There were obviously two completely contrasting results from Scotland’s double header against Belgium on Friday night in a friendly at Hampden and the Monday evening Nations League outing with Albania at the same venue.
The first match against the World Cup semi-finalists was always going to be an incredibly-tough one.
Belgium are flying just now and have some world-class players such as Eden Hazard.
The defeat was still a hard one to take but it is a learning curve. The Scotland manager Alex McLeish has brought in new players which I think is a good thing.
Nobody likes to get a 4-0 spanking but we were up against one of the best teams in Europe.
It was a massive test for our players but Belgium isn’t a big country either and that’s where we should be aiming to be in the next few years.
I thought the manager’s selection was very bold for the competitive game against Albania.
I was looking at the team beforehand and thinking, ‘That wouldn’t have been who I would have picked’, but Scotland won 2-0.
One of the big calls was to opt for Steven Naismith instead of Leigh Griffiths and the manager’s faith was rewarded with the Hearts man scoring both Scotland’s goals.
Wee Sparky will no doubt be disappointed not to be selected but he needs to be starting regularly for Celtic.
He will be desperate to play but Naismith has come in and answered any critics so credit to him.
The other big call was between the sticks and the manager went with Allan McGregor in front of Craig Gordon.
They are very similar goalies but McGregor has just won the nod at the moment.
There isn’t much between them but Allan has come away with a clean sheet.
It is a good problem for Scotland to have to have two keepers of their quality but I do just wonder
where the next McGregor or Gordon is coming from.
Maybe McLeish was looking to mix it up after Friday but the main thing is that Scotland have won their first home game in the Nations League and kept a clean sheet.
So they are off and running and the win should be a big boost for the confidence for the next game against Israel.
I was also impressed by performance of Hearts defender John Souttar against Albania.
The centre-half is still only 21 but he has played a lot of matches already and he has probably settled into his game now.
I am looking for guys who will be in the national set-up for at least the next two qualifying campaigns. That’s the way forward and Souttar can be part of that.
It looks like the Hearts coaching staff have really nurtured him and helped his development. He has a physical presence and is playing with a mature, calm head.
Obviously, former Dundee front man Craig Wighton joined Hearts recently and it would be great if moving there could have a similar impact on him.
He scored the famous goal that sent Dundee United down but I just feel he never got a run at Dens with a regular strike partner.
He was in and out and played on the wing. Time will tell but it would be great to see Craig do well at Hearts like Souttar has done.
The debate over the National Stadium is now at an end and I am glad that Scotland will be staying at Hampden.
However, having made the decision, the SFA now have a lot of work to do.
They have to do something about the atmosphere and I think they need to get the supporters tighter to the pitch.
That generates the atmosphere.
The most disappointing thing for me are the crowds at Hampden just now.
Monday night international football just does not appeal.
It should be at the weekend where people can make a day out of it.
But I would rather the SFA reduced ticket prices and filled the stadium for every international.
There is nothing better than playing at the National Stadium when it is full.
It looks a daunting task for Dundee going to Ibrox on Saturday as they try to secure their first league point of the season.
The Dark Blues actually seem to do well against the better teams so fingers crossed they can go and get a result against Rangers.
Dundee need to go and express themselves and I am sure Neil McCann will have been working the players hard during the international break.
But they simply have to get something out of the next two games to finally get off the mark.
