“Our team has improved enormously from where we were two years ago at the start of the previous qualifying campaign.” – Craig Levein
These are the words of a deluded man.
If that’s Scotland ‘improved enormously’ then how bad were we before?
Under Levein’s tenure, the Scotland team has stalled and it’s time we get up and running again with a new manager at the helm, who can kick-start our qualifying campaign and at least install some hope in the team.
Two points from two games against two average international teams. This sequence of results typifies the Scotland national team over the past decade.
The difference is however, Scotland as a country woke up on Saturday morning as optimistic as they’ve ever been in recent years. Two winnable games at Hampden to set us up on our way to Brazil, our first major tournament in 14 years. 6 points would have given us a great chance, 4 points would have been acceptable, but 2 points is a unacceptable.
Entering each qualifying stage with hope rather than expectation is the norm for Scotland fans, but this year was different. This year we genuinely had a squad capable of of progressing to the World Cup Finals. But as usual, we are left disappointed.
The time has now come for Levein to go. This past week, he has convinced the majority of the Tartan Army that he simply doesn’t have the credentials and ability to manage our country and take us where we want to be – a major tournament.
The former Dundee United manager is tactically naive and his selection policy bemuses everyone.
Had any other manager been in charge of Scotland, undoubtedly Jordan Rhodes and Steven Fletcher would have started at Hampden against both Serbia and Macedonia. Instead, he leaves prolific goalscorer Rhodes on the bench while £14 million Fletcher is left in exile partying in Ibiza, ultimately stick two fingers up at Levein.
The fact of the matter is, as long as he remains in charge, Fletcher will never play for Scotland and with a country of just over 5 million, we can’t afford to leave our best players out.
For these reasons alone it’s time for change.
We have quality attacking players like James Forrest, Shaun Maloney, Jordan Rhodes and Steven Naismith yet none of these guys were used effectively. His negative tactics are holding Scotland back from progressing as a team as well as almost certainly costing us a place in Rio.
Now, it’s time for the SFA to listen to the supporters and get Levein out.
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Levein has done nothing, he will do nothing, he has no pedigree, he said Scotland could win every group game, he is deluded, he previously picked a team with no strikers as we all know, he left Jordan Rhodes on the bench for 80 minutes knowing full well that Rhodes had scored 47 goals in his last 46 games then said he thought the game went reasonably well. If I was a company owner and hired a guy with Levein’s know how, techniques, past performance record and his analysis of how he’s doing, my company would have been in liqudation by now. The man is a walking nightmare and his placement in that job clearly identifies the incompetence displayed by those in the SFA who appointed him. The hierachy who run Scottish football appear to be the most inept group of self important people in employment in Scotland, closely followed by those in the SPL. At least the SFL have in David Longmuir a man who has the ability to see reason and common sense.