Txt alert: Why Steven Fletcher won’t play for Scotland under Craig Levein

STEVEN Fletcher will never play for Scotland again while Craig Levein remains in charge. The national boss has always insisted that the door remained open, despite the player’s strong criticism of his tactics and team selection during the Euro 2012 qualifier in Prague and his subsequent refusal to turn up when selected for the Carling Cup match against Northern Ireland last February. But, after a year of no contact with the player, Levein has now slammed that door shut and, even if he was to get an apology from the player, he is adamant he will not change his mind.

“This decision has been a bit of time in coming,” said the Scotland manager, speaking ahead of this week’s squad announcement for the forthcoming friendly in Florida. “It’s now 15 months since Steven Fletcher sent a text [to Frank Reilly, the national team administrator] saying ‘Tell him I don’t want to play.’ Those were the words. Now I’m very much looking at us going into a new campaign – and I consider the USA and Australia games as warm-ups for the qualifiers – and what I don’t want to do is to be going into this campaign with a distraction. So, effectively, from now, I won’t be considering Steven Fletcher for any of the friendlies or competitive matches.”

The Wolves striker has been capped eight times and scored once for his country but, while he has been linked with the British Olympic squad, he has made no moves to repair his damaged relationship with Levein, despite sources claiming Fletcher is still keen to pull on the dark blue.

“No, that’s it finished now,” insists Levein. “I look at a lot of things that we’ve learned from the last qualifiers and what’s really important to me is that we have a group of players who value playing for Scotland. It sounds such a simple thing but they are desperately keen on playing for their country and I would be doing them a disservice if I was to consider putting anyone in the squad who was less than 100 per cent certain about playing for their country.

“I can only look at the facts and say that he is not 100 per cent certain about playing for Scotland.”

Critics of Levein’s decision are certain to claim he has been stubborn in not making the first move and reaching out to a player who has netted 11 goals in the Premiership this season. Levein will not have any of that. He says, at club and international level, there have been fallouts with players and they have been resolved, so that was never the issue with Fletcher and he says he does not understand is why he should do the chasing.

“But why should it be an effort? The point I’m trying to make here is that, for us to qualify for Brazil, I feel we have to be better than the sum of all our parts. That means guys who are 100 per cent committed to the team ethic, to team morale, to going that extra mile for Scotland. It’s very evident to me that, if you’re absolutely desperate to play for your country, sending a text isn’t the hardest thing to do. For me that’s a clear indication [Steven] is not certain it’s the right thing for him. So, it would be very, very unfair on the rest of the players. They have made huge efforts to be available to play for their country.

“Let’s be honest, what do I want as an indication of how important it is to play for Scotland? Do I want somebody like Steven Fletcher, or do I want somebody like Darren Fletcher? Someone who has put his health on the line to play for his country. Coming right out the hospital, having been on a drip getting steroids pumped into him, and then travelling and being prepared to drive in the early hours of the morning to meet up with the rest of the squad and play for his country.

“How can I look at that type of situation and look at the other situation? What do I want to be representative of what Scotland is all about? I 100 per cent want that one, I don’t want the other one. This is purely me acting in what I think are the best interests of the national team. I just won’t consider him for selection, that’s all. It’s not a ban. It’s a football decision based on evidence. I have given [SFA chief executive] Stewart Regan the courtesy of letting him know.”

While many will be sad that it has come to this, Levein said the decision no longer to consider 25-year-old Fletcher has actually been made easy. “This, for me, is very straightforward. It’s black and white. I’ve set parameters for the rest of the squad and everyone has to abide by those. There have to be guidelines. The rest of the players have bought into what’s going on here.”

Others have accused the national boss of weakening his squad by not including one of the best strikers available but Levein, who believes that World Cup qualification is a possibility with the players who are already on board, has a different perspective, and insists he is comfortable over how he has handled a situation which has become a major source of irritation. He maintains he can take any criticism that comes his way.

“I’ve got quite a thick head that has been hit a few times so that doesn’t worry me too much.

“This is about the rest of the players and protecting what they’ve worked very hard to do. It isn’t about football ability. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not Kenny Dalglish, he’s not the best player Scotland has ever had. But this is about the group, about the rest of the squad.

“The whole idea of me doing this is to let the players who have done so well for us so far and who are focused on the next campaign know they’re the ones who are important.

“There will be his side of the story in the days and weeks to come, I’m sure of that. But the opportunity was there and I keep going back to this – if you want to play for Scotland, is it the hardest thing in the world to send a text?

“The door has been open. I’ve been honest about the whole thing and the message has been consistent from day one. This is a natural cut-off point for me because it’s before the start of the next campaign. So, it has to happen now.

“What I’m saying is that I have made the decision. There’s no going back on this. That’s it, finished. Done.”