Levein: You can love me or loathe me, but nobody wants to go Brazil more than me

Michael Grant
Chief football writer

Craig Levein last night claimed he can accept being unpopular as long as supporters recognise his determination to reach the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

The qualifying campaign which will make or break his reign begins against Serbia this afternoon and although a near-capacity crowd will be inside Hampden, many fans harbour grave reservations about how Levein is handling the job.

Some do not forgive him for failing to settle his differences with Sunderland's Steven Fletcher, for playing without a striker against the Czech Republic last year, or for using only one forward in all other matches. Criticism has been especially fierce on social media outlets.

Levein acknowledged some of those views yesterday when he claimed he was unconcerned about his personal popularity.

"You know, this job is brilliant for finding out if you're liked or not liked. I don't expect, and I don't need, to be liked. What I need everyone to know is that there is nobody who wants Scotland to go to Brazil more than me. Nobody.

"And nobody has prepared or worked harder in the last couple of years to get us into the position we're in now. If it came down to how much you want it, we'd already be there.

"But we've got to prove it, I know we've got to prove it and the players know we've got to prove it. But we're ready to go, it's as simple as that."

Scotland are under pressure to take six points from the opening double-header against Serbia this afternoon and Macedonia on Tuesday, both at Hampden.

"That is what it is all about. To qualify for a major tournament I don't expect us to go through the campaign without being under pressure. We are under pressure but that's why I've got top-quality players. They play under pressure every week.

"I love this part of it. I get hugely excited when it comes around to this time. The difficulty for me is to try and appear like I know what I'm doing, that I'm calm."

Unusually, and perhaps reflecting the significance of the game, Levein broke his habit of naming the team on the eve of the match.

But he is likely to select Kenny Miller rather than Jordan Rhodes – despite the 22-year-old Blackburn Rovers forward looking deeply impressive in training this week – and Robert Snodgrass rather than James Forrest on the right of midfield. Gary Caldwell is expected to be the holding midfielder in a 4-1-4-1 system, with Paul Dixon making his debut at left-back.

Caldwell will be captain as he wins his 50th cap to enter the SFA's Hall of Fame. "With Darren Fletcher, Scott Brown and James McArthur not here I've got a problem for that defensive midfield role," said Levein. "The good thing about Gary is that the most important thing for him is just playing, no matter where, to get another cap for Scotland."

Taken from the Herald