THE name Dundee United has seemed like a misnomer recently. From the fall-out over the sales of Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven, to the suspension of youth coach Stevie Campbell, the messy end of the Jackie McNamara era and the protracted process of recruiting his successor, unity of purpose has been in decidedly short supply at Tannadice and consequently the club have slumped to the foot of the Ladbrokes Premiership table. Getting everyone singing from the same hymnsheet once again will be one of Mixu Paatelainen's first task as manager, and a victory against Hearts in his first home match on Sunday would be a start.
“I have taken a break from Twitter," admitted Sean Dillon, the club captain. "You also bump into people who have an opinion of what has gone on but as a player you just have to get on with it. It would be good if everybody agreed but that is never going to be the case. Regardless of the decision the chairman makes he will not keep everybody happy. We want the fans to back us. It is hard to criticise them because they have still come out in their numbers. I hope we can get a good crowd for Mixu and Gordon [Young, his assistant] against Hearts and we can give the fans a win to go home with.”
If Tannadice players had been wasting time and energy thinking about the potential ramifications had Tommy Wright or John Hughes been appointed as manager, Paatelainen has wasted little time on getting his point across. Having shipped 20 goals in 10 matches, the players have been told in no uncertain terms to develop a meaner side to their game. Dillon knows the buck stops with him.
“I don’t like get involved in what ifs and there have been a lot of different names floating about," said Dillon. "But when somebody comes in you give them all the respect you have. “You listen to what they have to say, word hard and give them everything you have.
“His message was that we need to be more solid," added the Irishman. "He has seen some of the goals we have conceded and that is an issue but that has been an issue for a while. He will be looking to put that right so we can stop conceding the sort of goals we have been losing."
Dillon admits the arrival of a new manager can be an anxious time. United have 51 signed players on the books, and both manager and chairman Stephen Thompson have pledged to bring in more. "You are always going to get a mix of emotions," said Dillon. "If you are playing under the manager and he gets the sack you are going to be uncertain whether the next guy is going to want you in his team. But we just have to buy into what he wants and then we have to work our nuts off for him."
While the arrival of a new manager frequently causes what is known in the trade as the 'dead cat bounce' Hearts at home on Sunday is merely the first instalment of a six-match run which sees United take on the league's current top six sides, with an away League Cup quarter final against Hibs thrown in for good measure. "We have only had one win this season and we are desperate to win, like we would be in any game, regardless of whether or not we have a new manager," said Dillon. "We don’t want to be where we are at the moment and the manager will feel the same. We want to start climbing and hopefully that will start on Sunday.”
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