Craig Levein paid for a poor run of results when he was sacked as Scotland manager by the Scottish Football Association (SFA) yesterday.

“The Scottish FA tonight announces that Craig Levein has been relieved of his duties as Scotland national coach,” said an SFA statement.

“The board of the Scottish FA has taken the decision primarily due to the disappointing results in the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 Qualifiers, which have culminated in Scotland being bottom of the group after four matches.”

Former Scotland defender Levein guided the Scots to just three wins in his 12 competitive matches in charge after replacing fellow former international George Burley in 2009.

Their chances of reaching the finals of a major tournament for the first time since the 1998 World Cup in France are hanging by a thread.

Scotland Under-21 coach Billy Stark will take caretaker charge of the senior side for next week’s friendly away to Luxembourg.

Former Scotland midfielder Gordon Strachan, currently out-of-work, has long been tipped as the favourite to replace Levein.

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