The only currency that carries any weight in football is results.
So the 4-0 defeat at Tannadice on Friday night against Germany does little to dissipate the nagging hangover that has clung to Scotland like stale cigar smoke since their play-off failure in December.
And yet, there has been little glimpses, brief flashes, of recovery. Lost among final outcomes they would not be obvious to the naked eye.
But this is a Scotland team that is looking towards tomorrow in terms of its team selection across recent camps. Emma Lawton has started all three games under interim manager Mick McArdle and has not looked out of place at any stage – certainly not any more than a squad that has found itself going toe to toe with heavyweights such as Germany and the Netherlands.
McArdle has been unlucky in some ways that he was handed the reigns after Scotland’s promotion into Nations League A with his task two-fold; build up a demoralised team following their failure to make it to the European Championships while also navigating a journey through a Nations League group that was never going to be anything other than grim.
Ultimately this is a squad of players who have missed out on the last three successive tournaments. With players in the squad who carry significant clout at the elite end of the women’s game such as Caroline Weir and Erin Cuthbert, there is talent within this team.
A call has to be made on who is charged with getting World Cups and European Championships away from the rearview mirror and bringing it into sharp focus again.
Certianly, though, Cuthbert spoke candidly on Friday evening at Tannadice. With the rawness of the result still there – and the midfielder still sporting full kit – she spoke of the necessity of the pain of defeats such as Friday nights in order for there to be aby real growth within the squad.
Under Pedro Martinez Losa, Scotland also finished bottom of a Nations League group A before then dropping down and coasting their way through League B. When it came to the crunch they were found wanting last December against Finland when they play-offs rolled around.
“Honestly, I want to be in League A,” said the Chelsea midfielder. “We want to test ourselves against the best because you don't want to play in League B and get a false sense of security and then you play against the likes of Finland and then you're not as prepared.
“So at least we'll be prepared for these games and it's a valuable experience for the youngsters that are coming in.
“They are getting minutes that maybe they've not had in the last couple of years. It's an exposure to international football and the level for all of us to compete and I definitely see a lot of potential in this Scotland team.”
Realising that potential is the challenge.
It doesn’t get any easier this week with McArdle’s side having to face Germany – a team who currently sit in third place in the official FIFA Women’s rankings – on home soil.
The defending on Friday night was sloppy at times, something that has been the undoing of this side over recent campaigns, while a clinical finisher would be like mana from heaven for any incoming Scotland manager.
These are tough lessons to be learned for Scotland but what they can glean over the coming months has to set them up for a proper World Cup qualification campaign.
AND ANOTHER THING
Celtic’s failure to get a result against Glasgow City last Friday night looks likely to signal the end of their title defence this term.
Elena Sadiku’s side now find themselves nine points off the pace of league leaders Hibs, a sobering return given the high of last season and a first foray into the group stages of the Champions League.
But there are some questions to be asked about the make-up of this season and the effect it has had on Celtic.
Changing ground when the season from Airdrie to Hamilton was a head scratcher.
There have been suggestions that the players felt as though the surface – also plastic – at Airdrie was superior to the one in Hamilton. Sadiku’s side have yet to claim any kind of statement victory on it this season.
With the four Glasgow sides essentially renting pitch space from others – Rangers are out at Broadwood for home games and Glasgow City and Partick Thistle’s Petershill deal comes through the Jags Charitable Trust – it would be sensible, as has been suggested, for a shared space to utilise.
A central pitch for all clubs would seem like a plausible way to explore having a decent surface and an independent space for the women’s game.
AND FINALLY
Galactica, the SFA’s documentary on Caroline Weir, is well worth a watch.
It offers a compelling insight into the journey of the Scotland midfielder as her career took her all the way to Madrid to sport the shirt she wore as a kid growing up, kicking a ball around her back garden.
It is a cracking peek behind the curtain and also offers a look at the emotional effect injury has on players with Weir’s journey from an ACL last year revealing just how debilitating such a setback can be mentally.
