Tam Courts and David Martindale took unfamiliar routes into football management.
But Liam Fox reckons Dundee United and Livingston are benefiting from the experience their gaffers gained along the road less travelled.
United have been flying this season under new head coach Courts, who was promoted to the top job at Tannadice from the club’s academy.
Three league wins on the bounce for Tam Courts' Terrors 🤩👏
Where will United finish this season? 🍊#cinchPrem | @dundeeunitedfc pic.twitter.com/RdnF7e0iLa
— SPFL (@spfl) October 25, 2021
On Wednesday they face a resurgent Livingston side led by Martindale, who pulled himself up by his bootlaces to managerial stardom after a stint in prison.
Their respective experiences are worlds apart.
But Fox, who assisted Martindale at Livi last season before becoming Courts’ No. 2 at Dundee United, believes both can trade on unique skills gleaned from life before the Premiership.
Life outside football
“In that sense [that they’ve taken different paths into the job], there are similarities,” said the United assistant.
“I think you probably do take a different perspective into the job [coming into it from a different path].
“I can definitely see from the manager here and from working with Davie that they have skills from other things they have done in their life.
“That can be good for loads of different things, like recruiting players, dealing with players, dealing with different situations.
“They are different characters but that’s football and the game throws up these different characters.
“The beauty of it is that nobody is right and nobody is wrong. Different people see different things.”
In Courts, Fox sees a young head coach with a clear vision of how he wants his team to play.
Having linked up at United without any previous relationship, the pair have quickly forged an effective way of working.
For Fox, that has been a positive.
“I think that was a good thing. I look at it as a good thing,” he said.
“We obviously have to work at that relationship and we have done and we continue to work at it.
“I’m enjoying working with, not just the manager, but the rest of the staff as well.
“Sometimes we see things differently but that’s absolutely normal and it’s good to have those conversations.”
Fox will be back on familiar territory at Livingston on Wednesday night.
The West Lothian club is one he served with distinction as both player and coach.
And he is not shocked to see his former boss Martindale leading Livi to back-to-back wins.
“I’m not at all surprised that he’s turned things around in the last few games,” Fox said.
“They’ve just come off the back of a couple of great results. I obviously know Davie and know the players from last year.
“It’s a fantastic club.
“They’ve got some really good players and boys with great attitudes. These boys can look after the ball, have good energy and they’re good players.
“Sometimes that gets forgotten about – but we and the players don’t need a reminder of how difficult it is going to be.”
