Who's the Daddy?

I'm not that fussed if Tam Courts gets the United job. He's a good lad and is seemingly a good coach. I know through personal contacts that is is very able, has the right character and has worked under managers with a variety of styles. Probably all that is missing is that 'top-level' experience. My issue is if he'll be working with both hands tied behind his back. If this is the case THIS is the real gamble in my opinion.

The questions I feel need asking are:

1. Will Tam Courts have any say in identifying players to sign? Will Tam Courts get to decide who should get their contracts extended? The last 4 extensions have raised question marks in their timing and rationale and suggested that people out with the coaching team are deciding who stays and who goes regardless of the player in questions performances on the pitch or injury record.

This was something I wrote in a blog nearly a year ago:

Again, all of these delays has led to speculation about our budget and who is in charge of transfers: Mellon or Asghar? I'm a bit more relaxed about this one than some. My understanding of this is that the manager states what areas he'd like to see strengthened, they both suggest targets, Mellon does this in terms of opponents, ex-players etc as any manager does. Asghar suggests players through his contacts in the game like agents, managers etc. Asghar looks at Mellon's recommendations in terms of value, wages, transfer fee's, availability, Mellon looks at the names Asghar has put forward by either looking at the videos of them (hopefully not just on YouTube a-la Jackie Mac), going to watch them himself or sending the scouts, talking to contacts in the game about them or taking the players on trial to have a closer look (like they did with Flo Hoti). The two then reconcile these names and the manager, as the football person has the final say (I hope) then Asghar goes out and does the deal.

Does this still apply? Did it ever apply? The players we have given contract extensions to in the past year have raised as many questions as answers, particularly about who actually wanted them on board? Three of them have spent more time on the bench than on the park this season and would suggest that the previous manager didn't really want them. I am well aware that in modern football there is a dedicated recruitment department that identifies and selects players to sign. But I have never heard of them deciding to offer new contracts to players that the Manager/Head Coach isn't that keen on. Maybe I am totally wrong here, but isn't the manager the only person who really needs to fancy a player once they are signed, unless that player has possible sell-on value (only one of the four in question does in my opinion)? Whether or not the recruitment department, Sporting Director or Chairman rates a player is immaterial given that they are not picking the team? Offering players who are not really in the Manager/Head Coaches plans is surely only going to waste money in wages?

2. Will we actually address the problem areas in the team? (Lack of width, creativity, quality in full back areas and a big striker).

In my opinion we need a goalkeeper, a left back, a creative midfielder, a big centre forward and a left winger who can actually cross the ball.

From the same blog from nearly a year ago:

Nearly 16 months ago after the East Fife game I said on here that we needed a big centre forward and a left winger. When Sam Stanton was allowed to leave in January it quickly became apparent that we also needed a midfielder who could offer something a bit different such as the ability to play in between the lines, carry the ball and score goals. It was also clear when Paul Watson was (unfairly?) released that we also needed another centre half. And yet, here we are with, at the time of writing, around a week left until the end of the elongated transfer window, and we have only addressed one of these issues. There's been nearly 3 transfer windows! 

And on that subject, here is something from 2 years ago:

I cannot for the life of me understand why we have not made any attempt to sign a proper target man; not a guy like Safranko or Shankland who although both very good headers of the ball, both barely reach 6 foot tall and are easily out jumped and out muscled by the massive defenders every team has in this league.  I'm taking about a massive 6 foot 5 bastard who is built like a barn door and would smash your granny out of the way to header a ball.  It's not as if there isn't any choice, every other team in the Championship has one. Christ even East Fife last night and Cowdenbeath on Friday had one.  Someone like that doesn't need to be a weekly starter, just an option to play in certain games or send on in games like last night where Plan A isn't working because a team is pressing our midfield so you just miss it out, go long and chase second balls, all whilst getting yourself up the park quickly.  I'm not asking for us to turn into Livingston (even though it actually worked for them), just asking us to mix it up a bit.  Neilson and Asghar should be going out and buying the best one in the division. No messing about. 

Sound familiar?

3. Will Tam Courts get to decide if young lads play or not e.g. if they are jaded will he get to take them out of the firing line?

As impressive as the Motherwell game was for about 55 minutes it was clear that the young lads all ran out of gas. Of course this was largely the result of them not being used to playing at this level and tempo but playing them for an elongated run in the team will surely result in a dip in form and fitness.

4. Will the younger players be allowed to develop in the first team squad over the next 2-3 years or will they be sold from underneath Courts at the first 6 figure offer?

As I have said several times previously, I do not go to Tannadice to cheer on a balance sheet. I do not support a shop window. I support a football club. A football club that is one of the biggest clubs in the league and should be aiming to finish in the top half of the league every season and be challenging for European spots and cups. There is a reason why St Johnstone have done well this season. It's not the result of one flash in the pan manager or season. It is the result of about about a decade of stability with a sensible recruitment policy and young players being given several years to develop, many of whom were not actually first team regulars for them until they were age 23 or so because they had several loan spells (many of which were against us in the Championship). We seem to be expecting an awful lot from players who are barely (or not even) out of school yet. We also seem to be very keen for other clubs to see these laddies and hear about their progress. This can surely only mean that we are doing this in order to sucker some English club into buying them asap so the Chairman can recoup some of his losses over the past 2.5 years. That is an enormous pressure to place on young shoulders. Clarification is needed as to how many young lads the club are banking on being involved in the first team on a regular basis and how often they will feature. Do we expect to succeed or even survive in this league with a high turnover of our best players (not to mention expecting some sort of production line of home-grown players to replace them)? My worry is that this has got worrying shades of 2015-16 about it. We all know what happened then when we seemed to think we would seemlessly replace one outstanding generation of young players with another one.

5. Is Stephen Frail still the Dundee United Assistant Manager? 

If there were trophies handed out for media blackouts we'd win every year. I know many of the media and commercial team were still on furlough during the season. Are they still on furlough now? Judging by the lack of information about anything a supporter would want to know about just now (new strips, signing targets, hype about the club, changes around the ground etc) I'd suggest some of these folk should check if they actually still have a job, never mind if they are still on furlough. 

6. Will the football be a bit more exciting to watch next season?

"I'm slow, but effective," might turn some people on if they see it on a Tinder bio but experiencing that week after week or season after season at the football get's a bit wearing I'd suggest and will drive people away from watching us. Staying up, playing boring football and achieving nothing year in, year out, might be enough for fans of clubs in the bottom half of the English Premiership but after McKinnon, Csaba, Neilson (tbf he did achieve something in the end) and Mellon, I've had my fill of slow paced, pass-pass-pass-blooter football and would actually quite like to be entertained every now and again. Things like boys playing in their best positions, having width and creativity, putting 6-7 passes together, whipping crosses into the box for strikers to attack, mixing things up every now and again going a bit more direct without worries about being told off for not playing 'the right way' from some smart arse in the Sports Science department at Abertay Uni would actually be quite welcome. 

7. Who will carry the can if results are poor this season and over the next few years?

Tam Courts?

The analysts?

Andy Goldie?

Tony Asghar?

Mark Ogren?

The fans?

If we are going for a model where the Head Coach is just one cog in a larger machine then surely the whole machine has to carry the can for failure, because you can bet your bottom dollar that the whole machine will claim responsibility if we are a success.

Tam if it is you, you have my 100% support and I can't wait to be back to watch it. Remember though:

"Don't be afraid to change."