The world according to Craig

"In an ideal world, and I'm maybe a bit of an idealist, for our players to play at their best they need confidence. Confidence comes from results but it also comes from knowing people are backing you, supporting you." 
Craig Levein, Scotland Manager, quoted in The Herald, 11th September 2012

Following Craig Levein's assertion in The Herald that confidence comes from winning and being supported we asked the Scotland manager to analyse the meaning of Andy Murray's grand-slam win at the US Open.

" There's been a lot said by you guys in the media how fantastic it is that Murray's been winning things. I mean, I know, its great and everything to win matches, but, and I'm maybe a bit of an idealist here, but what I've got to ask is, what does it mean to "win"?

 I mean, OK, it sounded like the Scotland support were booing us aff the park on Saturday, but that's only because that's the way you guys in the media were listening.

 I mean in tennis there's a fine line between winning and what I call non-winning.
 I mean you guys in the media, with your pens and paper and computers might say its no called "non-winning", its called "losing". 
See that's where I think you got it wrong. I mean look at your Murrays, Federerers and your Djockovics if you don't believe me.

I mean, look at the boy Murray losing to the boy Federer at Wimbledon and how he cried. He wisnae crying cause he "lost", in introverted commas, he was crying because the crowd in The Common at that match had lost confidence in him for no winning. 
Do you see the difference?
And because the crowd weren't 100% behind him, that effected Murray's game and made it almost certain that he would lose again tae the boy Federer in the Olympics. 

Which he didnae, but that's no really the point. 

I mean, going into the match at Hampden with Macedonia, there's still 27 points play for! 
And OK, maybe after tonight's game we might no have got any points, but so what? I can see the team "winning" , as you call it, up there, in the head. OK, maybe they don't win on the ground, but still. 
As I've said, I'll be judged over time on results. 
They'll maybe no be "results" the way you guys in the media understand them, but they'll be results the way the manager understands them and at the end of the day, its the manager's job, no the fans, no you guys in the media, to understand what the results are and be prepared to be judged by them.
 Can I just conclude this press conference by saying that my agent wants bookers to know that I might be available to do panto this Xmas, depending on how results go.
Thank you."