Kazakhstan defeat: Scotland still has Europe’s best football fans – leader comment

Was it Scotland’s worst-ever result? It was certainly one of them. Kazakhstan are currently ranked the 117th best team in the world, but they strolled to a 3-0 win in Astana.

Bonnie Scotland, Bonnie Scotland, we'll support you ever more (Picture: Lisa Ferguson)

To put that in context, during their unsuccessful 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, the Kazakhs scored six goals and conceded 26 in ten games.

They have won just three out of the last 40 competitive games.

If they can dispatch Scotland so easily, we really are in trouble and the 21-year quest to qualify for a major tournament is likely to stretch far into the future.

Callum McGregor, the Scotland captain, admitted “we never did our jobs” and the players “have got to hold their hands up”.

But the national side’s football malaise is, unfortunately, much deeper than just one bad result.

Scotland is home to Europe’s most dedicated fans with the highest attendances per head of population.

That kind of passion deserves a decent national side. But, actually, we have one – the women’s international team, which will make their debut at the World Cup in France this summer.

Time to turn the Champs-Élysées tartan.