Scotland boss Levein gets scout wish

Scotland’s new manager, Craig Levein, will have a scout to assist him after the Scottish Football Association (SFA) announced his former club colleague Michael Oliver had been appointed to the post.

For the past two years Oliver has worked at Scottish Premier League side Dundee United, where Levein was the manager until he was installed as Scotland boss last month in succession to the sacked George Burley.

“Hopefully I can have a good impact on the squad’s preparations and have a real go at creating a good picture for Craig of the teams he will face,” Oliver, who has also scouted for English Premier League sides Birmingham and Wigan, told www.scottishfa.co.uk following Thursday’s announcement by the SFA.

He added: “More often than not I’ll be watching club matches where a percentage of players involved are eligible for an international opponent.

“That is where you’ll see a player perform to their full potential and learn most about them, as opposed to an international friendly where not a lot is at stake,” explained Oliver, likely to be Levein’s only full-time member of staff.

Levein, whose first game in charge is the international friendly against the Czech Republic in March, said: “When I was working at club level I didn’t like it if I sent out my team and the opposition brought on a player who I hadn’t briefed my players about.

“When I was offered the job here I made it clear from the start that I wanted a full-time scout.

“Michael fits the role perfectly,” added Levein, who first met Oliver as a 19-year-old when he played alongside him at Scottish lower league side Cowdenbeath.

“He already has a lot of experience in a similar role, he is used to travelling around Europe watching players, and he has made a lot of good contacts along the way.

“For the past two years he was my scout at Dundee United. For me the most important thing is that Michael always gives me a definitive opinion about a player,” Levein explained.

Scotland have not qualified for the finals of a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup in France and Levein’s primary task is to get the team through to the 2012 European Championship finals in Poland and the Ukraine.