Passions ran high over the last few days as yet another managerial change took place within Tannadice. One of the most heartfelt posts on the board over that period was one by Inveraldie Arab. The post is repeated in full below and should anyone wish to contest these views, feel free to email me an alternative viewpoint and you to shall have your soapbox.
This is tough – real tough.
It's been one helluva couple o months for Arabs. The roller-coaster ride has just gotten steeper and it's a stick-on that we'll go into the next game with a new manager. Rightly or wrongly, its gonna happen. But where has it all gone wrong?
If we look at the bigger picture, does it become clearer? OK – ET pulls the strings coz it's his money. He makes the decisions and everyone has, or has not, to live with it. But do we really want to have a control freak in charge of our club? Someone who calls up prominent fans and threatens to pull the plug if they do not back his stance; someone who says one thing and does another? Just look at THIS MONTH'S Tangerine & Black. How can we trust him anymore?
The chairman spouts on about how relegation will cost the club in the region of £2m. Well he must realise that HIS decisions have cost the club not far off that amount already, when you take into account the compensation agreements to previous managers and players that HE signed (i.e Crawford and Miller). Before anyone says ”it's his money” then I can't argue with that, but I can argue that had he got his decisions correct in the first place, then he wouldn't have had to splash out that type of cash in the first place! The money could have been put to better use.
But at the end of the day, points make prizes, and Brewster will be the first to admit that is the case. Some of his team selections have been baffling. Most fans wanted the deadwood bombed from the team and he duly obliged yesterday. It failed again miserably. 5-1 from
In his defence, guys like Stillie, Crackers, Archie, Duff and Kerr are all still under contract till at least the end of NEXT season so he could not offload them if no-one else wanted them. Unless Eddie opens the wallet again the new manager will be stuck with them.
Make no mistake – this situation developed as a result of the telephone call made by Thompson, which was overheard by the waiting media. Why be so critical on the first day of the season? Relationships deteriorated greatly after this episode. It's now clear that they cannot work with each other and a parting of the ways is the best for all concerned.
Everyone thought yesterday was a win or bust, but realistically, it was a final curtain. No result would have altered this.
But who's next. Well it's no secret that Levein is set to be installed as the next boss. Everyone will agree that the current chairman has failed miserably when attempting to “hand-pick” the next manager. How on earth can he justify doing the same, in chasing Levein? It's common sense that he should open up the job through the application process. You never know who'd apply. Levein's track record is hardly earth shattering!
Approaching Levein with a view to taking over, when there is still a man in the job is not on. He did this when Heggie was in the post, and he's done the same with Brewster. It's the actions of a man who treats everybody with contempt.
The ironic thing is that the foundations have been put in place for the future in terms of youth development. From no Under 17 team to a hatful of apprentices: from an U19 team who hardly won a game to a team who are a match for most. But it is likely to be others who reap the benefits of this. But, understandably, its now that counts.
Emotions are running high just now as they were yesterday. Is it worth falling out with your mates over it? Is it worth falling out with strangers over it? I did both yesterday and its clear that it's not. No way! After all, it's just a game, but it's a part of you. And everyone hurts when we see what is happening to our club.
After all that has happened, I find myself totally disillusioned about United. The club is rotten from top to bottom and see no sign that this can improve under the current regime. I believe the current chairman has ripped the heart and soul out of our club. I was a big supporter of him in the early days but I have been hoodwinked into believing that it was for the best. I admit I was wrong but can he?
Just because the chairman's got more money than most, does it make him a bigger or better United fan than you or me? No chance!