Tam Coyle, representative of the West of Scotland Tartan Army, believes the appointment of Craig Levein as Scotland boss will do little to enthuse many Scots fans who are still in the doldrums following yet another failed qualifying tournament.
The Scottish Football Association confirmed to Press Association Sport that they have agreed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Dundee United boss, with only the adverse weather holding up the signing of the contract.
However, Coyle told Press Association Sport that Levein has a lot to do to lift the spirits of the Scotland fans who have not experienced a trip to the finals of a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup.
"Most of us are a bit fed up at the moment, the heads are down," he said.
"Even if you had told me the new manager was Capello or Sir Alex Ferguson, I wouldn't have been dancing a jig.
"We won't be back up for it until the draw for the 2012 European Championships in February when we see what teams we will be up against.
"Craig Levein will still have the same players and problems that George Burley had so nothing has changed from that point of view.
"We need to get back being organised and difficult to beat, the way we were under Walter Smith and Alex McLeish.
"That is the first target.
"Then, we can start asking for us to qualify for a tournament.
"I travel with guys in their 30s who have never been to a tournament.
"One of them just went to his 50th game abroad but has yet to see us in a tournament. That is unbelievable."
Hamish Husband, spokesman for the Association of Tartan Army Clubs, was similarly cautious.
"It is not a time for euphoria," he told Press Association Sport. "There wouldn't have been euphoria even if Jose Mourinho had been appointed.
"We want to see Levein's blueprint for the future.
"We hear he is going on a two-pronged attack, tackling the future of Scottish football and the national team.
"He will be judged on both issues but his priority is to qualify us for a tournament.
"But we also need to get to a point where Scottish club teams are not beaten by teams from Liechtenstein.
"Our football is a failure on a world scale. We have not qualified for a major tournament since 1998.
"There should be no more glorious failure.
"There can be no more excuses, we have had the excuses.
"We need to get more form the sum of the parts, as we did under Walter Smith and Alex McLeish."
However, Coyle told Press Association Sport that Levein has a lot to do to lift the spirits of the Scotland fans who have not experienced a trip to the finals of a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup.
"Most of us are a bit fed up at the moment, the heads are down," he said.
"Even if you had told me the new manager was Capello or Sir Alex Ferguson, I wouldn't have been dancing a jig.
"We won't be back up for it until the draw for the 2012 European Championships in February when we see what teams we will be up against.
"Craig Levein will still have the same players and problems that George Burley had so nothing has changed from that point of view.
"We need to get back being organised and difficult to beat, the way we were under Walter Smith and Alex McLeish.
"That is the first target.
"Then, we can start asking for us to qualify for a tournament.
"I travel with guys in their 30s who have never been to a tournament.
"One of them just went to his 50th game abroad but has yet to see us in a tournament. That is unbelievable."
Hamish Husband, spokesman for the Association of Tartan Army Clubs, was similarly cautious.
"It is not a time for euphoria," he told Press Association Sport. "There wouldn't have been euphoria even if Jose Mourinho had been appointed.
"We want to see Levein's blueprint for the future.
"We hear he is going on a two-pronged attack, tackling the future of Scottish football and the national team.
"He will be judged on both issues but his priority is to qualify us for a tournament.
"But we also need to get to a point where Scottish club teams are not beaten by teams from Liechtenstein.
"Our football is a failure on a world scale. We have not qualified for a major tournament since 1998.
"There should be no more glorious failure.
"There can be no more excuses, we have had the excuses.
"We need to get more form the sum of the parts, as we did under Walter Smith and Alex McLeish."
Copyright (c) Press Association
Related Articles
'It was a gut feeling': why Scotland star spurned Socceroos
McLeish urges Celtic to sign Socceroo: 'Did he start at Man City?'
