Adversity can make or break a footballer.
It has made Ross Graham.
Now Dundee United can build their defence around a man who can become their ‘rock’.
At 23, the boy from Blairgowrie is a fully-fledged man, as his performances last season proved.
He overcame a miserable loan spell at Dunfermline and a frustrating spell warming the bench for Declan Gallagher and Kevin Holt to emerge as an accomplished centre-back in the latter stages of the season.
Having grabbed his opportunity by the throat he’s signed a new contract until 2026, and will look to cement a regular starting berth as a lynchpin of the Tannadice defence.
A stiff spine to the team will be crucial in the Premiership and, with a trio of solid central defenders in place, and with Will Ferry’s arrival strengthening the left side of defence and Louis Moult again leading the line, United are making sound progress towards a squad capable of holding their own.
And given Dundee FC’s sixth place finish from a standing start, United fans will hope that Jim Goodwin’s rebuilding job at least matches Tony Docherty’s accomplishment.
I think St Johnstone will look to add some creative sparkle to next season’s squad.
But the new deal signed by Sven Sprangler shows Saints will still treasure battlers and grafters as much as artists.
The Austrian missed a fair chunk of Saints’ relegation battle through injury, but he’s the kind of player needed for a tough season.
Art and craft is lovely on the eye but work-rate and graft are essential too.
Sprangler is a busy and energetic player; his style has a force of nature quality which is important in the hurly burly of the Premiership.
And crucially, his enthusiasm for the fray is infectious to team mates both in training and on match day.
Seeing pictures of the Dens pitch being dug up is a reminder that not only the playing surface is being renewed but the squad is too.
Tony Docherty is in the early stages of assembling a side to match last season’s heights but, as the Courier revealed, he’s been busy even on holiday in assessing new talent and possible additions.
The work of bosses in recruitment is a non-stop activity and, of course, it’s a competitive field, with other clubs chasing the best talent.
Ideally, bosses like ‘Doc’ will want their main targets secured as early as possible, but it’s a complex business depending on the number, if any, of other clubs chasing a player, the keenness of the player to come and the influence of agents.
Players’ representatives – from the one-man bands to the multi-sports agencies – need to make a living and that comes from negotiating the best signing on fees and wages they can for clients.
Some potential signings will have been in play for a while and others will be last minute deals as moves break down elsewhere.
There’s no close season in the frenetic world of phone calls and discussions that keep managers and chairmen fully occupied at this time.
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