Talk is as cheap in football as it is anywhere else.
Ask any of Dundee United’s players whether they want Liam Fox to be appointed head coach, and they’ll probably tell you he’s doing a great job and they’d love him to get the gig.
But you’ll learn a lot more about how they really feel just by watching them play.
Against Livingston and Motherwell, the signs have been positive.
There was some decent stuff played in the win over Livi and, while the performance wasn’t quite there against Motherwell, they did show plenty of desire, spirit and fight.
It certainly looked to me in those two games as though the players were working hard for United’s interim head coach.
And if there’s no appointment made at Tannadice by the time Saturday rolls around, there’ll be one more opportunity for fans to watch how Fox’s players go about things.
To be honest, I don’t think United will get a win against Rangers at Ibrox.
But if they come away having turned in a determined, organised performance, I think that will be taken as another step in the right direction.
And possibly a definitive one.
A few weeks on from Jack Ross’ sacking, I can now see Liam Fox being the man who gets the job.
At any other club at this point in time, I’d have said ‘no’.
But Dundee United have already proved they are willing, as a club, to give a young coach his big chance.
They did it with Tam Courts and it paid off in the form of qualifying for Europe for the first time in a decade.
The club’s business model involves providing a pathway to the first-team for young players.
But there’s also room within it for bringing young coaches through.
And when you start looking at things that way, Liam Fox starts ticking a few boxes.
He’s young, he’s familiar with how the club operates and he’s worked there under a couple of different managers now.
If those in power at Tannadice believe he can progress, why wouldn’t they give him the chance?
It’s not what I’d call ‘the usual situation’, but it’s also not completely unprecedented.
If Liam Fox has the backing of the players in the dressing room, I can see why he’d be a candidate.
He’s already got a tune out of them twice.
Another one could seal the deal.
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