Dundee United’s new head coach has voiced his determination to transform the club into a winning side as early as Saturday.
The former Tangerines defender, who has managed Hearts and MK Dons, met the press at Tannadice on Tuesday afternoon after officially agreeing to become the new boss on Monday.
Speaking at the press conference, Neilson said he is driven to transform United into a “a team that wins” – adding that this job will begin on Saturday when his side face Partick Thistle at Firhill.
When asked what a “Robbie Neilson side” will look like at Tanndaice, he said: “I’m hoping we’re a team that wins. We had success at Hearts because we won. We won football matches.
“It’s about what we do on a Saturday. My job is to get the players in the best condition they can be on a Saturday.
“We want to have a team that wins, yes we want to do it with style and do it with flair and do it with pizzazz – all the buzzwords that people talk about – but nobody’s interested in that.
“All they’re interested in is (that) you win. And that is first and foremost what we need to do.”
He added he believes the current squad has “huge potential”.
Dundee United are currently fourth in the Scottish Championship.
The club parted company with former manager Csaba Laszlo on September 30.
Neilson said: “We’re in a difficult situation just now but we are where we are and we just have to deal with it – and we have to make sure that we try and get out of this league.
“We can talk the talk about what we’re going to do but ultimately we have to win football matches – and the reason I’m standing here is because we haven’t won enough yet. So it starts on Saturday.
“I’m delighted to be here, delighted to get the opportunity and for the chairman to give me it.
“It is a great football club, I know that from my short time I had here as a player.
“There’s always pressure in football, there’s always pressure in football management, but it’s the reason you’re in it.
“You want to take that pressure and you want to be the one that makes decisions and can make a difference and look at it in a positive sense.
“I know where this club can be. I know what it has been in the past and I want to be the person who helps it get there.”
