Craig Levein warns being Scotland boss is ‘hell of a frustrating job’

Hearts manager Craig Levein found the Scotland job frustrating. Picture: SNS

Claiming that it is a wildly different beast from the day-to-day involvement of club football, the man who held the post for almost three years, up to November 2012, has advised anyone considering taking on responsibility for trying to steer the side through the Euro 2020 qualifiers to proceed with caution.

The Scottish FA has spent this week sifting through candidates and drawing up a shortlist as it looks for a replacement for Alex McLeish, who was sacked following an embarrassing start to the campaign. With one eye on next month’s double header with Cyprus and Belgium, Kilmarnock manager Steve Clarke is one of those being touted to take over.

But Levein, who will host Clarke and his squad at Tynecastle Park tomorrow, said anyone following in his shoes should be aware of just how big a change it would be from the immersive involvement of club football.

“Having experienced it, the job is not what you think it is,” said the Hearts manager. “It doesn’t bring the same things that day-to-day football management does, which is that constant involvement with players and constantly keeping your mind active with who you are going to play next week. You get loads and loads of different problems you need to solve before the next game comes around [at club level] but with the Scotland job there are long, long periods of inactivity which I spent going down to England looking at clubs and watching games, stopping at McDonald’s and putting two stone on.

“It’s not the same. It’s a football management job but it’s not the same. So, if you crave that day-to-day involvement then it’s a hell of a frustrating job.”

Insisting that the long spells between national get-togethers leave a massive void that can be difficult to fill in a productive way, Levein made it clear that it diluted his enjoyment of the job and the thrill he got from the sport.

“I have been lucky enough just about all of my life to be involved with football where it’s not like a job, it doesn’t seem like I am going to my work. I consider myself hugely fortunate I have been involved like that.

“But the Scotland job isn’t that. For me, the feeling wasn’t the same as I had at Dundee United, or at Leicester, or at Hearts the time before or even at Cowdenbeath, which was part-time but I was there most of the time.

“For someone who craves that level of activity it’s not the right job. I’m not saying someone couldn’t do it successfully, I’m saying there are huge differences.

“I’d be interested to hear the thoughts of other people who have done the job. But that was my biggest frustration, not being able to work with and develop players and have that day-to-day activity.

“I don’t know what Stevie’s thoughts are, or Davie Moyes’ or anyone who is in the running for the job but that’s how I felt.”

The Scottish FA is remaining tight-lipped about the men it considers early frontrunners but several big names have been linked with the job and the governing body has admitted that a foreign manager may be an option it would explore as it seeks to reignite some passion and hope in the ranks of the Tartan Army.

The Scotland support has become increasingly disillusioned by the failure to qualify for major finals and a humiliating start to the current Euro 2020 campaign which saw a 3-0 defeat by Kazakhstan followed by an unconvincing win over group minnows San Marino, results which prompted the search for a new manager.

As well as Kilmarnock manager Clarke and former Everton and Manchester United boss Moyes, Aberdeen’s Derek McInnes and Bruce Arena, who has guided USA to two World Cups, have been linked with the vacancy as the SFA tries to decide whether it has the right man available to make a permanent appointment or instead ask current SFA performance director Malky Mackay or Scotland Under-21 coach Scot Gemmill to step in on a temporary basis.