Peter Houston revealed he has begun laying the groundwork for next season even though it is yet to be confirmed he’ll be manager of Dundee United then.
Discussions with chairman Steven Thomson over his future won’t take place until May 18, but Houston said he is already identifying potential replacements should United’s eye-catching season lead to bigger clubs trying to prise away any of their major assets.
As he picked up the Clydesdale Bank Manager of the Month award for March, he gave an indication he will be taking charge on a permanent basis, Houston made clear he feels entirely at ease with every facet of running the football operation at Tannadice.
When he was placed in temporary charge, Thomson indicated there were aspects of management including dealing with the press that Houston wasn’t keen on, but the man who has taken the Tangerines to the Scottish Cup final and got them challenging for second place in the SPL indicated that if that was the case then, it isn’t now.
It increasingly looks as if the only remaining barriers to Houston’s appointment being confirmed is his desire to work alongside Craig Levein on a part-time basis with Scotland and the scale of any budget cuts next term.
However, he said his understanding is that any reduction in the funding of the football operation will be relatively small-scale.
The reality is that if Houston wins the cup and oversees even a third-place finish he’ll be able to dictate his own terms, especially when he can have Paul Hegarty running training when he is on international duty.
“When I took this on there were aspects of the job I wasn’t experienced in,” he said.
“I’d not been used to dealing with the media for example. Craig did all that, but I’m now comfortable with every aspect of the job.
“The chairman and I will speak the week after the cup final. I don’t want that to change. I’m happy with the way things are and so is he.
“What I’ve said is that if we won the cup and got to second in the league then I thought I’d be offered the job.
“We’ve done neither yet, so there’s no point bringing anything forward.
“I have, though, been scouting players for next season.
“We are going to lose Andy Webster and who knows if someone is going to come in with a bid for one of our guys.”
Houston added, “I have one or two people in mind so that if we did lose players from certain positions I’d have guys I want to bring in, but that’s on the back burner, because unless anyone moves on there’s no need to get these lads.” Houston believes the timing of the meeting with Thomson is spot-on because by then United will know if they’ll have the financial implications of a cup win to look forward to and whether it’s the Europa or Champions League they’ll be entering next term, with the benefits that would bring.Big money?”It’s difficult to make up a budget for next season because at this stage we don’t know where we’re going to finish and we don’t know the outcome of the cup final,” he said.
“We also don’t know if anyone is going to offer us huge money for a player, and these are things that would influence what’s going to be there.
“Right now, though, I’d imagine the budget next year would be similar to what it has been this season.
“There might have to be a small cut, but if that’s the case then it’s something you have to deal with.
“The biggest thing for me is not losing two or three players, because that would take away from what has been built here.
He continued, “If we sold a player for good money maybe a Garry Kenneth or David Goodwillie, to the Premiership or the Old Firm-then the budget might be improved, and of course, the better you do the more people take notice of your players, and Dundee United have to be a selling club as we don’t bring enough in through the gate to look after salaries.As Houston picked up the manager of the month plaudit, he dismissed the idea that if the season pans out as it is threatening to, he might be named top SPL manager of the season.
“I’m delighted to accept this award on behalf of the players because if they hadn’t done the business I wouldn’t be in this position,” he said.
“Great credit to them for their efforts over the months. We had so many tough games, like Rangers away and then back here in the cup plus the performances and results against Motherwell, Hibs and St Johnstone.
“It’s been absolutely fantastic, and the good thing is that has set us up nicely in the league with a lead over the teams below us and an opportunity to try and catch Celtic difficult though that may prove.”