SCOTLAND captain Callum McGregor insisted the players had to take the blame for the awful defeat in Kazakhstan.

The Celtic midfielder's big night, after being handed the armband, will not be one he looks back fondly on after this 3-0 defeat.

McGregor said: “We’re devastated. We didn’t do enough on the night. They totally deserved it.

"We just have to hold our hands up. We were nowhere near it tonight. We didn’t start well. We lost two goals in quick succession and never recovered.

We never implemented what we were trying to do. We didn’t use the ball well enough or get the ball into the front man quick enough or do the things we were asked to do. The players have to hold our hands up.

“We didn’t do what we were asked to do. We didn’t press, we didn’t pass the ball well enough. We didn’t get the ball to our front men. It’s a bad result.

“We really have got to be better than that and we will need to be better if we want to win points.

“There is the San Marino game in a couple of games and we will need to go again.”