Dundee United No 2 Liam Fox says they will pick the right player for the occasion next season – quashing suggestions they’ll rely on kids.
The United assistant insists new head coach Thomas Courts will not let his youth development remit get in the way of results on the pitch.
For Fox, that means horses for courses and not foals to reach goals.
He hopes a blend of senior pros and rising stars will provide a winning formula for the Terrors as they look to build on last term’s ninth-placed Premiership finish.
Courts and Fox won’t duck big calls
Of the suggestion they’ll rely on youngsters, the 37-year-old said: “I think that is one thing that has been chucked at us on social media.
“I don’t read these things but you hear.
“I think it would be very naive of Tam and I just to say we are going to play young boys.
“That is not the case as we have such a good senior group here.
“But, ultimately, if the manager thinks the young player is the right person to play in a certain game or even every week, then those are the sort of decisions that we have to stand by and we won’t shy away from.”
Fox enjoyed his first week of pre-season training with his new club.
The former Hearts and Livingston coach has been impressed with what the Tangerines have within their ranks, taking time to praise the more experienced among them.
He continued: “It has been really good and positive. Everybody has been very welcoming.
“The guys have loads of enthusiasm and they are working extremely hard.
“I have also seen flashes of real quality in them.
“It is important that I mention the senior players as well as their attitude has been absolutely first class.
“Everybody talks about the young players here, and rightly so, but it is also important to remember the senior lads.
“They set the standards and the level that Tam and I are looking to put in place on a daily basis.”
Livi blueprint a good one but United will find their own way
Fox enjoyed success with Livi last season, working under rookie boss David Martindale.
Together, they led the Lions to a top-six finish and the Betfred Cup Final.
Working with another relatively-untried top-flight gaffer in Courts presents no problem for Fox.
However, he believes the pair need to find their own way and not just follow Martindale’s blue print.
“Davie did fantastically well last year,” Fox added.
“Davie has to take a huge amount of credit for the environment he set for the players.
“They work extremely hard every single day, never moaning and never complaining.
“That was really good for me to see and to be exposed to – the demands that were put on them by Davie.
“You always try to take bits and pieces from different people and some of the experiences you have had throughout your career.
“You try to take the good stuff and put your own spin on it.
“You can look at every team and think there are parts of it which are really good, I really like that and can we try it?
“But we have to be ourselves as well. We have to find our own way and the manager is quite clear on how he sees the team playing.
“It is up to us to work every day to try to get to that level.
“Hopefully the work on the training pitch, in analysis and the video room can transmit to a Saturday afternoon.”
A clear, attacking identity for the Terrors
As for how the new era United will look?
Fox is hopeful of attacking and, most importantly, winning football.
He commented: “Tam is quite clear in how he wants things to work and how he wants his team to look.
“Our job is to try to transmit that to the players so that it reflects on a Saturday.
“It doesn’t mean you are going to win but what I can say is that we will be working every single day to give the players clarity, to make sure our messages are consistent.
“Then, hopefully, you get a wee rub of the green at certain points to win more games than we lose.”
He continued: “I think we would like to put a really attacking team on the pitch, with a clear identity of how we play and how we look.
“If we do that, then we can win more games than we lose.
“Again, I am not naive enough to say it is going to happen overnight or say that we are going to win every week – that is ridiculous.
“It is a process and it will probably change as time goes on, as the season flows.
“It is difficult to stand here and say: ‘This is the benchmark’.
“It is a process.”