Craig Levein

[OriginalRobboFOX]

Not heard a bad word about Craig Levein??? Pah....

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/...86908-21833522/

[Ozwin]

To be fair they've got it spot on, he was manager of us when we were at one of our darkest times. Anyone would have struggled with the bunch of players we had back then.

[Fox Fan]

Not heard a bad word about Craig Levein??? Pah....

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/...86908-21833522/

Some of it isn't anywhere near factual

Manager Mickey Adams was banned from the transfer market for a year, a Gary Lineker-led consortium failed in a take-over so Levein hardly walked into asuccess story.

I've heard that CL had something of a drinking problem during his time at City. I think he had split with his wife too.

All things considered it was never going to work out. I recall when we went to Reading away and at the time we were still within hope of the playoffs. He set it up with MdV as the sole striker and we failed to have a decent attack all game, at this point I knew CL wouldn't work out for us.

[dandannieldanok]

To be fair they've got it spot on, he was manager of us when we were at one of our darkest times. Anyone would have struggled with the bunch of players we had back then.

Any mediocre manager yes. How managers cope in adversity separates the very best from the run-of-the-mill and unless Levein can do anything special with Dundee United (or Scotland if he takes the job), he'll only ever be an average manager.

[Nick]

I gave my season ticket away during the Craig Levein era. If you watched the football, you'll not need an explanation as to why.

[Corky]

We had some good matches with him in charge- Sheffield United at home in 05, Spurs in the Cup, Derby in 04/05, but these were outnumbered by pitiful, inept performances.

He did overestimate the quality of the Scottish league badly.

[josh_baskin]

Matty Fryatt.

[Guest ttfn]

Levein bought most of the shit players we had. The whole cost-cutting thing is something he has hidden behind to restore his popularity in Scotland. He took a team that had gone down only 18 months earlier to 22nd in the championship. We had some good players, who he didn't get the best out of (Kisnorbo, who in fairness he bought) and some seriously shit ones. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, may I present to you:

Rab Douglas

Momo Sylla

Stephen Hughes

Mark de Vries

and my personal favourite... Joe Hammill.

[davieG]

Levein bought most of the shit players we had. The whole cost-cutting thing is something he has hidden behind to restore his popularity in Scotland. He took a team that had gone down only 18 months earlier to 22nd in the championship. We had some good players, who he didn't get the best out of (Kisnorbo, who in fairness he bought) and some seriously shit ones. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, may I present to you:

Rab Douglas

Momo Sylla

Stephen Hughes

Mark de Vries

and my personal favourite... Joe Hammill.

Well with having to make £5mill worth of cuts to the playing staff replacements were hardly likely to be better, as for Kisnorbo he was injured for a fair amount of the time Levein was here.

Yes he did do a pretty crap job but there were some extreme extenuating circumstances involved.

[foxer]

Yeah I was told he had an affair and bought his new woman down here leaving his wife in Scotland, so that playing on his mind all the time can't have helped.

[Shrenchel]

What?! Doing the mash with some bird much younger and buffer than his wife whilst she's stuck in Inverness getting pissed on. Yeh, I bet that was causing him no end of pain.

[Cat Burger]

[Vacamion]

unless Levein can do anything special with Dundee United (or Scotland if he takes the job), he'll only ever be an average manager.

Erm, I've no axe to grind for Mr L, but he turned Dundee United from a regular relegation candidate to one of the better sides outside the old firm, who occasionally took points off the old firm. He took them to a cup final. They've done it playing decent football, too.

[Anish]

He was utter garbage. The most boring, monotone manager we've had in recent history and his tenure as manager was pitiful. Yes, we had the odd good game as somebody mentioned, but remember all the hideous home performances where we lost 1-0 to all the worst teams in the league? His signings were on the whole shocking - how he kept banging on about Kisnorbo being the missing link to propel us into the playoffs showed he knew nothing about English football.

Anybody who thinks that De Vries, Douglas, Hammond, Sylla, Hughes et al are good enough for the Championship is deluded.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Mark De Vries is listed as one of the 6 best 2nd tier strikers in world football in this month's World Soccer Magazine.

Not even lying.

Proof of his quality.

[Ozwin]

Yeah but he's playing in the Dutch leagues. I'd be listed too if I was playing there.

[leicesterfox86]

Not heard a bad word about Craig Levein??? Pah....

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/...86908-21833522/

I thought exactly the same thing when someone was bigging him up on SSN the other day.

[Nick]

He was utter garbage. The most boring, monotone manager we've had in recent history and his tenure as manager was pitiful. Yes, we had the odd good game as somebody mentioned, but remember all the hideous home performances where we lost 1-0 to all the worst teams in the league? His signings were on the whole shocking - how he kept banging on about Kisnorbo being the missing link to propel us into the playoffs showed he knew nothing about English football.

Anybody who thinks that De Vries, Douglas, Hammond, Sylla, Hughes et al are good enough for the Championship is deluded.

This.

[Tilley]

What?! Doing the mash with some bird much younger and buffer than his wife whilst she's stuck in Inverness getting pissed on. Yeh, I bet that was causing him no end of pain.

:laugh:

Mark De Vries is listed as one of the 6 best 2nd tier strikers in world football in this month's World Soccer Magazine.

Not even lying.

Proof of his quality.

Yeah but he's playing in the Dutch leagues. I'd be listed too if I was playing there.

Yeah, Levein was absolutely shite when he was here, utter garbage with crap signings and strange team selections.

[Sly]

Levein wasn't that bad. He just under estimated the quality of the Championship and his acquisitions didn't exactly improve the already ailing squad that we had at the time.

[maddog]

De Vries > Steve Howard

Just for that stunning turn and shot against Blackpool that hit the bar, and the last minute winner against Spurs. That makes him better than Howard.

[Sly]

I knew Craig Levein would be great manager admits man who sacked him at Leicester City

I knew Craig Levein would be great manager, admits man who sacked him at Leicester City

Nov 19 2009 Neil Cameron

Craig Levein has been sacked only once in his managerial career - and by a man who suspected he was letting go a future Scotland manager.

Former Leicester City chief executive Tim Davies first identified the-then Hearts boss as the person the English club wanted to lead them in October 2002 then just 15 months later had the job of telling him he was out.

However, that decision was made with a heavy heart because Davies believed Levein had the ability to be a major success apart from one thing - bad luck on the Scot's part.

Levein has often said his time in England was a failure. It's not how anyone at Leicester views someone they knew was a good manager, only for him to join the club at just about the worst possible time.

Davies told Record Sport yesterday he broke into a knowing smile for the past few days every time he hears his old manager linked with the Scotland post.

Not even the guy who once sacked Dundee United's current boss is surprised byLevein's popularity.

Davies was sure Levein was the man for his club and even now, almost four years after the sacking, is convinced there was no better candidate.

It was just poor timing and on January 25, 2006, the day he called Levein into his office to tell him his services were no longer needed, Davies and his fellowboard members firmly believed they were saying goodbye to a gem who would soon prove just how good he was at football management.

Davies said: "Craig is a fantastic manager and deserves every bit of success going for him. I would love to see him get the Scotland job because he's an outstanding person.

"I'm told he thinks of his time at Leicester as a failure but that is not the word I would use. If I'm honest anyone would have struggled at that time.

"Even when we took a decision that a change of manager was needed I knew,as did everyone else at the club, we were sacking a fantastic man.

"The fact he's in the running for the Scotland job does not surprise me. It's just that Leicester werein a bit of a state then. There were big money problems and we couldn't give him the resources he needed.

"Craig signed some players who, for whatever reason, didn't work out. He joined at a difficult time and actually managed to steady the team when he first arrived. We also played some good football.

"But the team got into a rut and following a bad defeat to Plymouth, which was one of many in a short period, a decision was taken because wewerein the relegation zone.

"Managers are sacked for all sorts of reasons but this was one occasion when it certainly wasn't because Craig didn't have what it takes. Quite the opposite. It just didn't work out and that can happen in football.

"He has been brilliant at Dundee United and we will see if he gets the Scotland job now. I would love it if it happened, even as an Englishman."

Every manager has a black mark on his CV and the short spell down south is Levein's. The club, reeling from Martin O'Neill's departure to Celtic, moved into their new 32,500-seat Walkers Stadium at the start of the 2002-03 season. It was the beginning of their troubles.

In October of that year Leicester went into administration with debts of £30million and then ITV Digital collapsed.

Manager Mickey Adams was banned from the transfer market for a year, a Gary Lineker-led consortium failed in a take-over so Levein hardly walked into asuccess story.

Davies said: "I felt sorry for Craig as it was clear to all of us he was intelligent, he's a really bright guy. His CV was excellent.We wanted someone young, ambitious and who had played at a good level, just like O'Neill.

"I went up to watch a Hearts game against Hibs, I think it ended 1-1, and was really impressed by the way his team played with great tempo and skill. Then we met him and Craig was such a strong character so that was that. He was our man.

"I loved working with him. He was a great help to me and we had some good results.

"Webeat Charlton when they were still in the Premiership and had a famous night in the FA Cup when Spurs were 2-0 up at our place and we came back to win 3-2 withMark De Vries scoring a last-minute winner.

"It was just that we got into a slump in the league.

"I bet Craig's a far better manager for that experience. It was a steep learning curve, a big challenge, which I think has stood him in good stead."

Levein has described taking the Leicester job as a mistake and his reasoning behind going in the first place was that the trouble at Hearts - there were fans' protests at almost every game against chairman Chris Robinson - had got to him.

However, they talk fondly of him down in Leicester.

Davies said: "I can honestly say I haven't heard one bad word about Craig since he left. He was unlucky with us so Dundee United were lucky to get him, as will Scotland be if he is their choice."

LINK

[DB11]

Rab Douglas

Momo Sylla

Stephen Hughes

Mark de Vries

I liked all of them

[lildave3]

De Vries > Steve Howard

Just for that stunning turn and shot against Blackpool that hit the bar, and the last minute winner against Spurs. That makes him better than Howard.

Well, it doesn't really, does it.

[Corky]

De Vries > Steve Howard

Just for that stunning turn and shot against Blackpool that hit the bar, and the last minute winner against Spurs. That makes him better than Howard.

I know, because Howard's never done anything from long-range (like score versus Peterborough or Millwall)