Tony Watt admits he was “upset” after dropping to the bench for Liam Fox’s first match as permanent Dundee United head coach.
However, the Tannadice forward has expressed his determination to hit the goal trail with regularity — as demanded by the new man at the helm.
Watt, 28, climbed from the bench with United already 2-0 down against the Saintees, replacing the injured Steven Fletcher.
Stevie May and Melker Hallberg had given the visitors what ultimately proved to be an insurmountable advantage in the first half.
Nevertheless, Watt did manage to bag his first goal of the season — and just his second since joining United in January.
🤩 Stevie May's goal and assist helped St Johnstone win the Tayside derby 2-1 as Liam Fox tasted defeat in his first game as permanent Dundee United boss! ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/KIugS1Ez6z
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) October 1, 2022
“I was upset about not starting in the manager’s first game,” said Watt.
“You want to be in his first 11. But managers get paid to pick teams and I get paid to play.
“Obviously, scoring goals is what the manager wants and that’s what I need to do. It’s not as much about performance — it’s about hitting the back of the net. That’s been relayed to me.
“He (Fox) said to me that the other two boys (Sadat Anaku and Fletcher) were more of a goal threat. So I need to score more goals. That’s fine. I need to take that opinion on and be more of a goal threat.”
Selfish
While Watt has occupied a number of positions since arriving at Tannadice, that message from Fox would appear to herald a more traditional attacking role for the Scotland international.
“I’ve been going wide and that hasn’t helped the team,” he added.
“So I just need to stand between the sticks and score goals. I get that. There are different types of strikers and that’s what he (Fox) wants from me.
“I think I can do any job up front. I’ve played left wing most of the season and didn’t complain, through the middle and I didn’t complain — whatever the team needs, I just want to be playing.
“I had two decent chances on Saturday and scored one of them.”
Watt added: “I know the fans are probably on me for not scoring enough goals. I’ll need to score more.
“I feel like I’ve done well since coming in January and had a bit of credit in the bank.
“Do I need to be a bit more selfish? Probably, yeah. I think I have enough to my game to do whatever is asked of me.”
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