Scotland must look to the future ? and Craig Levein is not invited
Scotland's cannot reach the 2014 World Cup, and Levein will not lead them towards Euro 2016 ? so why let him stay?
The storm surrounding Craig Levein has abated. For now. The Scotland manager's week-long holiday in the aftermath of defeats in Wales and Belgium would have pleased those among his employers who were anxious not to make a swift decision on his future. A fine performance from Celtic in Barcelona on Tuesday evening also shifted the Scottish football narrative, albeit temporarily.
Levein is scheduled to meet the Scottish Football Association in the next few days, with the premature ending of the nation's hopes of qualification for the 2014 World Cup a key topic for discussion. Linked to that, of course, is whether Levein should be afforded more time to halt Scotland's alarming international decline.
To many, this seems as close to a no-brainer as any board could find themselves considering. They do not enjoy the heat of negativity; in this instance, they must also consider the prospect of empty seats and commercial damage if an ill-fated managerial tenure is allowed to stumble on.
If asked, onlookers would toil to recall more than one match since Levein took over in which his team has genuinely impressed. That blunt analysis contradicts the manager's repeated insistence of progress.
Scotland have claimed just two points from four qualifying games so far. They are bottom of Group A, with their glaring lack of tempo during two Hampden fixtures understandably tough for expectant and loyal fans to bear.
The emergence of a tabloid story involving the Scotland midfielder Scott Brown and some high jinks in a Cardiff hotel hardly represent a heinous crime. Still, the story raised legitimate questions about the professionalism of what is currently a failing set-up. Public comments from another player, James Morrison, demanding a change of Levein's tactics hardly bode well, either.
It is nonsensical for Scots to believe any manager should be dismissed after a single failed qualification attempt. This is Levein's second; Scotland finished third in a mediocre Euro 2012 section, winning just three matches, two of them against Liechtenstein.
Levein seems to regard criticism of Scotland's performances as personal, which it isn't. And, in fairness, the two common criticisms ? that infamous 4-6-0 formation with which the Scots lost 1-0 in Prague and the saga involving Steven Fletcher ? lack substance. Levein is a more capable tactician than those taking issue with his formations, and Fletcher was the one in the wrong when he first opted out of the Scotland scene by text message.
The waters of this troubled scenario have been muddied, sometimes deliberately, by those who stress Scotland's wider fall from grace mean it would be illogical to dispense with Levein.
Bizarrely, Scotland's attempted overhaul of their youth football system is used as a defence of Levein. Under this flawed logic, removing a first-team manager would make little or no difference because the landscape of Scottish football is in such a dismal state.
Belgium, who have implemented a successful youth performance plan, have had six international managers in a decade. They comprehend, as the SFA must, job titles.
The core issue here is that, regardless of their placing in the grand scheme of world football, Scotland have consistently underperformed during Levein's reign. To suggest no other manager could do better is a total fallacy, however incremental that improvement may be. The longer the SFA preside over such an unsatisfactory situation, the longer they are complicit in it. For his part, Levein has the talent to succeed again elsewhere.
Given the end of Scotland's hopes of qualifying for the World Cup, it is the duty of the SFA to either hand Levein a contract for the 2016 European Championship qualifiers or implement change now. The former would be an astonishing move, one which would trigger quite a reaction from the Tartan Army, while the latter would allow another manager to adequately prepare his team for a fresh qualification challenge. Recent suggestions that the SFA may dodge or delay making a firm call do not augur well.
Those in charge of the Scottish game bungled in dealing with the crisis involving Rangers earlier this year. A further lack of decisiveness with regards Levein will only, and rightly, bring confidence in the people at the top down another notch.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/oct/27/scotland-future-craig-levein-invited
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