Scotland’s hopes of reaching the Qatar 2022 World Cup took a major hit back in March when the side drew the first two matches in the group.
That immediately put the pressure on and meant a ‘marquee’ result was going to be required somewhere along the way.
Any hope of that being achieved in Copenhagen on Wednesday night was quickly obliterated thanks to an abject first half showing.
And it now means the Scots are almost certainly going to have to win in Vienna next Tuesday, at home to Israel next month and quite possibly in the final qualifier against Denmark in mid-November.
Apart from that, the national side is going to have to avoid shipping any points to the minnows, and that can never be taken for granted where Scotland are concerned.
The very early stages against the Danes looked promising enough, but defensive frailties again proved to be our downfall, and from the moment Kieran Tierney allowed Wass in for the opener, the writing was on the wall. The quick-fire second had a worryingly dispiriting effect on the side, and the Scots were extremely fortunate to get to the break just two behind.
It may have been that Denmark eased off after the interval, but, even if they did, there was a marked improvement in Steve Clarke’s team with Tierney and Andy Robertson looking much more comfortable in more familiar roles.
By the final 20 minutes we were actually playing some decent football, putting together attacks that caused the home defence real problems and, but for the brilliance of Kasper Schmeichel, we would at least have scored.
But all that simply masks the issues we still have at that level and, despite the growing optimism in the lead up to Euro 2020, there is still a fragility about the national team.
Since the dramatic penalty shoot-out win in Belgrade, the Scots have played eleven games and won just two, the 4-0 thumping of the Faroes and the 1-0 victory in a friendly in Luxembourg.
There have been a couple of very good performances, in the 2-2 draw with the Netherlands and in the Wembley encounter with England, but in too many of those matches our players have underperformed, and we have failed to score in five of them.
In news conferences, Steve Clarke and his players certainly talk a good game, but the plain fact is that in the past year, more often than not, they have failed to deliver.
They like to speak about the atmosphere within the camp, how happy the squad is, how much they enjoy working and training together. That’s fine, and it can contribute to the success of a team, but it hasn’t for Scotland of late, and you have to wonder why.
The manager recently signed a new contract which will take him through to Euro 2024, an unusual move by the Scottish FA, who generally review the position on a tournament-to-tournament basis.
His achievement in reaching the 2020 Finals was clearly a major factor in their thinking, but they will be expecting him to emulate that feat and, if the side stumbles again over the next few days, the power brokers at Hampden might just be reconsidering the wisdom of such a move.
Aberdeen had a good summer window – but I expect Ferguson to be off in January
Despite the lack of any last day drama, I think it is fair to say the Dons had a decent summer transfer window.
Ten players – none of whom would have featured in the side on a regular basis – departed, while eleven arrived. With that kind of upheaval, it is undoubtedly now a Stephen Glass squad, one that gives him variety and flexibility with his starting line-up.
I still think we needed another out-and-out striker as back-up to Christian Ramirez, but I guess the manager is banking on the likes of McLennan, Watkins, Samuels and Hedges – when fit – to weigh in. I’m still not convinced Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is the answer, but he should get a few goals along the way.
The big plus was Lewis Ferguson remaining at the club. I will be surprised if that remains the case in January, but he will at least have a part to play in the first half of the season.