This was the ultimate no-win situation for Scotland.
Even with three points against the worst team in the Fifa world rankings, they would still end up short of the minimum target set for them ahead of this opening double-header – and no amount of goals put past a side well used to leaking 50 in a campaign would look like a conspicuously impressive result or remedy the damage of Kazakhstan.
But even considering that low standard, this was not really what the Tartan Army was expecting of their much-changed side.
Having stolen the first page out of the Kazakhstan playbook by breaking the deadlock early, Scotland failed to heed any of the rest.
Instead of pressing the accelerator and assuming control, they slipped into neutral and eventually ended up in the embarrassing position of hanging on against San Marino.
If this is Scotland experimenting or resting on their laurels in the knowledge that the play-offs still await then it is now clear such a strategy can’t work for our country. It has been too long since Scotland have been a competitive force, and too much rancour flies around our team, that a year of idling before Finland’s visit to Hampden would be too risky.
If this standard of performance continues, it will surely result in the sacking of the manager and chaos ahead of the biggest game in a generation.
If Alex McLeish is still capable of turning out a presentable side he needs to start now, even if Belgium and Russia already look by far the class of this section.
His two selections this weekend appeared random – he needs his play-off line-up to be established in advance.