Christmas may be known as the time for giving but, for Frederic Frans, this and every other period of the year is all about Dundee United and themselves.
Because the big defender is convinced if they keep doing what’s best for them, the Tangerines will get the victories they need to be at the top of the Championship come the end of the campaign.
That means the focus in every game has to be on imposing their style of passing football on the proceedings.
It’s why although he didn’t leave Inverness on Saturday with a smile on his face – only wins give him that – he did take encouragement from the performance.
Frans agreed with the generally-held opinion that, over the 1-1 draw, United dictated the play and all that was missing was a finishing touch.
“I think the way we played, these are the kind of performances where normally you will win more games than you lose or draw,” said the experienced Belgian.
“In the end, it’s two points lost and that is disappointing, but the week before it (a draw at Morton) was a little bit of a sore day because we never got into our own type of game.
“Against Inverness Caley Thistle we did manage to get into our own game and, if we were a little bit more clinical, it would have been three points.
“So we take a lot more out of this game than the others because this was the kind of performance we want.
“The last two weeks haven’t been great and we know that, but now we have showed again what we are capable of.
“Obviously, we did not take the three points and that is the part we do not like.
“What we know is that, if we play like this every week, we are going to win many games and be where we want to be.”
After the recent home defeat against leaders Ayr and that Cappielow stalemate, gaffer Robbie Neilson stressed that need not to be dragged into the opposition’s style of play.
That’s something Frans buys into big time. “The frustrating thing in the last two weeks before Inverness was that we did not play our own game.
“The gaffer always is telling us, if we play our own game, we will win many games.
“After Inverness we could go home, I’m not saying it was with a great feeling because you only have that great feeling when you win but knowing we did that.
“At least we could say we did it our own way and, when you do that, it is something you know you can build on.”
United were hit by a sickness bug up in the Highlands, one that hit a few of the squad and meant the recently-influential Paul McMullan was forced to start the proceedings on the bench.
Taking his usual positive stance, for Frans that meant it was another chance for a player who’s been on the fringes of the team to come in and do a good job.
And he believes the display that man – on this occasion Matty Smith – put in, was further proof of the strength in depth there is at Tannadice.
“Since the gaffer came in everyone who has come into the team has always taken their chance very well.
“That is a good thing to see and I think Matty was outstanding against Inverness.
“He is a young boy who hasn’t been playing in the team for a while.
“To come in out of the cold like he did, because he wasn’t expecting to start, it is hats off to him.
“We see him every day on the training pitch and we know he is a good player. That’s why the gaffer gave him a chance, because he deserved it.”
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