[Devongone]

I'm almost as surprised by this thread as the English media's reporting of the game. At the moment beating Scotland is no big deal - they haven't a player who would make the England squad. This is in stark contrast to my youth when in terms of talent and creativity Scottish players were the best. You could fall in love with a Jim Baxter, but part of that was wanting the guy who lived his own way to pull through against more boring colleagues. Despite this our media seem to think England's victory was a big deal.

I'm very surprised by the comments about Robertson who I thought was Scotland's best player. Oxlade-Chamberlain's goal was down to Hanley, whose reading of the game is very Championship. Robertson alone provided the threat that largely harnessed the Ox and Clyne - without him Scotland would have fallen apart, because the centre backs were incapable of handling Rooney and Welbeck and was Whittaker the other full back who became invisible every time Welbeck went down the wing?

Scotland clearly did choose the wrong reserve centre forward, but Naismith was disappointing ...... and you wouldn't really be expecting a Watford winger to be a major threat on the international stage would you? As to keepers, there is only one British keeper and he happens to be English and he didn't play in this game. Compare Neuer or Courtois to anyone here other than Hart and you're looking at an entriely different species.

Scotland passed about neatly, but it was a surprise (and an error) that they scored at all. England's younger players look promising against lesser opposition. Let's hope easy qualifying helps us build a team. As far as I can see Scotland's problem is the failure to develop young talent. It either withers in Scotland or gets drowned out down here. Yes they should give Jordan Rhodes a run of games, but oh God where's an Alan Gilzean? Show every child in Scotland pictures of Gilzean and Baxter ...... they might not win the World Cup but people would want to watch them.

[El Car]

OC was Robertson's man to pick up. He was nowhere near him and the first thing Hanley (who should nonetheless have done better) did was ask Robertson where the hell he was. Robertson put in a couple of decent crosses but more often fell over or gave the ball away cheaply. Among other things at one point he let Rooney drift past him as if he was standing still, but going forward he's hardly lacking pace - he just has no interest in applying it in defence.

It was the same when I saw him playing for Queen's Park against Rangers in the third division. He's dangerous going forward but a weakness in the defence. He's basically a winger so he should be played there, not as a full back. The reason we do so well on the left in attack when he plays with Anya is because we're doubling up with 2 wingers, but without Mulgrew tucking in to cover at left back we're very exposed there.

And Anya's been good enough to shred the dances of Croatia and Germany among a few more since he came into the side so I don't think his ability at international level is in question, even though he did fade badly against England.

I partly agree on keepers, but where a few years ago I'd have laughed at suggestions Marshall was world class, I'm delighted to have him in goal now. Last year he was arguably the best keeper in the Premier League and he's brought that level of performance to the Scotland team. After that the likes of McGregor, Gilks and Gordon are decidedly second tier keepers at best, whatever level they were once capable of.