Ahead of Saturday’s campaign opener against Serbia, many Scotland fans felt that the decision to maintain Craig Levein as national team manager was one that would come to be regretted.
A few days, and just two games, later the situation is looking bleak for Scotland’s qualification hopes. Perhaps the SFA have already left it too late to replace a man who has little support left now amongst the Tartan Army. The uncharacteristic boos and low attendance at Hampden on Tuesday were a testament to Levein’s popularity.
It wasn’t a kneejerk response to two disappointing results, it was patience worn thin.
Failure to even make the play-offs for Euro 2012 was bad enough but an inexcusably poor start in the World Cup 2014 qualifiers has exacerbated anti-Levein sentiment throughout the country.
The theme of discontent with Levein’s tactics and player selection has risen time and time again during his tenure. Playing no strikers in Prague was unforgivable; playing Barry Robson on the right of a five man midfield in Lithuania was inexplicable, as was doing the same with Barry Bannan in Liechtenstein; the Steven Fletcher debacle is a constant source of frustration; the loyalty shown to Kenny Miller is perplexing, the reluctance to play Jordan Rhodes likewise.
The decision to call up Ian Black but ignore Lee Wallace, both Third Division players, for the summer friendly against Australia exemplified Levein’s inconsistency in his approach to picking national squads.
His most recent squad raised eyebrows once more. Premier League midfielders James McArthur and Barry Bannan were left out, while Championship player Don Cowie was included as one of just two out-and-out central midfielders and subsequently not used. Celtic’s in-form attacking midfielder Kris Commons was also overlooked entirely. At right back, Ricky Foster was included as cover for Alan Hutton – who hasn’t played for Aston Villa all season – despite the fact that compatriot Mark Wilson is ahead of him in the pecking order at Bristol City.
Differences of opinion on selection can serve to alienate the fans from the manager but results are what matter most and Levein has not delivered these. Looking at the last two games, home ties with Serbia and Macedonia, Scotland needed to take at least four points to get their campaign off to a good start. Six points should have been the aim but four would have been fine. Two points from these fixtures is simply not good enough.
It’s true that four points from the trips to Wales and Belgium in October would get things back on track for Scotland but few would bet on that while the team remains under Levein’s direction. And in any case, not wining your home games is liable to come back to haunt you at international level. In the Euro 2012 qualifiers Scotland didn’t drop a point to lower seeded opposition at home; they have already done so this time around in drawing with Macedonia.
For those of us expounding the view that Levein’s position has already become untenable, the obvious query volleyed back is that concerning who would replace him. The names of Walter Smith and Gordon Strachan have been mentioned recently but Smith has already managed the national team and it is often best not to go back, but to think forward. It must also be considered how Smith’s brand of football would go down with a support that is weary of Levein’s over-cautious approach. The persistent calls to play two strikers may be a tad naïve but Scotland could certainly afford to be more adventurous on occasion.
Strachan has never managed at international level but his success in the Champions League with Celtic is reason to be encouraged. He twice reached the last sixteen of the competition despite having less money to spend than previous manager Martin O’Neill, who never surpassed the group stages in Europe’s premier club competition. Along the way Strachan achieved notable results against the likes of Manchester United, Benfica and Shakhtar Donestsk.
The 50 times capped former Scotland international is renowned for his wit but his footballing intelligence should not be underestimated either. He also has a positive public persona and is one of the biggest advocates of the Scottish game in the English media. His appointment would surely be well received by the Tartan Army and, as a proud Scot, one imagines Strachan would jump at the chance to lead his country.
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