OPINION
Thursday was not a good day to be a Scotland fan – but there were two men at Leeds United who had more reason to be frustrated than most others.
The Scots kicked off their European qualifying campaign in the worst possible fashion, their clash against Kazakhstan ending in humiliating fashion as the home side strolled to a shock 3-0 victory.
It was not the sort of performance you would expect from the side sitting 40th in FIFA’s world rankings against the team placed 117th – behind the likes of footballing minnows Bahrain, Madagascar and the Central African Republic – and you can be sure that Barry Douglas and Liam Cooper were both feeling pretty low after their international side’s stunning defeat.
However, as well as disappointment, there must have been a great deal of frustration at Elland Road – or wherever the pair were watching from – that they were not part of the squad to try and get their country’s campaign off to a flyer.
Yes, Douglas has not been the mainstay this campaign that he was for Wolves in their title winning season, perhaps partly explaining Alex McLeish’s decision to leave him out, but Cooper’s exclusion is baffling.
Captain and stalwart in a Leeds side at the top of the Championship, his performances have been crucial to the Whites’ success and judging by the defensive horror show on Thursday, he could have done a job for Scotland too.
Both are proven performers at international level and it is already looking like a blunder leaving them out – they must have been tearing their hair out watching their compatriots flounder in Kazakhstan.