Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

JIM SPENCE: Current Dundee United players should look to a warrior like John Holt for inspiration ahead of Celtic game

John Holt in action for Dundee United.
John Holt in action for Dundee United.

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.

John Holt at Tannadice.

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.

And Callum Davidson praised Liam Gordon while confirming the Saints skipper, who hasn’t featured in the league this season, will need to show patience for a starting berth.

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.

Shaun Byrne isn’t afraid to get stuck in.

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.

Conversation