Note to Housty – It’s really not…

Ok, I will admit I haven’t yet fully read the story so, in true rag style, it may be sensationalised a bit but please for the love of god, do not try it with United.

Thanks.

Levein's Scotland struggled

Saturdays without United is nothing short of boring… no trip to the pub for a few pints and some banter followed by a trip to Tannadice or no away day with the boys, on a bus, to somewhere in Scotland for a few pints and some banter.

It’s a day where there is just not much on, well apart from time with the family…

Fortunately, or unfortunately as the case me be, we had Scotland to keep us entertained(!) last night.  Ok, so there was no involvement on the playing side from any of our boys but our former and current gaffers were there, trying to lead the boys to victory in Prague.

And boy, did Craig Levein take a few pelters in the build up to the game for dropping Kenny Miller.  It was a gamble that failed and today’s reading will not be much better for the man who turned our club around.  It wasn’t only the team selection that had people asking questions though, the fact that we appeared to line up with a 4-6-0 formation also raised more than a few eyebrows.

And I must say, I honestly didn’t see how we were going to get anything from that game last night with that set up.

So it raises the question, was Levein trying to be too smart and outfox the Czechs or was it’s just truly negative in the hope of picking up an away point?

Whatever it was, in true Levein style he failed to admit that he got it wrong.

Now I am not about to go Levein bashing here because I am truly thankful for what he done for our club over the years .  He took over at Tannadice when we looked certain to struggle to avoid relegation.  If he had not lead us to safety, would be we be in the same position as our neighbours at Dens Park, who confirmed yesterday that they were set to go into administration for the second time in seven years?

He made some truly terrific signings for the club who, to this day, are still stepping onto the pitch and giving their all.

The man saved Dundee Unite from god knows what.

But amidst all this, there were times at Tannadice when tactics, and team selections were baffling.

We all remember the diamond midfield, with 4 central midfielders and no width.  He stuck with that, and it cost us until he finally changed.  He never said he was wrong in playing the system.  And yes Houston has done this, more through necessity than choice though.

There were times when Lee Wilkie took to the pitch as a centre forward, to use as a battering ram, when we left strikers on the bench.  It sticks in the memory for me, the day we played Wilkie up from against Inverness CT.  Wilkie was horrendous, although it was not his fault, and in turn, we were awful.  Levein stuck by his decision though.

Yes, Levein was not one for admitting he got things wrong.

But lets not take anything away from the man, he is clearly a very intelligent man and he knows the game inside out.  When he done things simple, we played well, when he got too complex, it went wayward.

He got away with it in the SPL, but I fear for him that he is open to too much scrutiny at International level.  The hounds will be out now but hopefully the SFA see fit to give him time.  Levein didn’t get us to where he did overnight, it took time to stabilise the club and then build it up.  With Scotland, given the time, I believe he can do this.

He maybe needs to admit when he get thing wrong though, and keep things simple.  We as a nation are not blessed with the likes of Messi,  Ronaldo and Rooney, but we do have a hard working set of boys who can play to a decent level.  If he keep the team choices simple and the tactics the same, I believe that things will get better.

Dundee United won the Scottish Cup and finished third in the SPL last year.  Credit goes to Peter Houston for the way he carried the club forward from December onwards but Levein played no small part in this.

As it stands now for Dundee United, we have a very competent Gaffer in Peter Houston, who, to be fair, is more adventurous that Craig Levein, and some would rather it that way.  I for one would not swap back to Levein now, as Houston is doing well.  That said, if it ever came to it, I would have no problems in Levein taking over the helm again.

And as for Scotland, if Levein steps back, takes stock and pinpoint where he went wrong, he can rectify the situation.  He just needs to keep things simple.

So readers, I pose you a couple of questions;

1. Is Levein the Man for Scotland?
2. Houstie or Levein, who would you rather in charge at Tannadice?

Let us know by leaving a comment.

For some it’s a game, for others a way of life.

And then you spare a though for those who to them, it’s a job.  And I’m not talking about the players who pick up £100k + a week, or even those ‘less fortunate’ who pick up maybe only £500 a week.

I’m talking about those who sit in the back office, slugging away through paper work, doing a regular 9-5 job. I’m talking about the groundsmen who tend to the pitch, day in day out, in order to make it’s playable for the big game at the weekend.  Yes, it’s people like them who make it all tick over behind the scenes.

And as I type this, it’s well known around Dundee and in fact, most of Scotland, that one of the towns professional teams are in peril.

Yes, as of this evening, it would appear that, barring any last minute changes, it is only a matter of time before Dundee F.C lurch, for the second time in 7 years, into administration.

Why do I talk about this on a Dundee United Blog you may ask?  Well because, whether we like it or not, it will have an impact on our city and the people we know.

Now it’s not for me to ask the who, what, when, where or whys of the matter.  It’s is clear that behind the scenes Dundee have been run poorly, not for the first time, and have been surviving well out with their means.

And so what will happen?  Again, that’s not for me to say, because, by all accounts, there are people on the Dundee BoD who don’t quite know what will happen but if, as looks almost certain, Dundee F.C enters administration again, that will leave more Dundonians unemployed.

I am not going to sit here and say that I want them to survive or that I want them to go bust, my opinions on the matter are my own.

What I want to say on the matter is this;

If the worst happens and Dundee have to call in the administrators and cost cutting becomes a reality, I would like to wish well to the staff who fall victim to this.

After all, no matter what football means to you, at the end of they day, for some people, it’s a job.

What we have here is the Tannadice Times… it’s about, well, Dundee United, as you may expect.

It’s a work in progress that will over time, become full of fantastic articles about Dundee United.

If you have any ideas about what you would like to see here, let me know.

Over the next few days, I will post some information of what you can look forward to.

So be sure to check back in!!