As a kid at Tannadice, if there was one thing Ray McKinnon didn’t lack it was confidence.
He knew he had ability and saw nothing wrong with saying so — even if it was to men with much more experience than he.
Their number included his first manager, Tangerines great Jim McLean, a man who could strike fear in the heart of even the most senior pro.
If he had to, though, the young McKinnon wasn’t afraid to stand up to him. McLean, himself, was fond of retelling one story to illustrate that.
During one training session, the manager decided his squad should put in some shooting practice.
Ever the perfectionist, McLean’s idea was for players to take one shot with their stronger foot, then for the next use the weaker one.
Spotting his midfielder taking consecutive shots with the same boot he let rip, only for his young star to calmly point out he didn’t have a weaker foot.
McLean loved that cockiness, taking it as a sign this was a player who didn’t just have the ability to go far but the attitude as well.
Two decades on, Ray’s playing career is long since over but that confidence in his own ability remains.
Accordingly, when asked why he was the only name on United’s wanted list for a new manager, he answers frankly.
“I think I am one of the up-and-coming managers on the scene in Scotland. I have a good reputation right now after my year at Raith.
“I’ll be honest — getting this offer was no surprise to me,” said the 45-year-old Dundonian.
That’s not arrogance, just honesty. And it comes with an awareness football is a world where things can change in an instant and reputations can be quickly lost.
He knows a manager can go from king to clown in just weeks.
That’s why, despite a life-long allegiance to United, he took time to think and do extensive homework on the current state of the club before accepting the post.
As much as he wanted the job, he’d worked too hard to let sentiment lead him to a bad choice.
As he steered Raith to fourth place in the Championship and a play-off place, he was labelled an overnight sensation. That makes him smile.
Truth is he’s arrived back at Tannadice via a managerial route that took him through the juniors, a post with the SFA, part-time football and then an extremely tight budget at Stark’s Park.
Having played at Premier League level for United and Aberdeen as well as in the English top flight with Notts Forest, there’s little doubt he could have missed out a couple of rungs on that ladder.
But he wanted to do things properly and give himself the best chance of a long career.
“I think I’ve done it the right way. I’ve taken it step by step by step and I believe that’s the best way to learn the job.
“What’s important is once you’ve started as a manager you keep things going in the right direction.
“The upward curve is what you want to be on.
“That means starting in the right place and I believe I did.
“That can help Dundee United and this is a great opportunity for me to keep on that upward curve.”
His arrival is also an opportunity for players to do likewise. Sounding very like McLean, he stresses that goes for everyone from the youngest kid to the oldest veteran.
“There is a bit of work to be done but there is a lot of talent here to work with. There are some very good players.
“But in every player there is room for improvement. That’s the case at any age and at any stage of their careers. It’s my job to bring it about.”
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