Let's be brutally honest. It could have been worse. But even though John McGinn sparked a second half salvage mission last night, it was still hard to imagine how things could possibly get any more Scottish than this.
At a time when everyone else is about to get a World Cup finals for their Christmas, we were dispatched to the Syrian border. Subjected to a bit of a stuffing by Turkey. It’s just as well we have a sense of humour because if we couldn’t laugh at a time like this then the feeling of self pity might be overwhelming.
In many respects, we ought to be proud of Steve Clarke and his boys for leading the boycott of this grotesque, sham of a tournament just down the road in the Gulf. And yet, even so, last night it didn’t half feel as if we were being forced to pay a rather depressing price for our nation’s devotion to human decency.
Granted, they didn’t have to extend all this goodwill to a Turkish side which meant them nothing but harm. And yes, for 50 minutes or so, they could hardly have been any more obliging with a lacklustre, defensively error strewn display during which they could hardly muster a meaningful effort at goal.
It really did feel like a dreadful waste of time and effort until McGinn got his side going with a wonderful individual goal to spark what became a much improved second half performance. They might even have rescued a draw in the dying moments when sub Ryan Christie came close to firing an equaliser.
In the end, Clarke will have been comforted by the manner in which his players responded and emptied their tanks for the cause. Ultimately, though, they were defeated and left to slink off into the dark of night, while the rest of the world is heading in the opposite direction, to get the party started.
Soon they’ll be lighting up the desert in Qatar as Clarke returns to a bleak Scottish winter, plotting for sunnier times ahead. There was just enough for the manager to cling to.
His starting line-up had a reassuringly strong look to it, especially given the gloomy circumstances. It was pleasing, for example, to see Billy Gilmour returning to the heart of midfield, operating beside Scott McTominay and behind the more advanced duo of McGinn and Stuart Armstrong.
Typically, Gilmour moved the ball around well on a difficult, sodden surface but, given that he has spent so much time in cold storage at club level, it was no surprise the ring rusty youngster struggled to dominate proceedings in the centre of the pitch. It is to be hoped he’ll be back stronger in the New Year.
Also, with Kieran Tierney and Andy Robertson dovetailing once again at the back, Clarke’s side looked well equipped to withstand whatever the Turks could come up with. And, as it turned out, that was quite a considerable amount.
Just as well then that Clarke can still rely on veteran keeper Craig Gordon who made a string of fine first half saves - thwarting tormentor-in-chief Hakan Chalhanoglu in particular. Scotland were in danger of buckling under this early barrage and survived another scare when Ozan Kabak rattled Gordon’s bar with a header.
But even though Clarke’s men began to find their feet, Kabak’s warning did not properly register. Five minutes before the break the Hoffenheim man was giving McTominay and Grant Hanley the slip to get on the end of a Chalhanoglou’s floated free-kick and power another effort into the back of Scotland’s net.
At the other end those half chances were falling either too far in front or agonisingly behind big Lyndon Dykes. Turkey’s lead could have been more comfortable had it not been for Gordon’s customary brilliance in Scotland’s goal.
One day - and probably not in the too distant future - we’re going to have to find a way of doing without this phenomenon which is a sobering thought even if it’s one for another time. There was, however, a glimpse of the future when Calvin Ramsay replaced Ryan Fraser at the break.
The youngster had a difficult 45 minutes but will benefit from his first cap in the long term. It was 2-0 after less than four minutes when Cengiz Under raced through a disorganised Scotland defence on the counter attack and tucked a shot through Scott McKenna’s legs and in at Gordon’s right hand post.
But just when it all felt a bit like rock bottom, McGinn fired Scotland a lifeline and sparked a second half response which could have been even better had Clarke’s players been awarded one of several stonewall penalties which were not spotted by the officials. There will be better days than this ahead. There simply has to be.
READ NEXT
