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Craig Levein has been confirmed as the new Scotland manager after the SFA agreed terms with Dundee United.

Levein has signed a two-year deal to take control of the national team. He replaces George Burley, who was fired after last month’s defeat by Wales in a friendly.

“While it is a great honour to be asked to manage your country, it was a very difficult decision to leave Dundee United,” said the 45-year-old.

“I have, and will continue to have, a great affection and respect for the club and its supporters, who have given me such strong support from the day I arrived.

“I also leave behind a great bunch of players and a strong backroom staff and I know the club is in good hands.

“It is a great wrench to leave the club and I will keep many great and poignant memories of my time at Tannadice.

“It has been a pleasure to work with Stephen Thompson and his late father Eddie and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them, the directors and all of the staff at the club for their support over the last three years

Scottish referees chief Hugh Dallas has accused Motherwell manager Jim Gannon of launching a personal attack that undermines the confidence of officials.

Gannon has criticised the head of referee development over his response to letters the Fir Park boss has sent questioning some officials’ quality.

“I am astonished by the personal attacks made, which have questioned my honesty and integrity,” said Dallas.

The resulting publicity “has a negative effect on confidence of referees”.

Gannon had last week accused Dallas of questioning his own integrity after the former referee said he had only received one letter from the Motherwell manager, who had claimed he had twice expressed his concern about referees in writing.

Dallas said in his latest statement that he felt compelled to “set the record straight on a chain of events that have created an air of tension and negativity”.

“After days of intense media attention, caused by an unwelcome level of personal criticism and vilification, I feel I have no alternative but to respond in the hope that the focus can return to football,” he said.

“For the record, I received Mr Gannon’s first letter, dated 21 September, on the 24th and duly responded, seeking clarification on contents alleging ‘bias’ pertaining to one of our referees.

“I also invited Mr Gannon to contact me directly to discuss the matter further, enclosing my mobile number and direct line.

“The next I heard from Mr Gannon was his post-match media conference, after Motherwell’s Clydesdale Bank Premier League match against Dundee United, in which he accused me of not responding to his original letter.

“Having explained my position after initial media enquiries, I then received a letter, dated 1 December, two days later from Mr Gannon stating he had written to me on two separate occasions, enclosing a copy of both letters.

“On the same day, 3 December, I also received the original copy of his second correspondence. It was then traced through the Royal Mail system and that tracking evidence was sent to Mr Gannon, along with the unopened letter.”

Gannon has questioned the competence of “one or two” referees, who he has refused to name, and Dundee United counterpart Craig Levein and Hearts’ Csaba Laszlo have also voiced their concerns.

The man who took charge of Motherwell this summer also says he is confused with the Scottish Football Association’s system of accountability compared to the one in England and that he now feels gagged by rules on public comments.

However, Rangers manager Walter Smith on Friday defended the standard of Scottish referees and Dallas stressed that there was a rigorous process of evaluation.

“I am also insulted by Mr Gannon’s latest dispatch to the media, in which he stated: ‘The question for Hugh Dallas is, what is it that he gets paid for?’,” said the referees’ chief.

“We are addressing other requests of concern – and there are concerns – and we continue to work hard with our referees off the field. We have a robust observer system and, even this weekend, we will host a seminar aimed at improving the evaluation of referee performance.

“The type of adverse media coverage generated by Mr Gannon – which is extremely uncommon in Scottish football – has a negative effect on the confidence of referees and is counter-productive.

“His dissection of refereeing decisions involving Craig Thomson, one of Uefa’s elite referees, is wholly unnecessary.

“I reiterate my wish that coaches and managers continue to cultivate the fruitful relationship I have enjoyed with them since joining the Scottish FA.

“I also hope that the established protocol for correspondence between clubs and the Scottish FA is observed.

“Finally, I find it staggering that Mr Gannon did not feel compelled to open two letters from the Scottish FA before conducting his latest media conference. I will be making no further comment.”

Meanwhile, it is understood that Dallas will have a chance to address all 12 Scottish Premier League managers and answer their questions when they meet early next year.

Gordon Smith, the Scottish FA chief executive, hopes the moving of the women's football season can pave the way for the men's game to do the same.

Scottish women's leagues will now be played from March to November, with a mid-season break in July, a move welcomed by the country's top players.

Smith says an extended winter break would be ideal across the board.

"I would like to see us move towards the better months throughout our football," he told BBC Scotland.

Smith emphasised that he has no power to force such a move through as that lies with the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League.

He hopes the change in the women's game can be the beginning of a shift in mindset among football traditionalists.

"The main aspect of it is to try to get football played in better conditions, especially for the development of players," said Smith.

SFA chief executive Smith is an advocate of summer football

"I think if we have better conditions under-foot, players will try to play the game in the right manner and concentrate on aspects like technique, which has been lost a bit to the Scottish game.

"We're trying to do the same thing with the youth game – boys and girls – although there's a bit of resistance there."

And Smith believes that the move by the women's game could see the men's game follow suit.

He said: "We'll need to see how people view it. A lot of the problem in this country is traditionalism – people don't see it changing because it's always been this way.

"Maybe eventually the men's amateur game could change – it'll be a bit more difficult for the senior game because of schedules. But my suggestion's always been shutting down January and February in Scotland and play through to June.

"Two things might help with that. People would see it as a way of getting more fans into the game to maybe see more technical football getting played.

"And because of our coefficient in Europe now being affected and Scottish teams having to come into European competition a bit earlier than in previous years, we maybe should be playing a bit more through the summer, rather than having teams coming back from holiday playing against teams from other leagues who are playing through the summer.

Maybe eventually the men's amateur game could change – it'll be a bit more difficult for the senior game because of schedules     Gordon Smith

"We're disadvantaged because of that."

The reaction from the country's top female players to the move has been a positive one.

"We're all quite pleased with the change," said Laura Montgomery, captain of the Scottish Women's Premier League champions Glasgow City.

"It'll benefit us in the Champions League in particular because in the last couple of years we've had to go with very little preparation."

And for similar reasons, the national team are also behind the switch.

"Our season will be running at the same time as other European teams, so we'll tend to go into our international games on a level playing field fitness-wise," said Montgomery's team-mate and Scotland player Leanne Ross.

"Sometimes we've gone into our games and other teams have been in the middle of their season and we've just come in off a pre-season and obviously we've not been up to match fitness, so it'll be good for us in terms of that."

But it's lower down the leagues and at grassroots level where concerns have been raised about the move's viability.

Glasgow City are the current Scottish champions

Opponents of the switch were not keen to speak on the record for fear their clubs would subsequently suffer, but the principal objections are logistical and financial ones.

Many women's teams – and youth teams – play on council-owned parks, where the goalposts are lifted for the duration of the summer, a scenario the critics say is unlikely to change.

The manager of one Second Division team also said: "We'll have to continue to pay for the let on our parks between the end of November and March, even though we won't have any games. Either that, or give up the let and risk not getting it back."

There are also fears there will be an obligation to play more midweek games in the first half of the season, making it difficult for some clubs to put out full teams, particularly if the midweek matches involve long journeys.

"This move has been pushed through for the benefit of the national team and the top end of the Premier League, without a thought for the game at grassroots level," said the concerned manager.

Gordon Smith acknowledges these concerns must be addressed: "We're going to have to have a real plan on this to make sure it works. We'll have to work in partnership with the local authorities to make sure the goals don't come down."

There are certainly obstacles to overcome, but could this be the first step on the road to a change across the board?