With the Euros now behind them, Celtic fans can shift their focus to domestic matters and ponder how Brendan Rodgers plans to bolster the team for the upcoming season. Transfer speculation has been rife for weeks, yet despite the lack of new arrivals, the Celtic faithful remain surprisingly composed as we head into the peak of summer.
However, the conversation surrounding Celtic is now spilling over into discussions about the Scotland national team. Serious questions are being raised about Steve Clarke’s stewardship following another dismal Euros campaign.
For the second consecutive European Championship, Scotland exited the tournament meekly, managing just one point from a possible nine. The prevailing media narrative now centres on whether Clarke is still the right man to lead the team forward.
Veteran broadcaster Richard Keys has weighed in, suggesting that Clarke’s time might be up and proposing a Celtic legend as a potential successor.
Paul Lambert Tipped as Next Scotland Manager
Paul Lambert, who has carved out a respectable managerial career, is the man Keys believes could revitalise the Scotland squad. Speaking on his blog, Richard AJ Keys, he said:
“I can’t imagine that Clarke keeps his job now. In the round – he’s done really well for Scotland, but it’s time for a change. Who? Well, not Souness, who’s 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 name mentioned as well. Yea. 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?”
Lambert’s managerial journey has seen him take the helm at clubs such as Norwich City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ipswich Town, and Aston Villa.
Notably, he guided Norwich to the Premier League with successive promotions from League One, earning the 2011 Championship Manager of the Year award. His tenure at Wycombe Wanderers was marked by a remarkable run to the FA Cup semi-finals in 2001.
At Aston Villa, he led the team to the League Cup semi-finals in 2014, where he was touted as a candidate for Premier League Manager of the Year.
Despite these accolades, Lambert has been out of management since parting ways with Ipswich Town in 2021, leaving them in eighth place in League One. Since then, the former Celtic hero has remained on the sidelines.
The question now is whether Lambert is the right candidate to take Scotland forward post-Clarke. While some, including Keys, see Lambert as a viable option, it remains a contentious suggestion.
Lambert’s track record in the lower leagues of English football is impressive, but his recent absence from the game and the specific challenges of international management could be significant hurdles.
The lingering disappointment from Scotland’s Euros exit has left fans and pundits alike clamouring for change. Whether Lambert is the man to deliver that change remains to be seen, but what is clear is that Clarke’s position is under intense scrutiny, and a shift in leadership may indeed be on the horizon.