Jeer we go as Levein’s Scots flop
SCOTLAND were jeered off Hampden Park after they drew their second successive home World Cup qualifying match. Following a goalless draw against Serbia on Saturday, Craig Levein’s side needed a win to boost their Group A campaign.
Kenny Miller’s strike late in the first half cancelled out Nikolche Noveski’s opener but the poor Scots could not find a winner.
The critics are rounding on manager Levein (below) but he insisted: ‘The pressure is nothing compared to what I put on myself. I want to get Scotland to a major tournament.
‘We can do better and I want us to do better in the next match.
‘Every team can take points off each other but we’re still hanging in there. It’s about being positive. I look at the league table and we’re two points off the top.
‘I’m disappointed but not disheartened. I’d hoped to have won. We could’ve been joint top.’
Although standing by the 4-1-4-1 formation that drew so much criticism at the weekend, Levein promoted the more attack-minded James Forrest, Shaun Maloney and Jamie Mackie at the expense of Charlie Adam, Robert Snodgrass and Steven Naismith.
Such positivity sparked a promising start with Gary Caldwell advancing from his defensive midfield role to fire narrowly over after Miller had cushioned the ball into his path while facing his own goal.
It proved to be a false dawn. Macedonia soon served notice of their intent. Alan Hutton had deflected Ivan Trichkovski’s drive wide before the Macedonia midfielder was at the heart of a short corner routine that had the Scots chasing shadows.
Three times Trichkovski flashed passes in and around the Scots’ defence, his final touch a perfectly weighted cross which allowed Noveski to fire past Allan McGregor from six yards.
As the first jeers of the night echoed around, Mackie had a half-hearted appeal for a penalty turned down after colliding with Goran Popov.
The mercurial Goran Pandev continually picked holes in the Scotland defence and only a fine save by McGregor prevented Agim Ibraimi capitalising on one opening. Two minutes from the break, the penetration the hosts had so lacked belatedly arrived.
James Morrison pierced the defence with a delicious pass, Mackie composed himself and, from the right channel, looked up to pick out Miller, who scored.
Miller was withdrawn for Adam to boos from the crowd and chants of ‘we want a striker’ rang out. Blackburn’s Jordan Rhodes was thrown into the action for Morrison after 66 minutes and immediately saw his diving header fall agonisingly wide. It was as close as Scotland would come to a winner.