Craig Levein: results cost him Scotland job - Kevin Gallacher

Former Scotland striker Kevin Gallacher believes poor results and negative tactics proved Craig Levein's downfall - but insists he did not get the recognition he deserved.

Levein's three-year reign ended on Monday after intense speculation.

Gallacher admits results were poor, but highlighted his efforts with the youth.

"It is a result-orientated game, no one has looked at the good side of what he has done at national team and below," Gallacher told BBC Radio 5 live.

"The Scottish Football Association were just looking at results, which is what you want to do if you want to get to the big competitions."

Levein won just three out of 12 competitive fixtures with Scotland, with the nation bottom of their World Cup qualifying group after four games.

Home draws with Macedonia and Serbia have been coupled with away defeats to Wales and Belgium.

And Gallacher, capped 53 times for Scotland, believes the failure to bring the desired results on the pitch overrode anything else.

"What the fans see is results on the grass, and the results haven't been good," said Gallacher.

"You have to qualify for major competitions because that's where the finance comes in.

"We've not qualified since 1998, so there's not been much major money going into the SFA to help the grassroots side of it."

The former Coventry, Blackburn and Newcastle striker was keen to give recognition to the efforts of Levein away from the pitch, including his attempts to bring through a new generation of internationals.

"Craig has tried to groom the set-up from top to bottom and get younger players coming into the side, very similar to what Berti Vogts did and failed," he said.

"But unfortunately on grass the players haven't performed for Craig."

Levein's final result as Scotland manager was a 2-0 defeat to Belgium, but Gallacher feels it was another game that caused the negativity surrounding his position.

"It all stems back to the Czech Republic game in the last campaign where he went 4-6-0 [which Scotland lost 1-0]. People lost their trust in him."

The former striker also believes his tactics failed to get supporters onside.

"Craig was a more counter-attacking manager, very defensive-minded," said Gallacher.

"When you're playing against nations not as good as Scotland, it makes it difficult - there's a couple of games he could have attacked in, and used players in form and scoring goals, but he never did it."

The seven-man SFA board met at the end of last week to consider the 48-year-old Fifer's position, but have come in for widespread criticism for taking so long to reach a decision.

"It has taken a long time - nearly four weeks since the Belgium game," said Gallacher.

"I'm sure something could have been worked out before now, it seems a little bit ludicrous."

With Levein's departure, the search for a new coach will begin, and Gallagher feels Walter Smith would be the ideal candidate.

He said: "He's experienced and done it before - bring him in and give him another shot.

"I know people are always for change and not for going backwards, would Walter go backwards? I don't know."