Levein vows to stay for long haul and insists he’s only just begun

The Scotland manager stressed yesterday that he was in the post for the long run, and in a comment likely to deflate his detractors, Levein said he was “just starting” a job he has always viewed as a long-term option.

Those more supportive of Levein had feared the manager might prefer a return to club management after the conclusion of an often fraught first campaign. “I’m just starting the job, as far as I see it,” said Levein. “I’ve only had 14 games, or whatever it is.”

Some interpret Scotland’s games against Liechtenstein tonight and against Spain on Tuesday as forming a death rattle for their Euro 2012 ambitions. But, while slim, Scotland’s chances remain alive and Levein has not been made so despondent by a difficult campaign to consider quitting just halfway through a four-year deal he signed in December 2009. The manager relishes the opportunity to lead Scotland to a World Cup finals.

Having lauded players such as Darren Fletcher and Kenny Miller for their commitment to the cause as they battled to make themselves available for today’s game, it would have been strange had Levein been anything less than emphatic when asked whether he intended to still be in charge next year, when another qualifying campaign, this time for the World Cup finals in Brazil, begins.

“Of course,” he said. “I am getting some reward now for what I have been doing for the last 18 months. I’m enjoying it. The only thing I don’t enjoy is that I don’t have the players together often enough.”

Levein attempted to head off this discussion with a reminder that Scotland are still in with a chance of qualifying for a major finals prior to the World Cup. “I am trying not to think ahead to Tuesday and you’ve got me thinking about the next campaign,” he remarked.