Adam Asghar has vowed that he will never become Dundee United manager while his father remains at the club.
The 27-year-old coach laughed off outlandish rumours last summer that he was being primed for the top job at Tannadice by sporting director Tony Asghar.
As it happened, Asghar Jr joined Tam Courts’ backroom staff with the first-team, having worked with the United boss in the youth ranks.
He also had an existing relationship with Courts dating back to 2016, making him a valuable sounding board.
While Asghar — something of a lightning rod for criticism, particularly on social media — has learned to bite his tongue, he was keen to put talk of managerial aspirations at United to bed.
“To clear one thing up: I’ll never manage this football club as long as Tony is here,” said Asghar, speaking exclusively to Courier Sport. “I see that getting thrown about and I can promise that’ll never happen.”
‘Cloud over my head’
Indeed, Asghar insists his father’s position as sporting director at United made his switch to Tannadice in 2019 more difficult.
Adam, who cut his teeth in coaching with Motherwell’s academy and the Scottish FA’s Braidhurst Performance School, had cultivated a positive relationship with Andy Goldie.
And, upon his appointment as academy director, it was Goldie who believed he was the right man help shape the next generation of Dundee United starlets.
Tony Asghar was sceptical, Adam contends.
“It was Andy [Goldie] who pushed for me to take the job. Tony wasn’t sure about it, at all,” he continued.
“Andy was adamant and told Tony: ‘I believe he’s the best man for the job.’ For him to put his name on the line for me is something I’ll always appreciate.
“I’d be lying if I said it [Tony Asghar’s role] didn’t make it a more difficult decision.
“I sometimes feel like I’m coming in with this cloud over my head. All I want to do is coach players and make them better. Of course, I understand the circumstances and this situation will always come with questions.”
Asghar added with a smile: “I noticed Carlo Ancelotti’s son [a coach at Real Madrid] celebrating the Spanish title — unfortunately Tony hasn’t won five Champions Leagues!”
‘Twitter is the new pub’
While not quite five Champions League titles, United’s staff of Tam Courts, assistant Liam Fox, Asghar and fellow coach Andy Payne did guide the Tangerines back into Europe courtesy of a fourth-placed finish in the Premiership.
So, does he expect that to assuage the critics and convince the doubters?
“You’d like to think so, but some people make up their minds and that’s that,” added Asghar. “If you are chasing adulation, maybe that’s a big thing. But I’m happy as long as the players and staff respect what we do.
“And I’ve never had one bad interaction with a supporter. That’s something I always remind myself; the fans have been outstanding. Our away following is the best in the league, without a doubt — just incredible.
“A lot of the negativity is behind accounts on Twitter. Some people would rather have a go without contextualising things. That’s the reality.
“Twitter is the new pub. It is where the debate and reactions happen — we aren’t naive to that — and it maybe effected me a little at the start. Not any more.
“I’ve learned to zone out. It’s not something you can control and it should never influence how you live your life, how you coach or your focus. The bottom line is: if the players deliver, then the fans will be happy.”
Asghar added: “We are totally open to criticism. We’ve all been football fans. We’ll take criticism for poor performances or when things aren’t going well — no problem.
“Take that bad run in December when we weren’t winning, for example. It was totally fair for people to ask questions.
“What is less easy to take are lies or things that that seem to be made up out of nowhere.
“I see how hard Tony and Tam work. They honestly devote their lives to this football club, 24/7. Nothing less.”
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