“IT’S bad news for the English game. We’re not creative enough, we’re not positive enough. We’ll go on getting bad results, getting bad results, getting bad results...”

We have seen this kind of England performance enough times to know what the reaction will be. You might have even heard it in a song.

Scotland deserved their point. And Gareth Southgate has plenty to think about now as he decides whether to stick or twist against the Czechs on Tuesday.

Captain Harry Kane has looked off the pace since the tournament began, perhaps carrying the weight of a transfer saga he had hoped to resolve.

Tottenham’s dilly-dallying in naming a new manager has left him in limbo whilst also shouldering the burden of leading his nation’s attack at a tournament they secretly fancied their chances of winning.

To see him withdrawn way before the end for Marcus Rashford in a game of that magnitude can only be a concern for England fans, many of whom had looked past this fixture as a chance to put their feet up for the final group game.

But for a few flurries early on, England were one-paced in the first half, playing straight into Scottish hands.

John Stones missed a glorious headed chance and Mason Mount stabbed wide after a cheeky nutmeg from Raheem Sterling, yet otherwise the Scots looked comfortable as England’s midfield struggled to find a forward gear.

Part of the problem was congestion. Mason Mount was England’s number 10 and in the first quarter of an hour he managed to string the same pass through on a few occasions – but he soon found himself crowded out by Chelsea team-mate Billy Gilmour, and a few others wearing England shirts.

Kane continues to drop too deep for some reason. Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden also drift naturally into the central positions, and after his rampaging performance against Croatia, Kalvin Phillips also fancied himself as someone wanting to break the lines.

The bottleneck effect left England struggling to move their opponents out of their defensive set. And as Scotland grew in confidence, they were able to set in motion their own strength down the left with Kieran Tierney stepping out of the back three and Andy Robertson doing what he does so often from full-back.

Jordan Pickford bailed England out with a strong hand to push Stephen O’Donnell’s volley aside, leaving Graeme Souness grinning like a Cheshire Cat at half time. The former Blackburn boss has clearly had some dental work done, leaving us all reaching for the contrast button on the TV every time he opened his mouth.

England played with a bit more width in the second half but Gareth Southgate clearly decided there was enough flair on the pitch, and so withdrew Foden for Jack Grealish, simultaneously gratifying and annoying the throngs watching on social media.

The Villa man instantly raised the expectancy levels around Wembley but was placed out on the left while Mount continued to try and cut a swathe through a Scottish defence who had started to look like they were happy to take a point.

Southgate’s next move was an interesting one. Kane had laboured against Croatia then looked lethargic through 75 minutes in the company of Grant Hanley. His replacement Marcus Rashford had spent the previous summer bailing England out off the pitch but, alas, he couldn’t quite manage to do it again at Wembley in a quarter of an hour.

With about 10 minutes to go, Robertson – who had operated with a 10 yard exclusion zone on the left for most of the game – swung another cross in from the left which dropped invitingly for Che Adams at the far post. Thankfully, the Southampton man lashed a shot over the top.

It ended up being the first ever goalless draw between the two countries at Wembley and just the fourth in 149 years of fixtures between the two nations. But even as a fervent England supporter, you cannot seriously claim that Scotland deserved something from the game.

Southgate must now assess where his captain is at. Has Kane got enough in the tank to carry his county’s goal hopes into the knockout stages – or should Dominic Calvert-Lewin get a chance?

Auld enemy. Same old doubts starting to creep in for England at a major international tournament.