Levein: Scotland job is big enough

The Scottish Football Association have seen both Walter Smith and Alex McLeish walk away from the post under such circumstances in recent years.But Levein, who quit Dundee United this week to take charge of his country, told BBC Radio Scotland: "I did not take this job as a stepping stone."There is no bigger carrot than being the Scotland manager and qualifying for the European Championship."Levein inherits a squad that failed to reach next summer's World Cup under George Burley, gleaning just 10 points from eight games in a group that was looked upon as one of the easiest of the UEFA sections.But the 45-year-old is confident his players are capable of ending Scotland's long wait, dating back to 1998, for a major championships."The players have more to come, I'm sure of that," he said."I look at the players we have available and, assuming everybody's fit, I think we have a reasonable team with plenty of energy and one or two old heads."I'm excited at the prospect of working with the lads and we'll see what we can do."I don't want to make any wild predictions, but my aim is to try and get Scotland to the Euros (in 2012)."Levein will have to wait for March 3 and a friendly with the Czech Republic at Hampden to get his first taste of international management but he hopes to make the most of the long build-up."What I plan on doing over the next six weeks is getting around the major clubs in Scotland and several in England, having a chat with managers and players to build up a rapport as quickly as possible," he said."I'd like to get to meet everyone before naming my first squad and that means getting around the training grounds in the UK."Burley's naive insistence Scotland could outplay most of their opponents was one thing that led to his downfall.Levein, whose approach at club level has always been more pragmatic, would not be drawn on his own tactical thinking at international level."I have not decided on any system in advance," he said."I will have a look at the players and I will choose a style which is best for picking up points."Players take confidence from results and we can pick things up from there."Levein reiterated his desire to work with Barry Ferguson, Kris Boyd and Allan McGregor, who became exiled from the Scotland squad under Burley."I'd be really stupid to rule out any of our players," he said.He also stressed Hearts winger Andrew Driver, eligible for Scotland and England, would be a welcome addition and said he was working on the appointment of a full-time chief scout who will concentrate fully on Scotland's future opponents.

Source: Team_Talk