As a solicitor will tell you, when judgement is being passed down in court, it’s the “buts” you have to watch for.
That’s Mixu Paatelainen’s problem when a verdict on his time in charge at Dundee United is reached.
Mixu is an honest, honourable, hard-working man who’s grafted tirelessly to turn things round at Tannadice.
But . . . His results were simply not good enough, hence United’s relegation with three games of the season to go.
Arriving as he did in October, Mixu faced a hugely-difficult task in getting new signings who were fit, ready and of the quality to bring about improvement.
He did his best and went for experienced players who’d previously played at a high level.
But . . . None of his signings worked as well as he hoped and some — Florent Sinama Pongolle, Riku Riski, Edward Ofere — were close to being unmitigated disasters.
Between them, that trio managed just one goal (Ofere’s against Dundee the other night) and not many more starts.
In terms of organisation and even fighting spirit, there was an improvement under Mixu.
But . . . The brutal truth is it was not nearly enough and, in recent weeks, it became increasingly apparent the manager himself was running out of ideas.
That’s why the verdict has to be the big Finn cannot really claim his dismissal was unfair.
Change is needed at United and the harsh truth is the manager’s job is a good place to start.
That said, while his time at United has been a disappointment, it should not represent too dark a stain on his managerial CV.
Mixu has done well elsewhere and, if he finds another club at a better time, there is still reason to believe he can be a success.
In the past he’s done well at Cowdenbeath, Hibs, Kilmarnock and even for part of his time in charge of his native Finland.
His failure at United does not make him a bad manager and, when he makes a plea of mitigation, he will always be able to point to the extremely-difficult circumstances under which he took the job.
But . . . there is no doubt his moving on is best for all concerned.
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