Cieran Slicker sees Scotland dream become a nightmare as Clarke's men make the case for friendly ban

Daily Record

a day ago

Worrying signs with World Cup qualification coming up as rare Clarke experiments fall flat in yet another home defeat
IT should have been a dream debut for young Scotland keeper Cieran Slicker.
But instead his Hampden bow against Iceland turned into a nightmare. And it's doubtful whether the 22-year-old will sleep a wink tonight.
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The Oldham-born kid was thrown on after just six minutes for his first Scotland cap but was at fault for ALL of Iceland's goals as the visitors inflicted a 3-1 defeat on Steve Clarke 's side.
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Goals from Andri Gudjohnsen, Victor Palsson and a Lewis Ferguson OG condemned the Scots to an embarrassing home loss.
And ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers which kick off in September, it was far from ideal preparation.
Clarke gave first starts to Max Johnston and George Hirst - and Lennon Miller got his first cap from the bench - but it was young Ipswich stopper Slicker who grabbed the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
After replacing the injured Angus Gunn early on, a poor clearance resulted in Iceland going one up, then he let Ferguson's deflection slip under him.
John Souttar pulled a goal back for Scotland but when Slicker flapped at Palsson's header, the Icelanders secured the victory.
Here are Record Sport's five talking points from Hampden:
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Friendly ban required
Scotland should be banned from playing friendlies.
The Nations League has been a God-send in that regard, in that we haven't had to feature in too many in recent years.
But given our record, it would be better if we didn't have to play any at all.
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And last night's horror show against Iceland at Hampden just added to the catalogue of friendly disasters.
Since Clarke took charge in 2019, he's now played 12 of them and won just TWO - against Luxembourg and Gibraltar.
As a nation, we've won three of our last 21.
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When we were preparing for Euro 2024 last summer, we lined up Finland and Northern Ireland as supposed cannon fodder before we headed off to Germany.
But we couldn't beat either of them. It was the same last night - Iceland should have been disposed of comfortably as we look to build momentum ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.
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Instead, a woeful performance resulted in jeering from the home crowd and our confidence suffering yet another blow after a 3-0 defeat to Greece last time out.
Slick as a dog
Ciaran Slicker has only played nine MINUTES of competitive football since August 2023 - as a sub in an FA Cup tie for Ipswich against Bristol Rovers.
When his name was called out over the Hampden tannoy last night, you got the impression that most of the Tartan Army punters had never heard of him.
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The young keeper was thrown on for his debut in place of injured Angus Gunn early on.
Almost immediately he gave the ball away from a clearance - and Iceland striker Gudjohnsen buried it in the top corner.
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Before the break, his butter fingers allowed Lewis Ferguson's OG to slip past him as well.
Then in the second half, he tried to produce a World Cup save from a header that was straight at him by parrying it over the bar - only to see the ball go through him into the net.
Slicker's introduction only highlighted a huge problem for Clarke - we have a dearth of quality keepers good enough for Scotland.
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Daunting Denmark date
It's probably just as well the 2026 World Cup qualifiers don't start until September for Scotland.
Because judging by this performance, there's so much work to do before the serious stuff starts.
These games are supposed to be for honing systems and patterns of play - developing a formation and style before attacking the qualifiers.
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But if anything, this display set Clarke's team back.
At the end of a long, hard campaign it's understandable that players look jaded and in need of a break.
But the lack of cohesion, tempo and speed of Scotland's passing should be a concern for the manager.
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A chronic lack of width is another problem which needs to be addressed quickly, along with the troublesome goalkeeping situation.
This certainly did nothing to get the Tartan Army excited and on board again.
And come September 5 when we go away to Denmark to play a top side in our first World Cup game - these players will need to find their A game if we want to dream of going to USA, Canada and Mexico.
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50th cap to forget for KT
Kieran Tierney took his place in the SFA's Roll of Honour by earning a milestone 50th cap at Hampden, as Steve Clarke again deployed a back five to get the Celtic-bound defender into his Scotland team.
He was used as a left centre-back in the hope of him linking up with skipper Andy Robertson down that side.
But it wasn't a great night, even for Scotland's best players, as Clarke's side toiled against the Icelanders and suffered a humiliating defeat.
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Thankfully, Celtic fans already know all about Tierney's quality and what he'll bring to their side next season.
And after finally leaving Arsenal, it would have been nice for Hoops supporters just to see their prodigal son back in Glasgow again.
Hirst trap
Cautious Clarke joked at his pre-match press conference that he rarely experiments with a Scotland team.
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But he did give a couple of young players their debuts in Johnston at right-back and Hirst up front.
And despite the ropey performance, both players will be better for their first Scotland starts.
Sturm Graz ace Johnston deserved his chance after a terrific season in Austria.
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He fluffed his lines with a chance at the back post but he showed promise on the flank with his energy and athleticism.
Hirst was given an opportunity ahead of Che Adams and he could have had a double in the first 45.
He just couldn't jump high enough for a header over the bar - but was unlucky with a shot that looked destined for the top corner before Iceland's keeper clawed it wide.
After the break, he looked sharp again with a six-yard effort the keeper kept out and he thought he'd scored a tap-in only for it to be chalked off by VAR for offside.