Parting of ways was inevitable outcome

Hugh Macdonald
Chief Sports Writer

THEre is no mystery to the Long Goodbye, the chronicle of the departure of Craig Levein as national coach.

In an industry where managers are disposed of with the referee's whistle still ringing in their ears after a defeat, there was considerable merit in the Scottish Football Association making their deliberations in an orderly fashion.

To many observers, including this one, the decision to "relieve the manager of his duties" was inevitable some time ago, certainly in advance of the defeat in Belgium.

So why the delay?

First, Stewart Regan, the chief executive of the SFA, seems to have a constitutional aversion to being swayed by public opinion. There is much to applaud in this stance though it risked being viewed as perverse as the national team staggered on through a qualifying campaign with nary a victory and hope as short as Gordon Strachan's pyjama trousers.

This brings the discussion to another reason for the reluctance to dispense with Levein. The contenders for the vacant position have their strengths but they are mostly out of work. There may be a reason for this and it is not because they are holding out for the Manchester City job.

The SFA would also have been concerned about writing off another large sum of money in continuing to pay the manager for the remainder of his contract.There was also the consideration of Levein's contribution to the future of the Scottish game with the setting up of programmes to improve youth development. However, all these had to bow before a reality that seems to have escaped some in the debate about Levein.

This was not about a rabid press attacking a wounded manager. Levein enjoyed considerable support in the media, particularly in his early days. This was not even about perceptions about how the game should be played. The row over 4-6-0 was damaging but could have been overcome. This was not even about the non-selection, or selection, of Steven Fletcher. It was all about results. The figures are laid on the ledger for all to see. Their weary repetition should not diminish their significance.

In two failed qualification campaigns, Levein has won three matches, two of them against Liechtenstein. A manager who was properly assertive in declaring that his team could win 10 matches in the present group has had to watch as four games have been played with not one win.

"We are bottom of the group with two points from four games. We are eight points behind the leaders. The view of the board is we are not bottom-of-the-group material, we are better than that," said Regan last night.

It is surely a verdict that would be supported by even the most pessimistic Scot. The tired cliche of it not being about the manager but about the players deserves only one answer:give the job to the first punter to step into the unemployment office this morning.

It is more rational to accept that Scotland had a chance to qualify for the Euros this year and the World Cup in Rio, but only that. The nation needed extraordinary performances from their players, inspiration and direction from the manager and a substantial slice of luck to achieve either objective. None of this was forthcoming.

The SFA cannot buy a new team, they can not influence luck (though Scotland's bad fortune was much overstated) but they can and should consider a change in personnel at the top. This decision is right for professional and commercial reasons. It is business, nothing personal. The SFA is staring at the wreckage of another failed qualifying campaign yet there is the tantalising prospect of heading to France 2016.

The arithmetic is that 23 European teams out of 52 entrants will head to the finals to join the hosts. The co-efficient of the nations, and, therefore, seedings, will be settled after the qualification process for Rio. Every competitive match now counts for the national team even if Brazil is beyond the horizon. "We want to get as high a position in this campaign as we can and in doing so give ourselves as much of a chance of qualifying for France 2016 as we can," said Regan in acknowledgment of this bottom line.

The Scottish game does not only need to reach a major finals for morale purposes for a disillusioned support or to appease a restless press. It must reach France in 2016 for financial reasons.

Levein had to go, not just for the present troubles but to try to increase the possibilities for a brighter future, not least for those expensive football development strategies. It was time for a change. The SFA now should take time to name a replacement.

Taken from the Herald