When Craig Levein was named manager of the Scottish national team, it was heralded by many as a step in right direction. A young, upcoming and above all, Scottish manager, he was seen as the ideal candidate to lead the Tartan Army further away from the doldrums of the Bertie Vogts years, away from which managers like Walter Smith had managed to drag the Scots kicking and screaming.However, after their complete surrender to the Czech Republic in their Euro 2012 qualifier, many are spouting cliches like "rudderless ship" in their descriptions of the Scottish national side. Levein's ultra-negative 4-6-0 formation in Prague backfired spectacularly in front of approximately 10,000 away supporters, many of whom could hardly believe what was happening before them.
While Scotland may not enjoy a reputation on the world stage like the bigger nations they still boast a proud footballing legacy. The Glasgow giants Celtic and Rangers are two of the biggest clubs in the world; Celtic alone claiming over 9 million REGISTERED fans and who knows how many millions more world-wide. On the other side of the whitewash, there are a whole host of Scottish managers who have had tremendous success at club level. Somewhere down the line, the combination of passion for the game and managerial guile seem to have avoided each other, leaving the Scots in a vacuum of footballing mediocrity. They may never again savour the heady days of the 1960s and 70s when Scotland's pool of players was vast in its range of talent. Since my first experience of Scotland at Euro '96 and at France '98, they have slipped unceremoniously down the world rankings and into football oblivion.
Returning to Friday's fiasco in Prague, I have two questions in mind: Is Levein the right man for the job? or is it quite simply that Scotland are not producing the same calibre of players as 10-15 years ago?
On paper you would certainly think so. Darren Fletcher aside, there are few players that can stake a claim at any of England's "top 4" Premier League clubs. Levein's decision to include Jamie Mackie in the starting line-up is proof of how far down the pecking order Scottish talent has sunk. Queen's Park Rangers may be flying high in the Championship but the manager took a huge gamble on his selection. By all accounts, Mackie didn't impress, which begs the question; why start him when Kenny Miller is in the form of his life yet had to be content warming the substitutes bench.
If Levein was picking players purely on their club form then why not start with Blackpool's Charlie Adam alongside Graham Dorrans? The midfielder ran the show for the Seasiders at Anfield last weekend and has been key to everything good about them this season. Surely he deserves a place above a striker who has been scoring goals albeit at an inferior standard of football. The same applies for Barry Robson, part of a struggling Middlesborough side, was brought on in search of a goal when both Adam and Shaun Maloney, arguably two far more creative players, were overlooked.
This then prompts the question of Levein perhaps feeling the pressure of such a high-profile position where every decision is analysed to the last detail. One thing is for certain: Scotland will find it ten times as hard against Spain next time out. Prague presented an opportunity for Scotland to distance themselves from the Czechs and firmly establish themselves as contenders for qualification. After three abject performances and a home tie against the World Champions to come, it will be interesting to see how far the blazers at SFA allow their patience to be tested before considering Levein's position as Scotland manager.
(picture taken from www.bbc.co.uk/sport)
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