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5 months ago
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Gary Lineker has been slammed for a 'very disrespectful' quip at the expense of Scotland manager Steve Clarke - but many agree with the presenter.
After Clarke had an interview with BBC Sport, Lineker said sarcastically: 'Well, you got enough of Steve Clarke's energy and enthusiasm there, haven't you?' before laughing.
Clarke has the task of galvanising his Scotland troops for a critical match against Switzerland tonight before taking on Hungary.
Scotland's target for the group stage is four points but they got off to a humiliating start when they lost 5-1 to hosts Germany on the opening night of Euro 2024.
'Here's Gary Lineker being a t***. Do you think he'd say the same thing about boring, I'd-rather-watch-paint-dry Gareth Southgate? Doubt it,' said one user on X as they shared the clip of his comments.
Gary Lineker has been criticised for a joke he made about Scotland manager Steve Clarke
However, many agreed the presenter was right to suggest Clarke could have more 'energy'
'Just saw that, very disrespectful to Sir Stevie,' wrote another.
'That whole segment had a mocking undertone to it,' one thought.
Despite the pile-on of critics, many chirped up to say that they felt Lineker was speaking sense.
'What did Lineker say that was wrong? He's absolutely spot on,' one user said.
'Well to be fair I'd be totally demotivated listening to the guy [Clarke],' another wrote.
'Lineker is right though, Clarke is as uninspiring and boring as it gets,' one said.
Another commented: 'I can see both sides here. Lineker is right in that Clarke is boring beyond belief but at the same time the questions were ridiculous and I really do wonder what people expect him to say.'
Scotland are widely seen as the weakest side in their group, composed of Germany, Switzerland, and Hungary.
Scotland are aiming to bounce back against Switzerland after being crushed 5-1 by Germany
They have never got out of the group stages at a major tournament despite eight attempts at the World Cup and three at the European Championship.
However, with a favourable tournament format which permits 16 of the 24 teams in the group stages to progress, Euro 2024 represents a strong opportunity for Scotland to make history.
Switzerland, who beat Hungary 3-1 in their opening game, are seasoned knockout-stage veterans and pose a demanding challenge.
Ahead of the game, Clarke told reporters: 'For us, it [the task] is to regroup and go again. It's that simple. It is about doing better, exactly that.
'The players want to go back and play better and I think that is pretty standard when you play so poorly and let yourself down.
'As I said when I spoke to a lot of you on Sunday, it is about doing better, working better into the game.
'We thought we were well prepared for Germany, obviously we weren't. So this time I think it is better not to say too much and hopefully with our actions on the pitch we will show that we prepared well and a positive result would be lovely.'
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