Mark Wotte urges Scotland fans to take reality check on qualification hopes

Mark Wotte doesn’t believe removing Craig Levein from his position as Scotland boss would satisfy the national desire to qualify for a major tournament.

The manager is facing calls to be sacked from supporters, having taken just two points from the opening four World Cup qualifying matches.

Wotte though puts the nation’s current woes down to the personnel available and has urged patience as he puts his plans into place to improve youth development.

“For the future of Scotland, it is very important to have continuity,” said the Dutchman. “Changing the manager at club level or national team level is hardly giving any results.

“In professional football, the manager is always responsible for results. But I also know you have to reflect on why results are not as you expect them.

“You have to realise as well that you cannot change the squad of players. You can change maybe the style of play or a bit of this, bit of that.

“But eventually it comes down to the quality of the players. And if the quality of players is what it is at the moment, we just have to build for the future.”

Wotte also believes that the expectations of supporters have to be more realistic. He added: “I see a lot of desire in Scotland to be part of major tournaments. But I think sometimes the desire and the expectations are mixed up.

“If you see the group with Wales, Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia and Belgium, it is really a tough group for Scotland. We are not Belgium, that's for sure. Croatia are a very decent side.

“That leaves us with Serbia, Macedonia and Wales to be the number three, which isn't good enough to qualify but maybe it is more realistic.

“I am just looking at it from another perspective than the fans. The fans have a right to win every game, they want to go to tournaments.

“But we have to be realistic and say: how good is this squad? And how good do you have to be to qualify for the World Cup?”

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