The Auld Enemy cut us down to size and it hurts like hell
For 84 minutes, Scotland had been given the runaround.
Our Under-21 side had just managed to register a first shot on target against England and tame though it may have been, at least it was an effort.
The depressing spectacle of an Auld Enemy clash at Tynecastle last Tuesday was nothing new.
Another campaign came to a close with a whimper but we knew we wouldn’t be at the finals in Italy next summer long before our kids started chasing shadows.
It’s a mystery how a nation that is only separated by a border can display ability, pace and physicality that are on a different planet to our own.
The most galling thing was Aidy Boothroyd had the temerity to field his reserve side. For anyone who wasn’t there, this was a two-goal defeat going on six or seven.
Credit where credit is due, this England side have managed to avoid defeat in their last 35 qualifiers.
They possess players who are breaking through at some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League and there were comical moments at the mismatch in physicality with the likes of Billy Gilmour pitched against any number of English Giant Haystacks.
Alex McLeish, Malky Mackay and the rest of the SFA coaching supremos were on hand to see the poverty of our players at this level.
That it was against our ancient rivals only made it more galling.
Most worrying of all was a statement from head coach Scot Gemmill who must know privately he’s hitting his head against a brick wall when asking his boys to match up against such obvious superiority.
He said: “I hope the fans go home happy to see a team that showed a tact ical discipl ine and intelligence and grit to play against a top team and still be in the game right until the death because of the work they’re willing to do.”
Surely we should expect something better. It had been men against boys, Scotland had been starved of the ball and only Ryan Porteous and Lewis Morgan looked like they belonged in such company.
This is a gulf that won’t be bridged by tactical discipline and following a manager’s instruction to the letter. We won’t bridge the gap between our current stand ing as a third world footballing nation by praising a desire and effort to confront a challenge.
There has to be more than just plaudits for keeping the score down.
If we are to get close to producing the same type of footballing machines that are being spat out south of the border then a radical new approach needs to be adopted.
These English kids are clearly on strength and conditioning programmes which, on sports science terms, are just blowing our breed of skinny lads out of the water.
Scotland endured a battering against a side that we used to manage to put up some act of defiance to.
It was horrible to watch our best being shown up as international no-hopers.
But please never again use effort and the ability to follow instruction as a reason to take pride from defeat.
Sometimes you long for the days that a defeat to England managed to raise your dander.