Summary

  • Latest from Scotland camp before game with Switzerland on Wednesday

  • Defender Hanley speaks at media conference

  1. 'Players must look at themselves first'published at 12:39 British Summer Time 17 June

    Scotland centre-back Grant Hanley: "From a player's pint of view, we've got to look at ourselves first.

    "We've got to look at the reasons why we didn't turn up as we would've hope to have done."

  2. 'We've put Munich to bed'published at 12:38 British Summer Time 17 June

    Grant HanleyImage source, PA Media

    Scotland centre-back Grant Hanley: "Obviously we've had a couple of days. We've put [the Germany defeat] to bed.

    "The manager had a couple of meetings last night to go over it and draw a line under it and look forward to the next game."

  3. Postpublished at 12:37 British Summer Time 17 June

    Grant Hanley has taken his seat at the Scotland presser.

    To watch live, click... 'watch live'.

    We'll have quotes right here as well.

  4. Souness provides positive update on Hansenpublished at 12:29 British Summer Time 17 June

    Souness, Dalglish and HansenImage source, PA Media

    On to some really encourgaing news now as Graeme Souness has provided a positive update on the health of ex-Liverpool and Scotland team-mate Alan Hansen.

    A statement from the Anfield club just over a week ago said Hansen was seriously ill in hospital.

    But Souness told talkSPORT: "I spoke to him yesterday and he sounded fabulous, so I hope that's him on the way to a full recovery.

    "I've been speaking to his son and Janet, his wife, and I've been phoning his phone, his phone number.

    "He's definitely back because he did nothing but take the mickey out of me.

    "He's been in a difficult place but the way he sounded yesterday, he's back, and I hope I'm right."

  5. Grant's the manpublished at 12:23 British Summer Time 17 June

    Jonathan Sutherland
    BBC Sport Scotland in Germany

    We are currently waiting on Grant Hanley to appear at the media conference in about 30 minutes time.

    He may well fill the void left by Ryan Porteous, who got sent off against Germany. He came on at half-time in Munich when Scotland were very much in damage-limitation mode.

    Interesting to get his thoughts on Friday night and the journey back to the training camp after that painful 5-1 defeat.

    Also, it should be interesting to get his thoughts on what went wrong after Steve Clarke's comments yesterday where he talked about perhaps giving the players too much information.

  6. Postpublished at 12:19 British Summer Time 17 June

    Liam didn't get the 'good vibes only' memo.

    Still, none of us want them to fail, it's just the harsh reality Scotland simply can't hide from.

    A positive result on Wednesday is the only way the Negative Normans will put back in their box.

  7. Unwanted records aplentypublished at 12:17 British Summer Time 17 June

    Liam McLeod
    BBC Sport Scotland in Germany

    Scotland’s nightmarish start to this European Championship set several unwanted records. A heaviest defeat at a major finals since the 7-0 defeat to Uruguay at the World Cup in 1954 in the Swiss city of Basel.

    It was the biggest defeat in the opening game in European Championship history and Scotland’s worst since the infamous Euro 2004 play-off second leg in Amsterdam. It is also just one win in 10, against a dreadful Gibraltar, with a whopping 26 goals conceded in that run.

    The weather hasn’t exactly been on the Tartan Army’s side either with the rain following them north to Cologne.

    Although all is not lost, Wednesday’s second group match against Switzerland is in must-not-lose territory.

    Three points will unlikely be enough for the Scots given they are already in arrears of four on the goal difference, meaning a minimum of four will be required to create the right kind of history and get out of this section.

    The Swiss can seal their passage to the last 16 before they even get a look at the Germans, who ran Scotland ragged on matchday one and that will make them extremely dangerous.

    Hungary couldn’t live with their first-half performance on Saturday and if they hit that sort of form on Wednesday, Steve Clarke’s men could be in trouble again.

  8. Should Clarke change Scotland shape?published at 12:13 British Summer Time 17 June

    Steve ClarkeImage source, PA Media

    Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell and former Falkirk midfielder Stephen McGinn were also discussing whether Scotland should think about changing formation on Wednesday.

    "I would be tempted to go to a back four, but I don't think Steve Clarke will," McGinn, brother of John, told BBC Sportsound.

    "He had a look at the back four in the friendly last week. So it's in his mind and an option for him.

    "I'd be tempted to play Lawrence Shankland, and with the back four and five midfielders in front you can get bodies closer to him. Because if you're playing Shankland you need to get players round him."

    Kettlewell, though, thinks Clarke should stick with the back three.

    "I've always been a huge believer in sticking to what you believe in and what you've worked towards," he said.

    "If you start changing to a four just now you're ripping up the script completely.

    "There needs to be tweaks and changes to the team. I would look to go with [Scott] McTominay and McGinn supporting the main striker, and the obvious change at centre-back as [Ryan Porteous is suspended].

    "I don't think they'll perform anywhere near where they did on Friday night. I think they'll perform better."

  9. Ask McCann a questionpublished at 12:07 British Summer Time 17 June

    Neil McCannImage source, SNS

    Do you want to have your team selection queries answered by a BBC pundit?

    Today we're giving you the chance to ask ex-Scotland winger Neil McCann a question.

    Just click here, external to do so. Be nice, please.

  10. 'More discipline required for Scots'published at 12:00 British Summer Time 17 June

    Media caption,

    JJ Bull says Scotland will need 'a lot more tactical discipline' against Switzerland

  11. Choose your Scotland XI to face Switzerlandpublished at 11:57 British Summer Time 17 June

    Tactics boardImage source, Getty Images

    And what about Lawrence Shankland? Plus who replaces Ryan Porteous? Is a change of shape needed?

    Decisions, decisions, decisions for Steve Clarke.

    You can put yourself in the shoes of the Scotland boss by picking your XI for the Switzerland game here.

  12. Postpublished at 11:55 British Summer Time 17 June

    Are you lot in favour of wee Billy starting on Wednesday?

    Get on those thumbs...

  13. 'You need Gilmour to bring calm'published at 11:50 British Summer Time 17 June

    Billy GilmourImage source, PA Media

    Meanwhile, The Athletic's JJ Bull believes Billy Gilmour could hold the key to a positive result against Switzerland.

    The Brighton midfielder was left out of Steve Clarke's starting XI in Friday's 5-1 defeat to Germany, which prompted some criticism.

    "If Scotland can win, it will probably be won when Switzerland have the ball in Scotland's half," he told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

    "Just in that slight moment near the final third, where they just passed it loose a couple of times near the Hungary box. I'm really clutching at things here, but there was a couple of loose passes.

    "That's where you could probably pounce and then you'll get the runners.

    "Then you need to get John McGinn and Scott McTominay running with the wing-backs, but you need someone like Gilmour to keep that calm.

    "I wonder whether maybe Adams doesn't start either. Maybe you have Lawrence Shankland so you've got something there to try and poach around the box."

  14. Postpublished at 11:45 British Summer Time 17 June

    Great, again I'm now fully convinced Scotland are winning on Wednesday.

    I'm easily won over, clearly.

    And I'm ready to be hurt again, I think.

  15. 'Patient' Scotland could hurt 'passive' Switzerlandpublished at 11:43 British Summer Time 17 June

    Granit XhakaImage source, EPA

    Worried by how good Switzerland looked against Hungary? Fear not.

    Swiss football journalist Lucas Werder has, sort of, explained how Scotland can win on Wednesday.

    This plan doesn't include having two extra players.

    Werder told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast: "I think one of the weaknesses of Switzerland and maybe the biggest chance for Scotland is if they are patient and if they can hold the clean sheet, there will be 15 or 20 minutes where Switzerland are a little bit less active.

    "Like we saw in the game against Hungary, it's in every game Switzerland plays. They have some minutes where they are not that offensive pushing. If Switzerland are a little bit passive, then Scotland have to take their chances.

    "There won't be a lot of chances for Scotland, but in qualification [Switzerland] always conceded some goals. In the game against Romania, Romania had like one or two chances and they scored from every one."

  16. 'Never underestimate the Scots'published at 11:37 British Summer Time 17 June

    Media caption,

    Ramon Vega says the Tartan Army could play a big part for Scotland against Switzerland

  17. Postpublished at 11:34 British Summer Time 17 June

    A 13th man? Who's the 12th, Ramon?

    Keeping 11 on the park would be a start!

  18. Scotland fans can be '13th man' against Switzerlandpublished at 11:33 British Summer Time 17 June

    Ramon Vega
    Former Switzerland defender on Scottish Football Podcast

    The Scots, you never underestimate them.

    Scotland is a football nation, there's no doubt. The fans were sensational. What I saw, the image, the atmosphere, I experienced that with Celtic.

    The Scottish fans are one of the best in terms of experience and I can see that in Germany. They're really, really, really top.

    That's another plus that they can actually have in that game against Switzerland because these guys, they are really the 13th man in that stadium.

    Steve [Clarke] should also apply that to the players. Guys, you're actually representing the nation, Scotland.

    You've got all these, I don't know, hundreds of thousands of Scots going over to Germany to watch the guys. They should be proud about that.

    If I was a Scottish player, goodness me. I wouldn't sleep a day before because I would be nervous just to play in front of all these fans that make the effort and pay a lot of money to go across to watch Scotland.

    I think of Scots as very patriotic. They're proper Scots. If they have the heart going into it, then they will go for it, and this is one part that the Swiss might have to look into.

  19. Postpublished at 11:31 British Summer Time 17 June

    That caution was echoed by former Celtic and Switzerland defender Ramon Vega on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

    Let's have a look...

  20. Xhaka warns Swiss of Scotland reactionpublished at 11:27 British Summer Time 17 June

    Kheredine Idessane
    BBC Scotland in Cologne

    Granit XhakaImage source, Reuters

    Meanwhile, Granit Xhaka says Switzerland will need to be even more aware when they face Scotland.

    The Bayer Leverkusen man was man of the match as his nation side got off to a winning start by beating Hungary 3-1 on Saturday.

    "Everyone knows the quality they have," he said. "Big players in big teams, always playing every week.

    "We need to be much more ready than we were [against Hungary] because the pressure is, I think, on our side, even though we already have three points.

    "I’m sure we will be ready for the Scottish team and hopefully everyone can see a good game."