Craig Levein has settled nicely into the SFA way of life

12th Nov2010

Craig Levein has settled nicely into the SFA way of life

by WeKnowSFA

White lies and mistruths

The friendly against the Faroe Islands is shaping up to be an inconsequential affair but for the players who get their first taste of international football, it will be a major event.

Equally, it gives those who live in the North of the country an easier trip to see their national team but it is a bit of a smack in the face to see such unfancied opposition and quite clearly a second-rate Scottish team on the park.

It’s a match of many conflicts and this can be seen in the sound bites Levein has delivered to the press and in his squad selection.

When initially asked about the game, Levein said;
“It’s important for me to try and get as many players as we had on the field against Spain in the last game back together again.”

We accept Rangers have played games in the Champions League (although no more games in total that Celtic and less than Motherwell) but with 6 Ibrox players in his starting line-up against Spain, Levein has gone strongly against his own words.

Perhaps the initial statement was to drum up interest and sell tickets for the clash. Perhaps he changed his mind and decided he wanted to bring in new players to see how they do on the international arena. Or perhaps Levein was encouraged to rest the Rangers players…and as a balancing act, Levein has dropped Shaun Maloney from the squad as well – who knows the reason for the following about face;

“I have decided to give them a bit of a break but it kind of fits in with my policy for this match anyway.”