Dundee United fans have been hearing about the likes of Chris Mochrie and Declan Glass for years.
I think this season could be the one where all the talk is justified.
Maybe I’m putting two and two together and coming up with five here, but I’m starting to get a bit of a sense of what Jim Goodwin might be building towards this summer.
Let’s start with Charlie Mulgrew.
Clearly, Charlie’s an excellent footballer who, if Jim Goodwin wanted to build a defence around him, could certainly do a job.
But would it be the sort of aggressive, energetic, front-foot defence that will step up, press people and force mistakes higher up the pitch?
That sort of defence I think is the RIGHT sort of defence for the Championship?
I just don’t think that’s Charlie Mulgrew’s strong suit these days.
So the fact that Jim has told Charlie he’s free to leave doesn’t particularly surprise me.
Because I think the United boss wants a really fit team that’s going to go and press the opposition in their own territory.
If you’ve got players capable of doing that for 90 minutes, it goes further in the hustle and bustle of the Championship than having an experienced head who reads a game nicely from middle of the defence.
That’s just the nature of the beast down there.
And the benefits are potentially transformational.
Jim Goodwin looks like he’s trying to get a side together than can press teams, be the dominant side, the fitter side and play the game in the opposition’s half.
And that’s where Mochrie, Glass and their ilk come into play.
If United are pressing higher up the park, they give themselves more opportunities to win possession in the opponent’s half.
If they can do that, I know what Chris Mochrie is all about… he’s going to score a lot of goals for United.
Same goes for Declan Glass, who scored a stunner in a friendly with Queen of the South on Saturday, and Glenn Middleton.
And we haven’t even touched on Tony Watt yet.
I’m glad to see him back at the training centre in St Andrews, putting the hard yards in, because there’s no shortcut.
Things threatened to get messy last season after he left on loan to St Mirren.
But I’ve never been one to dwell on problems as long as they’re dealt with properly.
If Tony’s head’s in the right place, and if he’s coming to play football the way Jim Goodwin wants it to be played and score goals for Dundee United, he’s a terrific asset.
And I don’t think he’ll be the only one at Jim Goodwin’s disposal.
