SCOTLAND were outplayed in every area of the park in the friendly international with England on Tuesday night.

There was plenty of effort from Gordon Strachan's players. But the quality of Roy Hodgson's stars shone through.

Getting three points in the Euro 2016 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland was more important than winning a friendly. The 1-0 over Ireland on Friday night clearly took a lot out of those who were involved.

I thought the manager might have changed his side around to give five or six of the fringe players a game. Of course, every member of his squad will have been desperate to be involved.

The majority of them ply their trade down south and would have been keen to win the match and gain bragging rights over their English team-mates.

To be fair to Gordon, he did give a lot of players who had not been involved against Ireland a run-out during the game. Stevie May and Johnny Russell both came in for their debuts.

But their introduction was ultimately to no avail. It's hard to make a difference if you're on for 10 or 15 minutes. Yes, Russell had a hand in the late goal that Andy Robertson netted at Celtic Park. But it was too little too late.

I would have liked to have seen some of these lads given a start to show what they are capable of at that level. Grant Hanley and Russell Martin are the best centre-backs we have at our disposal. But when it comes down to the nitty gritty they are found wanting. All three of England's goals were scored from key defensive areas.

Roy Hodgson's players were solid at the back, hard-working in midfield and creative up front. We weren't as good as we have been. So the game showed there is a lot of work to do. But we are working far better as a unit. We have made huge strides in the last 18 months.

But when we are up against a side with quality all over the park, as we were on Tuesday night, we are still going to struggle.

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