Levein’s appointment all official now
The biggest question surrounding the Press Conference to announce Craig Levein as Scotland boss wasn’t about compensation, remit or ambition. No, all eyes were on Wiggy Smith to see if he could up-stage the new man like he did the last time.
The welcome conference for George Burley allowed Smith to rant and rave to the Press about perceived slights on him. By the end of it, Burley would have been desperate for a drink as he contemplated the way his new boss showed total disregard and disrespect to him.
Perhaps the warning signs for Burley’s tenure were laid out here.
Therefore, those in attendance were waiting to see if the Chief Clown would be taking centre stage in the SFA Circus again.
Gordon Smith, David Brent or Billy Smart? It’s hard to tell these days but to be fair; Smith and the SFA have been swift in getting the man they believe is right for the job.
It’s hard to think why they have needed to be this swift but if they dragged it out, they would face criticism so let’s not be churlish and put the boot in for working quickly.
The press conference was originally scheduled for a 1630 kick off but it was just before 1815 when Levein emerged from backroom talks, flanked by George Peat and Gordon Smith.
His opening statement at Scotland boss ran as follows;
“I really am thrilled to be here today. When I first got word of the SFA being interested me I was very excited indeed. My job is to do the best job I can for the country, work as hard as I can and see if we can take Scotland into the Euros.”
Gordon was given his chance to speak when asked if Craig Levein will have control over the structuring of the national team, beyond the A-Team but thankfully, his time on the mic was brief.
“Craig will have an input” was the opening line of the response which allowed Smith to bring the new manager into the circle but also made it clear that it remained his ball.
Smith then put the spotlight back onto George Burley with praise for Levein and his ability to man-manage players. This was clearly something which was lacking in the World Cup qualification campaign but if Levein can do a better job in this regard, Scotland should be in a better shape.
George Peat took the lead in saying that although there had been perceived differences between the SFA and their new man, much of it grew from a desire to be a winner and not be a ‘Yes’ man.
All very noble and WeKnowSFA are willing to accept that for now but let’s just see what happens if George Peat makes a comment about one of Levein’s players the way he did about Chris Iwulemo!
It seems apparent that Levein will be open to re-selecting the Rangers players who turned their back on their country, so it certainly appears to be a slate wiped clean moment for the national team. In the spirit of hoping for the best for the nation, this is probably the right move but every player needs to show willing, whether selected to play or not.
With no games looming, there will no doubt be a lot of talk to come from the new Scottish boss but first impression indicates that a lack of passion will not be an issue.
So, everyone happy with the appointment?
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Once again the Scottish press miss the glaringly obvious questions.
Was there a selection process?
Was more than one candidate interviewed for the job?
Did Levein’s CV match up to the job requirements?
Why were the same buffoons who selected and under minded George Burley from day one allowed to have a say in picking his successor.
Once again Scottish football fans are let down by the same old monkeys who bang keyboards for the Fourth Estate in Scotland.
All good points Dubby, some of which we raised here:
http://footballsfootball.com/WeknowSFA/levein-man-sfa/
It seems as though they have reacted in this manner because of the way the Burley appointment panned out.
At that time, there was a lot of talk about interviewing five candidates and going through due process – maybe not something always done in football.
It was said that Burley got the job on the basis of the interview process. This has probably reinforced the differences between interview and work done…so the SFA have decided to not do that again.
There appears to be no consideration that any other interviews took place.
Why should Levein’s CV match the requirements? Gordon Smiths didnt and if you believe the rumour mill, Broadfoot’s CV is not what the job remit requires either.
These buffoons make the calls because they are in charge and until that changes, it will be the case. This current change is a flip-flop from the last process but they have possibly been swayed by the media.
WeKnowSFA thinks…they wanted Walter Smith back, this was turned away. Smith and the media tipped Levein and they’ve panicked and acted upon it.
As said in the article, was there any need for this appointment now? Yes, the media would have chastised them for taking longer but really, even the end of January would have allowed for more thought and consideration.
If Levein fails, which no one here is advocating, his removal must be accompanied by the exit of Smith and Peat…if they are not already gone by then.
Perhaps the Tartan Army should turn their focus onto these two as opposed to managers / players / Jimmy Hill because Jimmy Hill hasnt done as much to harm the Scottish game as these two have.
As stated on site, WeKnowSFA doesnt buy into the myth of Craig Levein but now he is in charge, he gets the full backing of this site.