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| <-Page | <-Team | Sat 28 Oct 2006 Hearts 1 Dunfermline Athletic 1 | Team-> | Page-> |
| <-Srce | <-Type | Herald ------ Ex Hearts | Type-> | Srce-> |
| Eduard Malofeev | <-auth | MARTIN GREIG | auth-> | Brian Winter |
| 102 | of 111 | Andrius Velicka 12 Jim Hamilton 48 | L SPL | H |
Levein to bring ‘clarity’ to UnitedMARTIN GREIG CRAIG LEVEIN became the sixth Dundee United manager in four years yesterday and expressed a quiet confidence that he will be able to reverse the fortunes of the Premierleague's bottom-placed club. Eddie Thompson, the Dundee United chairman, moved quickly to appoint Levein as Craig Brewster's successor yesterday, with the former Hearts and Leicester manager signing a two-and-a-half year contract. The 42-year-old joins up from Raith Rovers, where he had been working on a non-contract basis for the past six weeks, and brings with him Peter Houston, his assistant at Hearts and Leicester. The new incumbent steered away from any tub-thumping pronouncements on what he expects to achieve at the club, but vowed to approach it in typically methodic and pragmatic fashion. "I never make predictions or set targets because I think that's stupid," insisted Levein, who confirmed that he was also sounded out for the Dunfermline job. "All that does is put pressure on players and these players have been subjected to enough pressure in recent weeks. Pressure clouds minds and it leads to people making mistakes and bad decisions. "I can give them clarity, some things to think about and concentrate on to try and improve the team. I'm pretty sure I will. I will expect every player to give everything they've got. "If there are people here who haven't been putting in what they should be putting in, then that's a flaw in their character and maybe they're not the type of people we need. I've got to get to know the players so I can make decisions when January comes around." Thompson confirmed that funds would be made available in the January transfer window, but Levein claimed that there are more fundamental problems to address before he thinks about strengthening the squad he inherited from Brewster. "There's a lack of confidence here," he said. "There would appear to be a bit of under-achievement as well. Confidence is something which comes about from experiencing positive things. "I think we need to go back to the very basics. If it's defending, then we need to defend properly. We can get confidence from enjoying defending and making sure everyone knows what their role is within the team. It's about breaking it down and starting again almost." Levein was out of the game for eight months prior to taking over at Raith last month, following his dismissal from Leicester City. He was required to make swingeing cuts at the Coca-Cola Championship side and his four-year spell at Hearts was also marked by budget restrictions. He insisted that this will be his first managerial post in which he will have worked from a solid financial base. "In many ways this job has been started," he said. "When I went to Hearts I had the upheaval and the same at Leicester. This is the first job I've come into where, budget-wise, it's pretty stable. "I felt it was the right place to be. A lot of the boxes are ticked for being able to move the club forward. There is a terrific youth set-up here, some good players, a transfer budget available if needed, and a chairman who is ambitious. That's why I'm here." Thompson has dismissed five managers – Alex Smith, Paul Hegarty, Ian McCall, Gordon Chisholm and now Brewster – in a four-year spell, but is confident that Levein is the man to bring long-term stability and success to Tannadice. "There have been a number of managers appointed by myself and the fans and media were supportive of those decisions," said the United chairman. "Unfortunately, they weren't successful. I think Craig is a different character altogether. "We are getting someone who's been over the course. He was third twice [in the league] with Hearts and then got to the UEFA Cup group stages. He's a wee bit above the level that we've had previously. "If you say to him 'will you stave off relegation' he would laugh at you and say 'that's not what I'm here to do. I'm here to move the club forward.' "He's got great contacts down in England and Scotland and I am convinced that over the next couple of months he's going to find one or two nuggets for us. We are looking for big things from him." Thompson defended the departure of Brewster and insisted the consequences of relegation from the Premierleague were too drastic to contemplate. "I know some fans may be saying 'what's Thompson doing?' but if I had waited too long, I don't know what the consequences would be. "I was absolutely terrified that if we had left it for another few weeks it would have been difficult for another manager to recoup the situation.We cannot afford to be involved in the bottom of the league. If any provincial club was relegated, there is dire consequences. I've done calculations – taking into account season ticket losses, turnstile losses, the commercial area, the shop, the SPL income – and it worked out as a £2m loss if you're not in the SPL." Thompson also confirmed that Stevie Campbell and Tony Docherty will remain on the coaching staff.  Taken from the Herald |
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