Good article on the Levein/(Steven) Fletcher

[Boab 73]

Published Date: 17 November 2010

By Tom English

It was an astonishing admission, but one that was drowned out by the noise emanating from the Old Firm and the wearying saga of the poppy. Last weekend, Craig Levein admitted that he has underestimated the ability of his players since he took over as manager of Scotland.

"Maybe I need to be a little more mindful of the actual quality the players have," he remarked. "Maybe there are more better players than I thought." And maybe Levein ought to have had this moment of clarity a lot sooner than now, halfway through a

campaign that is already in serious trouble.

The Spain qualifier, we must assume, has brought about this belated awakening. Scotland's excellent second-half performance against the world champions at Hampden basically dynamited Levein's rationale, utterly blew apart his view that Scotland don't have the wherewithal to play attacking and disciplined football.

Nobody in their right mind would make outlandish boasts about the merits of Levein's players, but many of us have been shouting for some time now that they are better than the manager has given them credit for. It's been a surreal chapter, a reversal of the natural order whereby the press and the public have talked-up the players while the national team manager has talked them back down again.

Levein's months in charge have been marked by his own negativity, a total contrast to the sadly distant days when Alex McLeish would begin each press conference by announcing that we were about to get another party political broadcast on behalf of the Positivity Party. McLeish's upbeat manner proved infectious. The players responded to it brilliantly.

Levein has been the opposite. He didn't think his players capable of going to Prague and playing with even a modicum of ambition. He thought they'd get buried had they done so, despite the Czechs having previously lost to Lithuania. And he sure as hell didn't think they could do it against the best side on the planet a few days later. But given a chance, that is precisely what Scotland did in that second-half. It was only the second time in four years that Spain conceded two goals in a competitive match, the previous one being a 5-2 victory against Bosnia - and Spain had led 5-0 in the match.

No doubt, Levein would have been pleased at the quality of what he saw in Scotland's dramatic bid for a point against Spain, but he was surely perplexed also. Perhaps even a little embarrassed. After all, on the conclusion of that horrific performance against Liechtenstein, Levein hinted that he regretted the selection of James McFadden and said that he wished he'd stuck to his guns and played it a lot tighter from the start.

Against Liechtenstein! At Hampden!

Full marks to Levein for his honesty of last week but shouldn't we be worried that, after 11 months of working with and studying these players, he is only now realising that they can play a bit when afforded the opportunity?

There is another troubling thing about Levein and it is revealed in the Steven Fletcher affair.

You might remember that the Wolves striker had a couple of things to say a few weeks back. He criticised Scotland's negative tactics in Prague and said that he was pissed off because Levein hadn't deigned to talk to him. He felt ignored and unwanted.

Nobody is saying that Fletcher is the complete answer to Scotland's prayers in front of goal, but he is a very promising player. In the calendar year he has scored against Chelsea, Spurs, Aston Villa and twice against Manchester City, all in the Premier League, and has been transferred from Burnley to Wolves for £6.5m. The last time he started a competitive match for Scotland he scored the winner, against Iceland in April last year. On Saturday, in his first start since facing Manchester United in late October, he scored against Bolton.

Yet Levein left Fletcher out of the squad for the Faroes match last night. Instead, he gave a start to Jamie Mackie, who hasn't scored in his last ten games for QPR.

This story is an interesting one. Levein says that Fletcher's omission had nothing to do with the player's criticisms, but was down to him not playing regularly of late for his club. "Steven Fletcher is not playing for Wolves and hasn't done for a while," said Levein last week. This argument is feeble, it holds no more water than a sieve. Fletcher has been involved, in one form or another, in nine out of Wolves's last 11 matches and has scored three times.

The feeling that Levein is punishing Fletcher is as inescapable as it is regrettable and wholly immature. If playing regularly for your club was a pre-requisite for selection last night then how does the manager explain Danny Wilson's presence in the starting line-up at Pittodrie? The Liverpool defender has made one appearance this season - against Northampton Town in September. Steven Caldwell also started at Pittodrie despite being on the bench for his club, Wigan, for the last five games. Paul Caddis was drafted in as a replacement. Caddis has been a little-used sub for Swindon in his late three games. James McArthur was another one sent for in the wake of so many withdrawals. McArthur has played a total of 79 minutes for Wigan in the Premier League and hasn't played at all since September.

Levein says that Fletcher's comments are not "festering", but there is too much evidence to the contrary. "Once Steven Fletcher plays and does well for me it will be the start of what I consider a relationship," said the Scotland manager. "He hasn't spoiled the relationship because we haven't really got one."

That's a remarkable thing to say.

Wouldn't it be a good idea to try and establish one, Craig? Are you that blessed with attacking options that you can completely discount one of the few Scots scoring goals in the Premiership? Fletcher is a 23-year-old with a lot going for him. "He is a player I think the world of," said Owen Coyle, his former manager at Burnley, last weekend after Fletcher scored in his team's 3-2 loss to Coyle's Bolton. "I think he's getting better and better. He's a terrific lad and he'll go a long way."

Levein's cold-shoulder routine is needless. Managers are paid to manage, not sulk. If Levein has a problem with what Fletcher said then he should go and sort it out and get him back in the fold because no way on earth is the manager going to convince anybody with even half a football brain that Fletcher did not belong in that squad last night.

Is Levein too busy to talk to him, because the word from Fletcher is that they haven't spoken at all? Does he think he is better served by having Mackie or Kevin Kyle on board? Mackie has been a one-man drought for two months. Kyle has his uses and has scored six goals this season, but three of them have been from the penalty spot and another came against Elgin City. From open play, Kyle has scored one goal in 13 SPL matches this season. And he is selected ahead of a £6.5m Premiership player?

This makes no more sense than Levein's original assessment of the abilities of his players. He was wrong on that, but at least he has admitted it. And he's wrong again on Fletcher. "He's not been playing," said the manager of the striker. Take another look, Craig. And think again.

http://sport.scotsman.com/football/Tom-English-Levein-is-just.6628672.jp?articlepage=1

[Millsyrfc1 13]

Very good read that, Liked levein before he got the scotland job but he is fucking it up big time with an admission like this and the formation in the czech republic game are just stupid and his excuses do make no sense when you see danny wilson get in the team for playing in one game all season against a league 2 side that liverpool lost.

Don't rate fletcher highly but this season he has started to impress me, some of his hold up play in the man u - wolves in the carling cup was just superb. even leaving out iwelumo was a wierd one to me, a guy that is on top form for burnley and wasn't considered when mackie has been on a drought for a good while now still gets in.

[Ferdasyn 431]

Comments like that cement the thing we all know, he's out of his depth managing our National team.