Craig aims to scale heights with Scots

CRAIG Levein insists his remit as Scotland manager goes beyond qualifying for Euro 2012.

The SFA’s search for a successor to George Burley ended when, after protracted negotiations to conclude his departure from Dundee United, Levein signed a 4-year deal to become national team manager.

Scotland have dropped to 46th in FIFA’s rankings and have not qualified for the finals of a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup in France.

Levein, 45, who cost the SFA a reported £250,000 in compensation, will set about rectifying that situation but will also be looking to make some changes to the structure of Scottish football.

He said: “I have to do the best I can for my country and see if I can take Scotland in to the 2012 Euros.

“But also, one of the main things for me was the chance to get involved not just in the running of the national team but to have an input into things that were happening behind the scenes at the SFA.

“I’ll be in at Hampden and it’ll be easy for me just to have a look at how things are set up and see if there’s anything that I can suggest could be done differently or better.

“I’ve been working hard for around 15 years in management and now I have the opportunity to make a significant difference, not just to the Scottish national team but to the way people feel about Scotland itself.

“I would like to improve results at international level, at Under-21s – where they have been doing well – at Under-17 level and at Victory Shield level.”