Dundee United chairman Mike Martin has revealed it wasn’t just Robbie Neilson’s past success in the Championship but in the Premiership as well that saw him regarded as the perfect man to become Dundee United boss.
The new gaffer is the Tangerines fifth in three years but his board clearly believe this time they’ve got a man to lead them for the long term.
And the plan is not just to win promotion but to get back to competing well up the top-flight table.
That’s what Neilson achieved in his first spell in management when he won promotion with Hearts, then followed that up by qualifying for Europe the following season.
“We think we’ve got a very high-calibre individual with a tremendous track record and somebody who is going to help us achieve our ambitions to get back to the Premiership,” said Martin.
“He’s done it before in the Championship and, very importantly, he’s done it in the Premiership as well and done it with some style. We wanted to get back to a position of playing with some style and delivering results with some style.”
And Martin is convinced his manager will leave no stone unturned to get United back to where they want to be.
“I like his attention to detail, he’s meticulous in terms of his planning and approach to every aspect of the coaching role. I like his vision, I like the way he looks to build for the long term rather than just achieve some short-term objectives.”
Funds will be available to bring in new players in the January window but there will be no major squad changes.
“We’re very keen to back him properly. He’s impressed with the squad we have at the moment so we’re not intending to have wholesale change.”
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