Celtic Park was a sharp reminder to us all on Tuesday night of where Scotland are in international football.
Gordon Strachan's team couldn't live with England in almost every way - physique, technique, pace on the ball - and were sorely shown up.
Just as at Wembley last August, when Scotland went down 3-2, there was the distinct whiff of England being able to step up a gear should they so choose, while Scotland strained every sinew just to try to compete.
None of it takes away from the splendid Scottish progress under Strachan, though the disturbing old adage "men against boys" was there for all to see.
In England, they do not view this current group under Roy Hodgson as anything special at all - but what the current Scotland would do for even two or three of these so-called international journeymen.
It has been enjoyable witnessing Strachan rouse Scotland in recent times, in terms of self-belief and courage with the ball, but England proved once more that Strachan's team remains trapped in its distinct second-rate status as an international team.
Scotland have been heroic against the likes of Ireland, Croatia, Macedonia and Norway in recent months. But the step-up to the big time - when the likes of England come calling - remains beyond Scotland's reach.
All of that said…does defeat to England in a friendly in Glasgow really matter that much in the here and now? Probably not.
Celtic Park was noisy and colourful, and the usual ancient enmities were expressed all around this fixture. Deep down, though, beyond knowing that his team had played poorly, Strachan should not lose a wink of sleep over it.
Strachan has far greater objectives for Scotland these days, such as reaching the Euro 2016 finals, and this defeat to England should only rank as a minor distraction.
In terms of the "real currency" - the Euro qualifiers - Scotland have started exactly as any Tartan Army optimist might have hoped.
Home wins against Georgia and Ireland, a point away to Poland, and an inevitable defeat in Germany, adds up to an encouraging start in Group D in anyone's language. Strachan's team is well positioned as an exciting 2015 looms for Scotland.
The question remains intriguing: can Strachan mould a convincing team from Championship-level body parts in England to take him all the way to France in the summer of 2016? It just about amounts to the stiffest challenge of his managerial career.
Scotland's strengths are not to be dismissed. In David Marshall, Craig Gordon, Andy Robertson, Scott Brown, James Morrison, Steven Naismith, Steven Fletcher and Shaun Maloney, Strachan does have players to hold their own on the international stage.
Maybe Darren Fletcher also has two more years of top-flight football left in him, if he can continue his brave fight for good health, and leave Manchester United for more playing-time elsewhere.
Ikechi Anya may also prove not to be as fleeting a Scotland presence as some had thought. This exciting, sometimes scatty player is fully meriting his Scotland shirt.
But the weak points of Scotland remain glaring. In central defence, they are forever vulnerable. Right-back is also a problem. And what Scotland - like any team - would give to have an old no.9 goalscorer of sorts.
On the evidence of Tuesday night, Derby County's Chris Martin is not the answer. Everyone deserves a second chance, but it was pretty excruciating watching Martin trying to hold his own in the match.
It is all to come for Strachan next year: six Group D matches which will decide his fate. There is so much to look forward to in all of that, just as there is much to forget in this defeat to En gland.
ALSO…
Good old Dave King, eh?
The wannabe Rangers controller/cash-king, in his latest piece of bluster to supporters, has urged Rangers fans to starve the club of cash, at the turnstile and in terms of retail.
Starvation is a dangerous thing, is it not? It can lead to severe ill-health, debilitation, and even death.
Having been down this road once before, is this really the way for the reincarnated Rangers of 2012 to go?
Dave King's inability to grab power at Ibrox is one thing. His seeming death-wish for the team and the club under the current regime is something else.
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