Charlie Mulgrew is adamant he can withstand the challenge of three games in eight days as a tumultuous campaign for Dundee United reaches its nerve-shredding conclusion.
Mulgrew, 37, will come straight back into the Tangerines side to face Livingston this afternoon after serving a one-match suspension against Ross County.
Without the veteran centre-half, United were forced to alter their shape and turned in a ropey defensive display against the Highlanders — losing 3-1 to their relegation rivals.
As such, the former Celtic and Scotland star appears destined to be a pivotal player during the run-in as rock-bottom United seek to bridge the three-point gap to Premiership safety.
“In the past it would have been a discussion between the manager, the physios and myself (about how many games to play),” said Mulgrew. “But it’s the last week of the season; it’s all hands to the pump.
“If the manager wants me on the pitch, I’ll be available. These are the last games so I’ll be at it.
“I did it this time last year. We played Rangers, Celtic in midweek and then Ross County in the last three games. That was the same kind of timeframe.
“The fitness is there — we have done all the training so we’re ready for it — but we need to get the first one out of the way first!”
Relegation heartbreak
With a large portion of his career spent at Celtic, Mulgrew is accustomed to fraught run-ins.
However, he was usually chasing silverware and challenging for titles. The battle at the bottom is a very different one.
His only other experience of this situation was Blackburn’s agonising last-day relegation from the Championship in 2017, by virtue of an inferior goal difference to Nottingham Forest — by TWO goals.
It is not a pain he has any desire to go through again.
“I was in this position with Blackburn in the past and it is real pressure,” continued Mulgrew.
“If you sit and dig into it, this season there’s an added pressure because of what’s at stake. And you have to handle it.
“Blackburn is the only time I have had to deal with this scenario. We didn’t survive and went down with record points for a Championship club relegated.
“It’s not a nice experience. As much as winning titles and playing in Europe is something you do want to have, this is the complete opposite.
“But we have got ourselves into this situation so it’s up to us to get ourselves out of it.”
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