Craig Levein is the perfect man to mastermind a great escape with Dundee United — and revitalise the club “from top to bottom”.
That is the view of the Tangerines’ Scottish Cup-winning hero Danny Swanson, who has urged United to offer Levein carte blanche control in a bid to tempt the former Scotland manager back to Tannadice.
Courier Sport revealed that Levein was top of the Terrors’ list of candidates to replace Liam Fox, with informal contact made on Monday afternoon.
Further talks have since taken place with United chief executive Luigi Capuano — leading the recruitment process following the departure of Tony Asghar on Tuesday evening — but some distance remains between the parties. The next 24 hours will be crucial.
Levein would also be a strong contender to transition into the sporting director role in the long-term.
He is currently in a valued role as advisor to the board of Brechin City, while acting as a regular pundit on BBC Scotland. Any pitch by United must be a persuasive one.
However, the pull of his former club is strong — and Swanson is among those desperate to see his old gaffer make an emotional return to Tannadice.
“It’s a no-brainer and the club need to get him in as quickly as possible,” Swanson told Courier Sport. “Don’t even think about interviewing anyone else — just get him in the door. You bring in a man like Craig Levein and allow him to do his own thing.
“They need to give him the responsibility to build that football club. That’s what he did when I was at Dundee United. It wasn’t just about the starting 11. It was the whole shooting match — top to bottom — from the academy to the upper levels.
“Everything was run the way it should be, and that was the platform for Dundee United doing so well. He laid those foundations and, more than ever, they need someone with that know-how.”
Knocking heads
Few players are better placed to speak the qualities of Levein as a manager than Swanson.
It was Levein who spotted his talents while on the books of Berwick Rangers and gave Swanson a crack at the big time with United.
His faith was repaid in spades.
🗓 A sumptuous Danny Swanson strike was the pick of the bunch as we recorded an emphatic 4-2 victory over Hibernian, #OnThisDay 2010
🎟 https://t.co/YoQDiHDcdZ | #UnitedTogether pic.twitter.com/4zcJ487bzd
— Dundee United FC (@dundeeunitedfc) March 31, 2022
The Leith-born magician notched 12 goals in 127 appearances and, although Levein had already departed for the Scotland job the prior year, Swanson lifted the Scottish Cup in 2010.
Now coaching a new generation of young talents at his DS11 Football Academy, Swanson is certain Levein has the nous and character to lift a toiling United squad out of the doldrums and bridge the four-point gap to Premiership safety.
“He’d go in there and, if needed, knock a few heads,” Swanson continued.
“From the outside, it looks like they lose games too easily; there’s an acceptance of defeat. As someone who loves United — a lot of my family support the club — that’s hard to watch.
“Under Craig? That wouldn’t happen.
“If the players buy into it, he can get them out of trouble. And if they don’t buy into it, they’d not be there long.”
He added: “I wouldn’t say Craig is old school. That’s unfair, because he’s a very good manager. But he brings discipline and demands. He’s a big character and has a presence. United need that.”
Fan power
As well as bringing a wealth of experience from a managerial career including stints with Hearts, Leicester and Scotland, Levein’s potential arrival would energise a fanbase that is largely buoyed by the prospect of his return.
“The fans were unbelievable with me, personally, and are very loyal supporters,” added Swanson. “Even now, they are turning out in their numbers — and, given how they are feeling, it’s such a big call for them (the club) to pick the right person.
“I don’t think they should be taking risks or going elsewhere.
“With Levein, you know exactly what you are getting. There’s only one man for the job and it’s him. The fans are going to take to him right away and it’ll give the whole club a lift.
“I get it; people might look at his last job (sacked by Hearts in 2019) and have opinions about this or that. But, I’ve worked with the man — I’ve seen what he’s all about — and he’ll do what is right for Dundee United.”
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