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Daily Record
3 minutes ago
- Daily Record
John Souttar accepts Scotland deserved Tartan Army booing as wagons circle around Cieran Slicker
The fans were lessed than impressed by yet another Hampden friendly defeat as Iceland ran out 3-1 winners over Steve Clarke's men Cieran Slicker must have felt like the loneliest man in the world when he walked off the Hampden pitch. He'd just earned his first Scotland cap against Iceland but the young keeper froze on the night. After replacing injured Angus Gunn after just six minutes, he was always going to be under pressure. And unfortunately for him and Steve Clarke, the 22-year-old Ipswich stopper buckled under it. Slicker was at fault for all three Iceland goals as the Scots suffered yet another friendly defeat. Goals from Andri Gudjohnsen, Victor Palsson and a Lewis Ferguson OG inflicted a painful loss. And by the end, you had to feel sorry for Scotland's kid keeper. But as he trudged out of the national stadium, he at least had the backing of his team-mates. John Souttar should have been talking about his second international goal after he pulled it back to 2-1 in the first half. But instead, the Rangers defender was invariably asked about Slicker and refused to put any of the blame on the goalie's shoulders. It's a team game, after all. And Souttar was honest enough to admit Scotland as a whole were nowhere near good enough. Even Clarke's best players failed to turn up for a warm-up game that did nothing to boost confidence before the World Cup qualifiers which kick off in September. Souttar insists they were ALL culpable, not just young Slicker. He said: 'I haven't spoken to Ciaran yet but tonight was a collective and everyone has to take responsibility. 'Will it be a learning experience for him? I'm sure it will be and everyone has had it in their career before. 'But the result is collective. I don't think any of us could say we were great in the game so it's on all of us tonight. 'We were poor. I don't think we did enough on the ball and we didn't create enough chances. 'Iceland kept the ball better than us and moved us about. 'Games like this at Hampden, we want to dominate, press high and get the crowd going. But tonight we didn't do that.' Maybe in Scotland we're guilty of reading too much into friendly games. But our record in these matches is abysmal. Clarke has been boss for 12 now - and won just two against Luxembourg and Gibraltar. Clarke's side looked jaded and as if they're desperate to be on a beach somewhere at the end of a long campaign. But Souttar was refusing to use tiredness as an excuse. Scotland were jeered off at half-time and full-time by the Tartan Army and the centre-back admits it was justified. He said: 'It's difficult because the boys have played all season but Iceland have been the same. Their players have been doing that too. 'We have to go into the game on Monday against Liechtenstein and get some momentum back ahead of the internationals in September. 'It's not great (the booing) and you don't want to be part of that. But the fans are great, they pay their money so they can boo if they want. 'We weren't good enough in the first half. It's not great to hear but it's part and parcel of football. But the fans are great when we win.' Scotland have now conceded six goals in their last two games - a 3-0 defeat at home to Greece in the Nations League play-off and last night's loss. Souttar prides himself on keeping the door shut at the back and that's why he's adamant it has to improve before Denmark away in September. Despite the ropey form, he's convinced that when the serious stuff begins in Copenhagen, Clarke's boys will be ready. He said: 'We went through a spell where we were keeping clean sheets and defending well towards the end of the last campaign. 'Even against Greece in the first game over there we defended well. But the last two games haven't been good enough and everyone is well aware of that. 'We need to be better, this was a friendly but it's important we put it right in September because that's the big one. 'I'm sure if we do that, there will be a much better atmosphere. 'You never want to go into a game wanting to lose, never. But if this time next year we are in a good position to go to a World Cup, then things will feel a lot better. 'The next few months are huge because the games are coming again in September. We need to get some momentum going again.'


CNA
3 minutes ago
- CNA
Thailand and Cambodia reinforcing troops on disputed border after May skirmish, Thai minister says
BANGKOK: Thailand has reinforced its military presence along a disputed border with Cambodia, following an increase in troops on the other side, Thailand's defence minister said on Saturday (Jun 7), as tensions simmer following a deadly clash. For days, the two Southeast Asian governments have exchanged carefully worded statements committing to dialogue after a brief skirmish in an undemarcated border area on May 28 in which a Cambodian soldier was killed. But Phumtham Wechayachai, who also serves as Thailand's deputy prime minister, said that during talks bilateral talks held on Thursday, Cambodia had rejected proposals that could have led to a de-escalation. "Furthermore, there has been a reinforcement of military presence, which has exacerbated tensions along the border," Phumtham said in a statement. "Consequently, the Royal Thai Government has deemed it necessary to implement additional measures and to reinforce our military posture accordingly." He did not provide details on the extent of reinforcements by either side. In a separate statement on Saturday, the Thai army said Cambodian soldiers and civilians had repeatedly made incursions into Thailand's territory. "These provocations, and the build up of military forces, indicate a clear intent to use force," the Thai army said, adding that it would take control of all Thai checkpoints along the border with Cambodia. A spokesperson for Cambodia's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters. The military reinforcements come despite efforts by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and China to reduce tensions. Thailand and Cambodia have for more than a century contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817km land border, which was first mapped by France in 1907 when Cambodia was its colony. Tension escalated in 2008 over an 11th-century Hindu temple, leading to skirmishes over several years and at least a dozen deaths, including during a weeklong exchange of artillery in 2011. Current governments in both countries, however, have enjoyed warm ties. Former leaders Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand and Cambodia's Hun Sen have had a close relationship, and Thaksin's daughter and Hun Sen's son are now the incumbent prime ministers of their countries. Still, nationalist sentiment has risen in Thailand and the Thai military said on Friday that it is ready to launch a "high-level operation" to counter any violation of its sovereignty. Cambodia said this week it would refer disputes over four parts of the border to the International Court of Justice and asked Thailand to cooperate. Phumtham reiterated in his Saturday statement that Thailand does not recognise the jurisdiction of the court and proposed that all boundary-related issues be resolved through bilateral negotiations. The two countries are due to meet for talks on Jun 14.

Leader Live
3 minutes ago
- Leader Live
North West growth plans for planning consultancy firm
Cadnant Planning, based in Pulford, near Wrexham, Conwy and Chester, is one of the industry's most respected firms. With associate planner Sioned Edwards stepping up to become managing director, the future looks bright for the award-winning chartered town planning consultancy. Their team of six has worked with a raft of big names on some of the region's landmark projects including infrastructure developments, leisure operators, further education providers, landowners, commercial developers and leading private housebuilders and RSLs (Registered Social Landlords). Sioned Edwards and Rhys Davies. Alongside founder and director Rhys Davies - who launched the business 20 years ago before rebranding to become Cadnant Planning in 2012 - Sioned is excited to focus on continuing to support existing and new clients in the future on projects across North Wales and into Cheshire, Wirral and across the North West, where they have enjoyed success in past years. "Together we have built up the reputation and client base of the company, and nothing will change from that perspective, but we have taken a long-term view in terms of the future of Cadnant, and I am very excited to step forward into this new role," she said. Read more: Flintshire accountants make move to relocate to former pub "That growth has been organic and happened quite naturally over the last decade, so we are now looking more specifically at new areas, both geographically and in the private and public sectors." Rhys added: "I will still be a director and integral part of the business but it's about looking ahead now, with Sioned leading on that vision and our long-term strategy. "That strategy includes strengthening our presence in Flintshire, Wrexham and over the border, where we have collaborated on some major projects over recent years. Read more: New equity partner announced at leading Wrexham law firm Providing a wide range of services from planning appraisals/strategies, applications, appeals and specialist planning documents such as Welsh language impact assessments to land promotion and expert witness representation, the firm is proud of its Welsh roots and "local values" centred on sustainability, bilingualism and providing opportunities for the next generation of planners. Sioned joined the practice as a graduate 13 years ago and is determined to build on its history while embracing technological and legislative advances in the sector. Read more: Village pub's new owner ready to serve 'warm welcome' to community As she prepared to take her place on the panel at Place North West's sub-regional briefing event earlier this week, she admits there is a need for a more simplified, joined-up approach to the current planning system, given the differences in England and Wales. "There are consultations ongoing via the Welsh Government with regards housing, and there is planning reform in England, but a lot of people are unaware of the big changes ahead and differences in each country," said Sioned. "That is a USP for us, that we are on top of the legislation on both sides of the border and have fed into a task group in Wales looking at affordable housing, another crucial issue given the need for more funding, better infrastructure in rural areas especially, and leadership to provide solutions and identify targets, because at the moment the process is far too complex." Read more: North Wales firm launches paid internship scheme with over 50 jobs up for grabs Looking ahead to the future, she said: "I have been a part of Cadnant from the beginning, so I'm very excited to see where we go from here. "There have been a lot of changes along the way, we have expanded our base at Riverside Business Park and navigated the Covid pandemic - where the breadth of our offering ensured we were relatively unaffected. "Rhys and I have kept moving forward and have been busy throughout. We now have a very strong team at present having been successful in recruiting in a tough market over recent years. Read more: Wrexham business lands Heathrow grant boost "We have a brilliant team here and we're looking to do even more from our Conwy office and from our Pulford base in Wrexham, Flintshire, Chester and beyond - we can't wait for the next chapter." Rhys, says the business is in "very safe hands" and is proud of its legacy. He added: "The business was set up from nothing, initially it was just me in a small office in Conwy, then the two of us and now there is a core team of six across several disciplines - we have worked very hard to establish ourselves over that period. "From this point it will be Sioned driving things forward. I am delighted for her and know Cadnant Planning will continue to go from strength to strength." • For more information email info@