Scotland Under-21s boss Scot Gemmill pulled no punches in his assessment of his side’s shocking 6-1 defeat to Iceland, branding the heavy loss “embarrassing” and highlighting a worrying lack of depth in the national youth setup.
The young Scots endured a horror afternoon in Murcia, conceding six goals for just the third time in the team’s 49-year history.
Hearts kid Finlay Pollock was controversially sent off after picking up a second yellow card for simulation, compounding what was already a disastrous performance.
Had it not been for goalkeeper Liam McFarlane’s first-half heroics, the damage could have been even worse.
The defeat came just four days after Scotland secured a 2-0 victory over Republic of Ireland, making the capitulation against Iceland even more alarming.
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Gemmill, who has been in the role for almost a decade, did not hold back in his post-match assessment, making it clear that his players must adapt quickly to the demands of international football.
"It was a really embarrassing scoreline and it's disappointing to end the camp like this. The players need to quickly get up to speed with the level because you could see a clear gap between the teams,” he said.
"They were ahead of us in terms of preparation and they have got a very good team. It wasn't a good day. I definitely don't question the players' commitment - at this level there is no room for mistakes and there were too many mistakes today.
"It's about the players' development and actually in the long term it will help their development because there are a lot of new players playing at this level for the first time and they need to quickly improve.
"There are a lot of new players in the squad and we are trying to assess them and it's fair to say not many did well today, although Finlay Pollock was really good and has taken a step in the right direction in very difficult circumstances. It was 100 per cent not a red card and it was a penalty to Scotland.
“You have to remember there's not a lot of depth when it comes to young players in Scotland - these are the best young players in the country, although there are a few who are not here. These are the players we have to work with and we intend to help them.
"We have shown in the past we can compete with the best but we have to do it consistently and every error was punished there. It's part of the process.
“We are trying to work with new players, we are trying to implement some tactical stuff that has worked for us in the past. The players need to show it on the pitch."
With this defeat raising serious concerns about Scotland’s development pathway amid an ageing senior squad, it’s now up for the Scottish FA to find solutions.
