Berti's Bloomers

Berti Vogts (right) must ponder how to do better

BBC Sport Online's Clive Lindsay in Paris assesses Scotland's first match under Berti Vogts.

It may have only been the first episode, but Scotland's new series under fresh direction could be dubbed Berti's Bloomers.

Berti Vogts' decision to blood several young players and adopt an attacking 4-3-3 system against the world and European champions always had the potential to leave the German with egg on his face.

The result was certainly a bit of a stinker.

And, to make matters worse, on the way to that 5-0 drubbing in the Stade de France, Vogts somehow managed to substitute the wrong player midway through the second half.

Whether his lack of English contributed or not, this was a bizarre episode.

Gary Holt's exit after less than 30 minutes on the park would have been rather comedic had it not occurred during one of Scotland's worst-ever international maulings.

And had it not been compounded by decisions that are hardly likely to endear Vogts to at least three other members of his fledgling squad.

Neil Sullivan remained in goal throughout

Rab Douglas had been persuaded by the Scottish Football Association to travel on the understanding that they would fly him home should his wife go into labour.

The speed of events back in Scotland conspired against that possibility as daughter Brooke came into the world.

To compound the disappointment of the Celtic goalkeeper, he remained on the bench throughout, thus missing out on what he expected to be his first cap for his country.

Vogts at the weekend suggested that teenager Kevin McNaughton would be given his debut in defence.

By Tuesday, the German was explaining that the withdrawal of Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson had forced a rethink and that the Aberdeen player was more likely to come on as a substitute.

On to Wednesday night and McNaughton was another to be left languishing on the bench, even though it was open to Vogts to use three more substitutes.

David Weir could also have special reason to lament his first game under Vogts' management.

The Everton central defender has previously voiced his dislike for playing in the right-back position in which he was given a painful night by Thierry Henry - and not just because of a badly cut and swollen eye.

The French were in rampant mood

Vogts had insisted before the match that the performance was more important than the result and that he would have been more defensive had it been a World Cup or European Championship fixture.

This was, after all, a match against a side eight weeks away from the defence of the World Cup, playing in front of a capacity 80,000 crowd and determined to avoid the criticism that they received after their last outing, a 2-1 victory over Romania.

Vogts always said it was going to be a learning process.

He had barely seen half of his squad live in action before they assembled in East Kilbride on Sunday night and only had three days hands-on with them before his first match against the team rightly installed as World Cup favourites.

The Scots are learning the hard way and the former Kuwait boss was given confirmation of the gulf in class between them and the very best.

All of Scotland hopes that the lesson is sufficient to ensure that his young charges quickly grow in stature and force a different interpretation of Berti's Bloomers.