. When you go into proper World Cup qualifying, these performances won't be tolerated.