Calls for Craig Levein's head as Scotland drop more vital points
Scotland 1-1 Macedonia: big match verdict by Andrew Southwick at Hampden.
Craig Levein stood waiting in the bowels of Hampden like a condemned man. His Macedonian counterpart Cedomir Janevski was hosting a lengthly press conference, buoyed by a well won point away from home and arguably having the better of the 90 minutes.Outside Levein waited for his turn. You wonder what was going through his head as he stood alone. He had been booed by his own crowd every time his face flashed across the big Hampden screens. He had said on Friday he would look to win every game, but 180 minutes in he is fortunate to even be on two points. He knows many already wanted him out before the qualifiers kicked off - now an even larger chunk of the country won't beleive in this team again until he is gone.
The smart money is on him being given the Wales and Belgium games to salvage his position and Scotland's faint hopes of qualifying. With just a few weeks to go until them clashes, unless the Scottish FA already have someone lined up they could head to Cardiff and Brussels without a permanent manager. The last thing Scotland need is more disarray.
Levein knows though in his heart of hearts he has to avoid the grilling of the SFA bigwigs by bringing home more points than they mustered from this double header.
What Levein surely was thinking in that corridor was how he could convince the press waiting for him, the fans who jeered him, and indeed the whole country, that he could still turn it around.
People said we needed at least six points from the Hampden double header. Then it was a minimum of four. Now he was having to convince us two points is okay.
However, on his side, a Scotland win in Cardiff - which simply has to happen considering their first two results - coupled with Croatia and Belgum failing to win away to Macedonia and Serbia respectively, and all of a sudden Scotland head to Brussels joint top of the group.
If they can at least draw there, all of a sudden the group is wide open and back in Scotland's hands.
So can we still qualify? Yes. However, what the post-mortem will try to work out is not can we mathematically make it, but can Levein raise the performances from his players to do it. On the evidence of this limp showing against Macedonia, four points from six looks as likely as the Tartan Army carrying Levein to the ground on their shoulders while chanting his name.
The Scots made three changes from the disappointing draw with Serbia. Out went Steven Naismith, Robert Snodgrass and Charlie Adam, and in came both James Forrest and Jamie Mackie who had impressed in the short time they were on the pitch on Saturday, alongside Shaun Maloney who was the biggest surprise.
Maloney sat in behind Kenny Miller, who was again given the nod over Jordan Rhodes, with Mackie on the left wing and Forrest on the right.
The crowd was whipped into a frenzy as US Open winner Andy Murray was beamed onto the large Hampden screens, before Kenny Dalglish received a commemorative plaque by UEFA. Murray’s name was chanted round the stands, with the fans hoping another eleven Scots could emulate him on the world stage.
The opening exchanges were not much different to Saturday’s encounter. Scotland had started at a frantic pace against the Serbians, and they were hoping the same tactic would unsettle the Macedonians. In five minutes Scotland worked the first chance of the game; Miller laying off Gary Caldwell who fired over.
But just like Saturday Scotland would create a chance then find themselves under pressure a minute later – and a botched clearance gave Daniel Georgievski a chance to fire a low shot which whistled past the near post.
And in the 11th minute Scotland found themselves behind. Georgievski nipped past Paul Dixon on the right and his dangerous cross was headed over by Alan Hutton for a corner. The Macedonians tookit short while Scotland switched off, with Goran Pandev playing a neat one-two and firing across goal for Ivan Trichkovski to direct past Allan McGregor.
The Scots defence appealed for offside, and the assistant referee appeared to pause for moment to think about it, before signalling the goal stood.
It was the nightmare start. They had a chronic lack of goals – now they needed at least two, but it was the Macedonians who still continued to create the more dangerous chances, and Agim Ibraimi fired another shot just wide shortly afterwards.
Macedonia were playing three up front, with their midfield being given too much space to press forward. It meant Scotland were stretched and in 18 minutes Ibraimi again saw sight of goal from the right hand side, but again to the relief of the home crowd he failed to test McGregor.
Caldwell was the main ire of the increasing anxious home support with a series of blunders, and the boos rang out when he gifted possession just as Scotland appeared to be creating something. Forrest fired in a low ball from the right, a deflection deceived Morrison who tried to volley it, but as the Scots tried to press again Caldwell was found wanting.
Ibraimi became the first booking of the game after a thundering challenge on Dixon, who went down heavily but was able to carry on.
Levein’s changes to the line-up had done nothing to solve Scotland’s struggle from Saturday to contain the opposition down on their right hand side. Pandev spun past his defender, and Ibraimi fired at goal with Hutton’s block denying himl. The Macedonians had done their homework alright. Scotland were a goal down and on the ropes. This was suppost to be the night Scotland got their campaign back on track, instead they were almost begging for half-time to re-organise.
In 33 minutes though Maloney won a free-kick when he was bundled over just outside the area. They needed a moment of inspiration and they almost got it, with the Wigan man testing the goalkeeper who nervously punched clear.
It spurred Scotland on for a moment but nothing was clicking. Morrison moved over to the right to get on the end of Hutton’s flick forward, but he ran himself into trouble with no outlet to pass to. It summed up Scotland's wastefulness and lack of creativity.
Maloney sat in behind Kenny Miller, who was again given the nod over Jordan Rhodes, with Mackie on the left wing and Forrest on the right.
The crowd was whipped into a frenzy as US Open winner Andy Murray was beamed onto the large Hampden screens, before Kenny Dalglish received a commemorative plaque by UEFA. Murray’s name was chanted round the stands, with the fans hoping another eleven Scots could emulate him on the world stage.
The opening exchanges were not much different to Saturday’s encounter. Scotland had started at a frantic pace against the Serbians, and they were hoping the same tactic would unsettle the Macedonians. In five minutes Scotland worked the first chance of the game; Miller laying off Gary Caldwell who fired over.
But just like Saturday Scotland would create a chance then find themselves under pressure a minute later – and a botched clearance gave Daniel Georgievski a chance to fire a low shot which whistled past the near post.
And in the 11th minute Scotland found themselves behind. Georgievski nipped past Paul Dixon on the right and his dangerous cross was headed over by Alan Hutton for a corner. The Macedonians tookit short while Scotland switched off, with Goran Pandev playing a neat one-two and firing across goal for Ivan Trichkovski to direct past Allan McGregor.
The Scots defence appealed for offside, and the assistant referee appeared to pause for moment to think about it, before signalling the goal stood.
It was the nightmare start. They had a chronic lack of goals – now they needed at least two, but it was the Macedonians who still continued to create the more dangerous chances, and Agim Ibraimi fired another shot just wide shortly afterwards.
Macedonia were playing three up front, with their midfield being given too much space to press forward. It meant Scotland were stretched and in 18 minutes Ibraimi again saw sight of goal from the right hand side, but again to the relief of the home crowd he failed to test McGregor.
Caldwell was the main ire of the increasing anxious home support with a series of blunders, and the boos rang out when he gifted possession just as Scotland appeared to be creating something. Forrest fired in a low ball from the right, a deflection deceived Morrison who tried to volley it, but as the Scots tried to press again Caldwell was found wanting.
Ibraimi became the first booking of the game after a thundering challenge on Dixon, who went down heavily but was able to carry on.
Levein’s changes to the line-up had done nothing to solve Scotland’s struggle from Saturday to contain the opposition down on their right hand side. Pandev spun past his defender, and Ibraimi fired at goal with Hutton’s block denying himl. The Macedonians had done their homework alright. Scotland were a goal down and on the ropes. This was suppost to be the night Scotland got their campaign back on track, instead they were almost begging for half-time to re-organise.
In 33 minutes though Maloney won a free-kick when he was bundled over just outside the area. They needed a moment of inspiration and they almost got it, with the Wigan man testing the goalkeeper who nervously punched clear.
It spurred Scotland on for a moment but nothing was clicking. Morrison moved over to the right to get on the end of Hutton’s flick forward, but he ran himself into trouble with no outlet to pass to. It summed up Scotland's wastefulness and lack of creativity.
Macedonia were forced into a change in the 37th minute when Trichkovski was stretchered off, Volfsbug’s Ferham Hasani replacing him. He was on the pitch for three minutes before a rash challenge on Hutton earned him a yellow card.
Scotland needed a break of the ball, and in the 43rd minute they got it. Vanche Shikov mis-read Morrison's through ball, allowing Mackie to nip through unmarked, and he fed Miller who had the easy task of firing into the net. Scotland had huffed and puffed, but were heading to half-time back on level terms.
That gave Scotland the lift they needed, and Mackie got down the left hand side shortly afterwards, but couldn’t find Miller who was lurking at the near post.
Scotland were on level terms but Levein still had much to do at half time to solve the problem of the lack of creativity through the middle and the inability of blue shirts to find each other.
Both Dixon and Ibraimi fired long range efforts at goal at the start of the second half in a bid to get the upper hand, but both keepers were equal to them.
Danger man Pandev almost talked himself into a red card as Scotland won a free-kick on the left hand side, continuing his protests even after referee Sergey Karasev flashed the yellow for dissent. Maloney’s ball in couldn’t create an opening, and good defending by Hutton denied Hasani as he raced forward on the counter attack.
Macedonia again stretched the Scotland defence after a half-hearted attack broke down in 56 minutes, this time Christophe Berra was the man to deny Georgievski. The visitors continued to press, and as McGregor punched clear, Ibraimi curled a shot off the post.
Levein had admitted he had waited too long to make his changes on Saturday, and in 58 minutes he he made his first move. However it drew boos from the crowd, as Kenny Miller was replaced by the more defensive Charlie Adam, with the fans chanting for Rhodes to be given the chance.
The man they wanted made his entrance in 66 minutes with Scotland failing to lay a glove on Macedonia; the new Blackburn man replacing Morrison. Two minutes on the pitch, he almost scored.
Charlie Adam won a free-kick on the right. Scotland took it quickly, with the Stoke City man playing a delightful ball across goal and Rhodes almost diverted it in with the diving header.
McGregor had to save Scotland’s skins in 72 minutes. Rhodes appeared to be taken late but the referee played on. Pandev raced forward unopposed and put Ivanovski clean through, but the alert McGregor raced out well to block.
Rhodes’ impact appeared to be trying to win free-kicks. Four times he fell to the turf in the first ten minutes of being on, only once did it look like a genuine foul. All four times the referee ignored his desperate pleas.
He should have buried a chance in the 77th minute too. Adam fed Forrest on the right, and his sweet cross was begging to be finished, but Rhodes headed into the ground.
Levein had dropped Naismith, but he turned to the Everton man for the last 15 minutes, with the hard working Mackie making way. The wee man could have made it 2-1 minutes after coming on, but the ball just wouldn’t fall kindly for him in the area after Adam had nodded a throw-in on to him.
With ten minutes to go Macedonia began to look nervous. First keeper Bogatinov nervously punched clear from Adam’s dangerous corner, then Noveski messed up a back-pass giving the Scots another chance to throw bodies forward, but Naismith’s dipping header from the corner didn’t trouble the goalkeeper enough.
The fans made their feelings clear as we entered the last five minutes. Levein’s face appeared on the screens to be met by boos from the crowd. It felt like he was five minutes from ever having to face them again unless his players could find him a goal.
It nearly got worse though. Pandev continued to torment the defence, and fed Hasani who made it easy for McGregor with a weak shot with the outside of his boot when he really should have fired home.
Berra then had to time his tackle to perfection to deny Pandev as he again drove through the middle.
Scotland needed a break of the ball, and in the 43rd minute they got it. Vanche Shikov mis-read Morrison's through ball, allowing Mackie to nip through unmarked, and he fed Miller who had the easy task of firing into the net. Scotland had huffed and puffed, but were heading to half-time back on level terms.
That gave Scotland the lift they needed, and Mackie got down the left hand side shortly afterwards, but couldn’t find Miller who was lurking at the near post.
Scotland were on level terms but Levein still had much to do at half time to solve the problem of the lack of creativity through the middle and the inability of blue shirts to find each other.
Both Dixon and Ibraimi fired long range efforts at goal at the start of the second half in a bid to get the upper hand, but both keepers were equal to them.
Danger man Pandev almost talked himself into a red card as Scotland won a free-kick on the left hand side, continuing his protests even after referee Sergey Karasev flashed the yellow for dissent. Maloney’s ball in couldn’t create an opening, and good defending by Hutton denied Hasani as he raced forward on the counter attack.
Macedonia again stretched the Scotland defence after a half-hearted attack broke down in 56 minutes, this time Christophe Berra was the man to deny Georgievski. The visitors continued to press, and as McGregor punched clear, Ibraimi curled a shot off the post.
Levein had admitted he had waited too long to make his changes on Saturday, and in 58 minutes he he made his first move. However it drew boos from the crowd, as Kenny Miller was replaced by the more defensive Charlie Adam, with the fans chanting for Rhodes to be given the chance.
The man they wanted made his entrance in 66 minutes with Scotland failing to lay a glove on Macedonia; the new Blackburn man replacing Morrison. Two minutes on the pitch, he almost scored.
Charlie Adam won a free-kick on the right. Scotland took it quickly, with the Stoke City man playing a delightful ball across goal and Rhodes almost diverted it in with the diving header.
McGregor had to save Scotland’s skins in 72 minutes. Rhodes appeared to be taken late but the referee played on. Pandev raced forward unopposed and put Ivanovski clean through, but the alert McGregor raced out well to block.
Rhodes’ impact appeared to be trying to win free-kicks. Four times he fell to the turf in the first ten minutes of being on, only once did it look like a genuine foul. All four times the referee ignored his desperate pleas.
He should have buried a chance in the 77th minute too. Adam fed Forrest on the right, and his sweet cross was begging to be finished, but Rhodes headed into the ground.
Levein had dropped Naismith, but he turned to the Everton man for the last 15 minutes, with the hard working Mackie making way. The wee man could have made it 2-1 minutes after coming on, but the ball just wouldn’t fall kindly for him in the area after Adam had nodded a throw-in on to him.
With ten minutes to go Macedonia began to look nervous. First keeper Bogatinov nervously punched clear from Adam’s dangerous corner, then Noveski messed up a back-pass giving the Scots another chance to throw bodies forward, but Naismith’s dipping header from the corner didn’t trouble the goalkeeper enough.
The fans made their feelings clear as we entered the last five minutes. Levein’s face appeared on the screens to be met by boos from the crowd. It felt like he was five minutes from ever having to face them again unless his players could find him a goal.
It nearly got worse though. Pandev continued to torment the defence, and fed Hasani who made it easy for McGregor with a weak shot with the outside of his boot when he really should have fired home.
Berra then had to time his tackle to perfection to deny Pandev as he again drove through the middle.
At the other end Scotland offered nothing, and in reality they are fortunate to have avoided defeat to both Serbia and Macedonia, which would have left us even further away from Rio. What is absolutely certain is Scotland must be better than this when they hit the road, otherwise the next Hampden qualifier will be the debut of a new manager.
The Away End Man of the Match: Allan McGregor
Scotland: McGregor, Hutton, Dixon, Berra, Caldwell, Forrest, Maloney, Webster, Miller (Adam 58), Morrison(Rhodes 66), Mackie(Naismith 77).
Scotland: McGregor, Hutton, Dixon, Berra, Caldwell, Forrest, Maloney, Webster, Miller (Adam 58), Morrison(Rhodes 66), Mackie(Naismith 77).
Unused Subs: Marshall, Hanley, Snodgrass, Cowie, Dorrans, McCormack, Samson, Foster, Phillips.
Macedonia: Bogatinov, Georgievski, Popov, Noveski, Shokov, Trichkovski(Hasani 37), Pandev, Gligorov (Shumulikoski 70), Demiri, Ibraimi (Tasevski 89) Ivanovski.
Unused Subs: Pachovski, Naumovski, Mojsov, Grncharov, Ristiko, Lazevski, Gjorgiev.
Referee: Sergey Karasev (Russia).
Attendance: 32, 430
Comments
As far as I'm concerned, we should expect nothing (it has been nearly 15 years of mixed emotions and varying degrees of success). The best he can do is try to nurture promising players such as Rhodes and Russell.
I'm not saying it's over already, but they really do need some perspective, if he hasn't listened to fans re: formation by now, he never will.
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