Simon Jordan & Stuart Pearce DEBATE if Steve Clarke should be SACKED by Scotland as EXIT NEARS!

A stunning last -minute win for Ecuador over Germany now puts Scotland on the brink.Scotland could be put out of their misery tonight, in actual fact.If Senegal beat Iraq, it's live on TalkSport 2 from 8 tonight.If that doesn't happen in the early hours of Saturday morning if Cape Verde draw or beat Saudi Arabia also live on TalkSport 2 this Simon has got the feeling if you're Scottish and you guys are observing it from distance of death by a thousand cuts hasn't it?

Well in essence you've done it to yourselves in goal difference terms so you know it looks like it's going the way that it's going You know, I think that if you talk to people candidly, they will talk about the deficiencies in the Scottish team.You can make a production about Steve Clarke and his failure to communicate in the media the way people think he should have done.You can look at the negative approach to the tactics.You can look at the opposition and say, well, what else are you supposed to do against superior sides like Morocco and Brazil?But really and truly, when it comes down to it, as much as you want to distill it and sugarcoat it, the players aren't good enough.to operate at this level to get outcomes that you would hope that they can get.

Because we all know, joking to one side, and the rivalry that exists between the English and the Scots, the fans have been fantastic.They are a credit to themselves.They're a credit to a football tournament, and to some extent, possibly, might deserve a little bit better.But you can't get blood out of a stone.If the players aren't good enough to operate at this level, you can do what you want, you can polish as many turds as you want, but you're not going to get an outcome that gets you the results that you want.So, disappointingly, the opportunity against Haiti...

Now, even if you'd have beaten them two or three, it might not have sealed the deal.Oh, that's right, Sam.But it would have given you a better window and a better runway.

You're being very kind to Steve Clarke.This is three tournaments now where Scotland are going to go out with a whimper.The SFA took the bizarre decision to give him a four -year contract before a ball had been kicked at this World Cup.He made a bad decision in terms ofhis team against Morocco.He then tried to reverse it by chasing the game against Brazil.

You had championship defenders trying to play their way out from the back against a Real Madrid superstar.He's messed up another tournament, Steve Clarke.

But that's individual choices.It's like talking to John Terry yesterday, saying to him, what do you do in a situation where you're a defender on the field and the ideology is to play out?What do you do?Do you take individual responsibility or you sit listening to what you think you should do because that's what...You make individual choices.An individual choice at that level is to get the ball at your feet and get it gone.

That player made a decision not to do it and the consequences are.I think it's unfair because again the argument is I'm not defending Steve Clarke, I'm suggesting that A. it's easy to fire people so what's the alternative?Who's better to go into that job?Who's qualified Scotland for the World Cup and European Championships prior to his involvement?And what is the quality of play?You've got two or three players in that team that you could suggest are decent players that would get into a lot of other international frameworks.

Other than that, What else have they got?

What does it say about Scotland if Cape Verde qualify and they don't?

It says something about Cape Verde, nothing about Scotland.And it says about the groups they're in.Cape Verde are in a group.They've got two teams in their group that are inside the top ten in world rankings in Morocco and Brazil.So with respect, we can all bat at them because it's easy to do and we can make fun of it and it's easy for us to do.But if you're going to be fair and objective, look at the situation.

You've got forwards.I mean, I'm sorry.I don't know what Laurence Shanklin is.If you want to have a go at people, have a go at some of their forwards because they're just simply not good enough.

Who picked those forwards ahead of Olympic McBurnie.

Yeah but if you're seriously suggesting to me that Ollie McBurnie is the answer because he scores a go on a playoff final in the championship rather than perhaps Shea Adams or Lawrence Shanklin that's been assigned by Rangers I think you're just nitpicking and saying whatever we haven't got is the reasons why we're being unsuccessful.

Sure it's a sad state of affairs isn't it I mean the players are fans still out here stuck in limbo land as they wait for the final fixtures to play out.

Yeah I think before we come if someone said to To anyone in football, how do you think the Scotland results are going to pan out?You thought, well, they'll probably beat Haiti.They might not.fortunate and nick a point against Morocco or a low -scoring defeat and they'll get beat 2 -3 -4 -0 against Brazil and it's exactly how it panned out.The Steve Clarke issue and you know I normally back managers and whatever, I honestly think he could have done a bit more, well a lot more in regard to pushing Scotland and pro -ing Scotland up a little bit because...In what way?

Just the interviews, mate, have not...No, they've been poor, we know that.They've been really, really poor.

But is that the optic that we have to look at him through?Because really and truly, he could have done stinky interviews and got four points and got through and no one would have said anything.

Yeah, definitely.

So is it really just a case of he's a bit more rah -rah in the media?Is that what we are suggesting is the outcome for Scotland to come away from this tournament in?

Well, I think they've won so many people over in this country, the Scottish fans.You know, we followed them into Boston to cover games and all the people on the ground we're talking about were the Scottish fans, you know, and you think there's such a high there and just needed a bit more from the football team.And pre -game yesterday, the Germany equity game we were talking about Scotland and saying where they are now and I personally I've always wanted Scotland to go as far as they can.They're gonna go home with massive regrets now if they don't get another game for the third tournament in a row yeah that's my point yeah exactly yeah and that's gonna be the case because they've not left it all on the pitch and then a couple of hours later after talking about Scotland and leaving everything on the pitch I watched Ecuador play the Man for Man, borrow a couple of examples, they were outclassed.But I tell you what, the work ethic that they put in, they just got the team and the fans over the line.

And does the team not reflect his manager?The fact he's putting across such dour messages in the media, does the team not represent that?

I mean, you also have to take, again, you have to factor in opposition and their motivations.And I'm not giving Scotland the pass, because I've been piling on them for the last three, four, five, six weeks, every day I'm in the studio with him.Ecuador are playing against an under -aroused Germany side that have very little to play for and we're looking to rotate.So you know you've got to take the opposition into consideration.Yeah, sure.

Yeah, yeah.Here's the thing though, Simon.Alex mentioned the contract extension for Steve Clarke even before he came over to this part of the world.The Scottish FA, Simon, I mean...Do they now face a decision over Clarke, or is it impossible for the SFA to renege and pivot off?

Well, they're not going to renege, are they?

What they've decided to do?

They won't renege, they'll have to meet their contractual obligations, and that will have a cost implication to it.But like everything else in football, as Stuart will attest to, it's very easy to fire people.It's much more difficult to replace them.So if you've got an alternative that's clearly better, that will come out of the ether and illustrate a way forward for Scotland, then by all means.It's the same argument.Listen, by the way, if we suddenly get through this group stages, which we will as England, and get pumped or knocked out, not pumped, but knocked out in the 32s or 16s, what's the conversation about Thomas Tukul then?

Because the conversation about Thomas Tukul is clearly, I don't understand why these federations work this way, but this is a common phenomenon.It is.That awarding tournament managers contract extensions prior to tournaments.

It makes no sense to me. I think the only difference with Thomas Tuchel is that I believe there's a clause in the contract if they don't go so far in the World Cup they can pull back.

Should we accept as Scott Stewart this is as good as it gets?

No, I don't think so.I don't think you should ever accept that.You know, not when you see And I take Simon's point, they had a tough group, you know, two decent sides, Morocco are a decent side, Brazil certainly are.But you expect more, you've got to expect more.If you don't, all of a sudden you're accepting mediocrity and that's unacceptable for any nation or any football team.

Stuart had a point there as well, Simon, and we mentioned this the other day, the Scots sadly are going to be remembered over here in the USA.For their fans.For the fans.And not for what they did in the football field.Having said that,did they hope to beat Haiti?

Yes.Might they find Morocco a step too far?Probably, but they might get something out of it.And Brazil was Brazil.So, we're at where we may be expected to be at, Alex?

Yeah, but we made the point, Simon made the point when we were last on together, what they don't want to do, Scotland, is play their way out in the early stages.They did it against Morocco and they did it again against Brazil to a certain extent.Yeah.Yeah, the fans have been terrific.My question, and you might not see it as important, I would do because I'm a journalist, the way that Steve Clarke has represented himself in the media, I think it's been a poor representation of his players.And I think he's sold those fans a disservice.

I think that's right.I think there's an element of what you've just said which is fair.I'm not hugely concerned about the optics.I'm more looking about the man's job rather than his representation in the media.But we are in an entertainment business.But the irony of this world that we live in, the juxtapose, is you can play out from the back, get your team relegated and go and get the best job in one of the best jobs in world football in Bayern Munich.

So this situation that we live in, this juxtapose, doesn't make sense, does it?