Levein's men to face Aussies in capital for final warm-up game

Sports Writer

Sunday 4 March 2012

SCOTLAND will conclude their preparations for the crucial opening World Cup qualifying double-header against Serbia and Macedonia with a friendly against Australia at Easter Road on Wednesday, August 15, the Sunday Herald has learned.

Australia's Tim Cahill

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Stewart Fisher

The Socceroos, under Dutch manager Holger Osieck, can call on the likes of Everton midfielder Tim Cahill and Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and the Scots will be sure of a competitive match against a side who won 2-0 on their last visit here in November 2000.

The last time Scotland played at Hibernian's ground, in May 2004 when Berti Vogts was in charge, they beat Trinidad and Tobago 4-1.The match may be one of the last fixtures to be played on the unpopular August date, with the powerful European Club Association announcing this week it had reached an agreement for Uefa for the single date in that month to be phased out, in return for nine international double-headers, although Fifa have yet to give their assent to the plan.Meanwhile, Craig Levein was scathing last night in his reaction to James McFadden's suggestion that he had been "set up to fail" during the Euro 2012 qualifier against Liechtenstein in September 2010.The Scotland manager is reluc-tant to get into a public war or words with the one-time Tartan Army hero, who hasn't featured for his country since then, but maintains he has had no realistic chance to pick the player due to his lack of club football."I think it's unfair to say he has been hung out to dry when there hasn't been an opportunity to pick him," Levein said. "I'd be interested to know how I set up the team to fail. All I can say is I picked the team I thought was best for the Liechtenstein game. I think everybody accepts that."I just don't understand the concept. For me, James had handled far bigger and harder situations than that one. I seriously would like to know what 'it was set up to fail' means. In such an important game against Liechtenstein I was willing to mess about with some crazy plan just to hang somebody out to dry? It's absolute nonsense."The case of Steven Fletcher has been well documented and Ross McCormack, in great goalscoring form for Leeds United, is another who has vented his feelings publicly about his non-selection.But Levein knows he cannot keep everyone happy. "I've had loads of players at club level who were upset when they weren't picked and that doesn't bother me," he said."I know it is because they are desperate to play. Ross McCormack had a pop last week because he is desperate to play. That's football. I had it all the time, guys knocking on my door as a club manager, and that's easy enough to deal with, but in international football you don't get the same opportunity to develop a relationship."Levein, whose side produced another satisfactory result with Wednesday's 1-1 draw in Slovenia, again insisted he will continue to pick players who qualify for selection through having Scottish- born grandparents or through the schooling rule.He used West Brom midfielder James Morrison as an example of why those fans who feel the national team is being watered down should think twice before criticising.Levein said. "You have to be careful about assuming things on how people think. There is no-one prouder to see James play for Scotland than his dad. Likewise, Matty Phillips wasn't interested in waiting for England. He is a hungry, ambitious player who is ready to play international football and whose grandfather nipped away at him."Without naming names, I have worked with players who were born in Scotland to Scottish parents and their attitude for me is nowhere near what it needs to be to play for Scotland. Showing how much you care is more important to me than the bloodline."

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Levein's men to face Aussies in capital for final warm-up game

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