The last year or so has seen tremendous changes at Dundee United Football Club. Jim McLean has finally moved on, sold the house so to speak. Only problem is, that when you move house, you rarely go back to call in and see how everything is going. Wonder what Jum’s power is now at Tannadice? Has ET taken full control? Certainly looks so from the outside.
A lot people thought ET hadn’t made a great start to his career, and that might be true. But he has certainly shown himself up as a man not afraid to take bold decisions. Bringing in Ian McCall from First Division leaders Falkirk, and disposing of Heggy, Mo and John Holt.
The Dees were quick to pounce on Heggy & Co’s dismissal calling it a travesty of course, and in some respects it was, but that’s not the whole picture. ET had to take a decision that he thought was best for DUFC, and I think it’s fair to say that most Arabs backed him in this difficult decision, as it must have been.
Personally I’ve been impressed with Ian McCall. I do think he’s the kind of guy we have needed at Tanny for a while. Positive and upbeat, able to motivate his team AND be tactically aware, and hopefully more successful in the transfer market than Alex Smith was. I was fairly impressed with United’s approach to the Celtic semi, even though we eventually lost quite heavily. We have beaten Motherwell and drawn with Dundee, 4 points from 6 and losing the semi was a scenario I would have just about accepted beforehand. It will be interesting to see if McCall can instil any kind of decent consistency in the side when the league settles down. Hope so.
We’re still a long way short of any successful United side of the past. Pace seems to be a valuable commodity on the SPL, and United have a paucity in this department. Someone to get on the end of those defence splitting pases that Charlie Miller CAN make, and finish them would be a good start. Thought Billy Dodds might be able to do this, but doesn’t seem to have fully settled in yet.
United seem more ambitious under ET and Ian McCAll than they have done for years. Although all this spending in what seem like ‘belt-tightening’ times is a little worrying. I hope that we don’t become another club who over-spends on success, and end up the same club as before but with a bigger debt! Hopefully with ET’s business acumen and McCall’s management shills, and both men’s ambition, United can avoid this and slowly begin to improve.
NottinghamArab