Richard Keys insists Steve Clarke's time is up at Scotland as ex Sky Sports man names perfect successor

Gavin Berry
·2-min read
Richard Keys
-Credit: (Image: beIN SPORTS)


Veteran broadcaster Richard Keys reckons Steve Clarke’s time is up at Scotland and believes Paul Lambert should be the man to replace him.

The former Sky Sports anchor admitted he would have loved to have seen Clarke’s team take their do-or-die Euro 2024 clash to Hungary early on in Stuttgart instead of adopting a cautious approach which ultimately saw them undone by a late Magyars winner which second Scotland crashing out of the tournament.

Clarke is contracted with the Scottish Football Association through to the end of World Cup in USA, Canada and Mexico in two years’ time but there are questions marks over the 60-year-old’s future due tot he nature of their exit in Germany. The former Kilmarnock manager has had a shot at qualifying for three tournaments - reaching two of them - but Keys, writing in his blog said: “I can’t imagine that Clarke keeps his job now. In the round - he’s done really well for a Scotland, but it’s time for a change.

“Who? Well not (Graeme) Souness, whose been busier than ever since Sky sacked him and tried to sell the lie that he was retiring. I love Graeme, but I think he’s beyond a return to management now. I’ve seen Coisty’s (Ally McCoist) name mentioned as well. Yeah. I get that. He’d be a breath of fresh air, but I think he’s probably too comfortable working in the media now. He’s also too good to be allowed to change course.

“My choice would be Paul Lambert. He’s hugely experienced and enormously well respected on the European football scene. He’s the right age and deeply patriotic. Why not?”

And on the performance, he said: “Where was the spirit and raw drive on Sunday night? They limped out of the Euros. It was such a shame. I understand Steve Clarke didn’t want to lose the game in the first ten minutes, which, I guess, explains some of the caution. He said afterwards he felt it was always going to be a one-goal game. So there‘s another reason why he was so careful.

“But I’d have loved to have seen him try and win the game in the first ten minutes. They had to win, so have a go. The whole evening was about caution. He waited far too long to make changes. When he did, the guys he brought on made an immediate impact. (Lawrence) Shankland and (Stuart) Armstrong started running at defenders and it upset Hungary. All of a sudden they were being turned and mild panic set in. So why wait until the 76th minute to make those two changes?”

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