If any Dundee United players need inspiration after their rough start to the season they should look to the Tannadice hospitality lounges before the Celtic game on Sunday.
There they will find John Holt or ‘Holty’ as he’s simply known, glad-handing and reminiscing with supporters who love to hear the tales of a time when United could beat the best in Scotland and Europe.
No club can live in the past but paying homage and learning lessons from heroes of yesteryear and drawing motivation from their endeavours can be a valuable experience.
Holt and his old team-mates, who share hospitality duties, are United’s Lisbon Lions.
They know all about success but also understand adversity and how to overcome it.
Unassuming but courageous and determined, he and those other great players exemplify the kind of qualities the current squad needs to find.
When you play for a club where great achievements are still well within living memory the burden can be heavy because constant reminders haunt the corridors.
That can be hard to live up to but it shouldn’t be a deterrent. It should be an incentive.
Holty is belatedly but deservedly receiving a testimonial from United in recognition of his superb service encompassing 406 appearances and 24 goals.
He was a model professional who helped United to two league cup wins and a league title, along with two humblings of Barcelona.
Yet with his unassuming nature, you’ll never hear him boast about it.
The United squad are struggling with confidence but there’s talent aplenty within the ranks.
They should take five minutes to dwell on the career achievements of a man who wore the tangerine with distinction and pride and who was a warrior on the pitch.
It might just be a catalyst for the improvement they’re desperately seeking and which I believe they have within them.
Football managers have to make tough decisions of varying degrees which supporters don’t always like but they make them for the team’s benefit.
Gary Bowyer has made a big call by telling fans’ favourite, Shaun Byrne he can leave Dens.
Byrne’s three years as the fulcrum of the Dees’ midfield and Gordon’s double cup-winning credentials will be acknowledged by their managers but the team must always come first.
Bowyer is spoiled for midfielders thus making Byrne surplus to requirements, while Davidson has a backline which he says has been excellent, meaning that his captain must exercise stoicism while awaiting his opportunity.
Both Dundee and St Johnstone are in the throes of rebuilding.
At Dens, it’s with a view to promotion.
At McDiarmid, it’s to avoid the relegation quagmire of last season.
Fans, and indeed journalists, are sometimes guilty of making assumptions about but managers’ decisions but they are in full possession of all of the facts and it’s also their heads on the chopping block.
Few coaches make big decisions lightly.
They can’t allow private feelings or personalities to intrude to the overall detriment of the team.
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