Levein refuses to be swayed on open selection policy

Chief Sports Writer

Tuesday 21 February 2012

AN unrepentant Craig Levein has shrugged off "resentment" by the Football Association in England over his recruitment of players born south of the border, picking seven in a 24-man squad for the friendly in Slovenia next week.

Craig Levein

Custom byline text:

Hugh MacDonald

Matt Phillips, the 20-year-old Blackpool forward, is the latest to be enlisted, joining Phil Bardsley (Sunderland), Matt Gilks (Blackpool), Craig Mackail-Smith (Brighton), Jamie Mackie (Queens Park Rangers), Russell Martin (Norwich City) and James Morrison (West Bromwich Albion) as members of the squad announced yesterday who were born in England.

Commenting on reports of resentment by the FA over his policy, Levein said: "There has been. There has been an indication that they are not particularly happy about it but I see that as a compliment in some regards. Who is to say that Matt Phillips isn't any more patriotic towards Scotland than half the people who live in Scotland?''The manager believes, too, that players not born in the country could well be more motivated. "I played with loads of these guys and they did, in some ways, display even more patriotism than the guys who were born here. I think they feel they have got to do more," he said.He said the FA's disapproval was expressed in a newspaper article. A spokesman for the FA would not comment last night but other sources insisted that the authority was relaxed about Scotland's recruitment policy. There may be other English-born players joining the squad in the future. The SFA has negotiated with the PFA to include on membership forms a section denoting eligibility for countries other than England. This would make it very easy for Scotland to spot potential players."Other countries have been doing what we are attempting to do for years now," Levein said. "It is no coincidence that a lot of those countries have been very successful. I'm very proud of my Scottish roots but my job, most importantly, is to give us the best chance possible of qualifying for Brazil. It's as simple as that.''One English-born player who is unlikely to turn out for Scotland in the immediate future is Steven Fletcher. The Wolverhampton Wanderers striker, born in Shrewsbury 24 years ago, remains in exile after declining a place in the squad last year. ''Nothing has changed,'' said Levein of the situation regarding the striker, who is in fine form for a struggling Wolves side.

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

Levein refuses to be swayed on open selection policy

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED