"I'm confident we can go on and qualify and do well and then, when we go on to win the European Championships, we'll remember who gave us the stick," he said.
"I think if you asked any manager to be the manager of one international side in Europe, for the future, for now we'd be right up there in the top 1-2-3. We are a young side and we will improve.
"If we are going to progress, the only way to get experience is to play young players. And I'm sure we'll bear the fruits of it in the coming years.
"Even though it was disappointing against Macedonia, I don't think anyone should panic. I think the team have got a big future."