No Untapped Well of Talent For New Arabs Boss To Tap Into

IF YOU really want a demonstration of how bad things are at Dundee United, don't look at the SPFL Premiership table, difficult though even that might be for true “Arabs” or indeed for anyone who admired the way Jim McLean's “corner shop”, for so-long gave the “supermarkets” a run for their money.

No, go onto the official SPFL website: www.spfl.co.uk and, once there, click on the development leagues button. This gives you the details of how the much-vaunted United youth development programme is doing, or rather, isn't doing. Most of the 17 clubs in that league have completed their 32-game schedule; United are such a club, lying eighth in the standings, with a mere 40 points from their 32 games.

On paper, that is actually not too bad, given bigger clubs: Rangers (10^th) and Hearts (12^th) are below them, while city rivals Dundee lie ninth in the table. But, when you consider the reputation United have for developing home-grown talent, to find them trailing the likes of Hamilton Academical, St Johnstone and Motherwell – who haven't had a reputation for developing youngsters since the “Ancell Babes” of the late 1950s – early 1960s, the era of John Martis, Bobby Roberts and the Willie Hunter, Sammy Reid, Ian St John, Pat Quinn and Andy Weir forward line. Four Scottish internationalists plus the guy who scored arguably the most-celebrated goal in Scottish Cup history, in case you've forgotten; well it's not looking good for the future at Tannadice.

(If I can go off on a slight tangent here and raise and old hobby horse of mine: Celtic have gone unbeaten through the Development League season. Does this mean, the league is crap, or ought the Parkhead club perhaps be ditching cheap badge-kissing imports to maybe give the kids a go?)

Gone - Mixu Patelainen

Yesterday, in the wake of relegation, Mixu Paatelainen, as expected, packed his black bin and left, to be followed by eight players whose contracts had ended, while a further ten in-contract players were told: “Yer jaikets are oan shoogly pegs ken”. They are free to try to find places elsewhere. This, apparently, leaves United with just five senior full-time players.

Time to get back on that hobby horse. Five experienced players, always provided (the difficult bit) they are the right five, working under the right coach - plus a bunch of good kids ought to be enough to maintain a presence in the Championship for one season, and hopefully build for a successful promotion campaign in a second season.

Next-up - Ray McKinnon?

Ray McKinnon is seemingly the latest McLean old boy being lined-up to try to replicate the work of the old master; always assuming, that is, he is willing to accept the job. What might happen IF his Raith Rovers squad successfully negotiates the Championship/Premiership promotion/relegation play-offs?

Do you stick with a club which would begin season 2016-17 as relegation favourites, for a crack at the big time, or, do you return to Tannadice and work under a Chairman who is increasingly seen as “toxic”? Also, is there a guarantee United, desperately needing to cut costs, will continue to be a full-time club in the Championship? The uncertainty of football management there in a couple of questions folks.

One thing in McKinnon's favour, he has served a thorough apprenticeship in management. I recall travelling up to Tannadice to see his Lochee Juniors team lost 0-2 to Tayport in the 2005 Scottish Junior Cup Final. he has served a long apprenticeship, at Lochee, Brechin City also spending time in the SFA's Technical Department, before going to Stark's Park. Should he be enticed to Tannadice, it will not be a case of a former player being throw-into the job by a board, whose collective fingers are crossed. 

A SIGNIFICANT moment in Scottish football history passed almost unheralded yesterday. On 4 May, 1966, 50-years ago, the board of Ayr United appointed then player-coach Alistair MacLeod as club manager, while appointing his predecessor, Kirkmichael joined Tom McCreath to the board.

Old Tam, lovely guy, but in football terms one of the old school – who believed in denying a ball to the players in training during the week, to make them “hungry” for it on a Saturday, had just taken United to promotion from the Second Division, so, it was a good time to step down.

Ally MacLeod - entered management 50-years ago this week 

 

In MacLeod's first season as manager, United finished bottom of the old 18-club First Division; they won one game all season, beating St Johnstone 1-0 at Somerset Park, on 8 April, 1967. They only scored 20 goals all season, conceding 86 and finished with just nine points, six less than second-bottom St Mirren.

Today, that record would see any manager sacked before Christmas, but, the United board stood by their young manager, who was a part-timer, combining management with his day-job as a sales rep with a company which sold industrial chemicals.

MacLeod led United back to the top-flight at the end of the 1968-69 season, maintaining a mid-table presence to the extent, when the top ten clubs were put into the new Premier Division in 1975, United were there, finishing sixth – above Aberdeen, the two Dundee clubs and St Johnstone in that inaugural season, a performance which was enough to take MacLeod to Pittodrie – the rest is history.

United did not officially mark the anniversary, however, they did, on Tuesday night, make the long journey to Peterhead, followed by 150 loyal fans, where they beat their hosts 4-1 to all but assure themselves of a place in the League One/Championship promotion/relegation final.

Ian McCall - has turned things around at Somerset Park

Under current boss Ian McCall, United have a very good chance of going up through the play-offs, and, with Kilmarnock in danger of dropping out of the top-flight, we could well see four Ayrshire Derbies in the Championship next season.

I mention that 4-1 win over Peterhead, because shamefully, the (Glasgow) Herald failed to put that result on their website. When the paper of record in Scottish sport cannot cover such an important game, it says much about the level of journalism in Scotland today – nae wonder the papers are bleeding readers.

THE Bookies, who are seldom wrong in such matters, have apparently decided Celtic are about to play the Irish card when it comes to who replaces Ronnie Deila. Northern Irishman Brendan Rodgers, late of Liverpool, is the new favourite for the job, with Southern Irishman Roy Keane the second favourite.

Well, the tricolour is a sort of comfort blanket to the Celtic Family and I await the Daily Rhecord's series on how Celtic's is the first result Rodgers always looks for and all about how he grew up on tales of Jinky & Co.

I have long been left unmoved by the whole Keane legend. His past record in management is nothing to write home about. Mr Desmond might well have Keane's number on speed-dial, but, I think most intelligent people in football already have his number, if you know what I mean.

 Brendan Rodgers - Is he "Celtic-minded" enough?

Rodgers, prior to the wheels coming off his carriage at Anfield, has a very good record at bringing through young talent and working within a tight budget. He might well be the right man for the club. The fact is, ideally, Celtic need to have the new man ready to go to work on the Monday after the final game of the season – there isn't much time there in which to get Celtic ready for the European qualifiers.