I've jotted down my summary of his words:

He explcitly wishes 4 players to have come through the ranks into the 22 first team squad. 40 full time professionals.

Contracts include reward.inducement to go into the top league.

Wants players to live in Dundee area (25 mile radius).

Set up a structure for the youths including a pathway to develop talent.

The manager: appears to trust 'Chaba' and his vision and strengths. Continuity is required.

Transfers: football people decide who is coming in (under a structure overseen by chairman).

Recruitment: Paul Sturrock first part of that, and we need to be active in the 'local market', which is Scotland England, Ireland..
Building a network of contacts throughout these areas.

Reserve team manager, Craig Easton part of new coaching structure across club. Soon to appoint u18 coach and so on. 

Want's to create a 'Dundee United Way', a coaching manual throughout the club, so players can progress. 
Plus cross age groups with coaches mixing and matching throughout the club.

Off field investment: reallocating monies to high priority items... pitch, hospitality, introduce 'new product' (no idea what that is)

Season tickets: sold 4250 full season tickets last year, this year 10% reduction anticipated, but 20% higher at 2,600 presently.

'Dundee United Way' is the DNA of this club. It's lost it's way. Asking players to live in community through to strip being more 'traditional'.

Fans have 'bought into' direction of club already, acc. to MM. Bulk of messages from fans to club are positive.
MM is happy to engage with people who want to vent their frustration.

Relationships: having players who want to be at Tannadice 'for the right reasons' will improve fan engagement.

Expectation: 'to win the league'. Up to 9 more players befor window closes required for objective. A lot of activity, ignore newspaper talk.

Financial future: are there to ensure plans in future can be attained. Investment: conversations continue to go well, MM confident they will
be concluded, but converstaions are 'private and confidential' Announcement 'before too long'.

'Message' at conclusion: thanks for what you have done. Positive feeling within club. Momentum has been created. 

Management knows what is expected of them. Working hard on 'implementing the United Way'.

PatReilly wrote:

My immediate thought is that he is blaming Thompson for last year's brown sleeves effort. 

 

I hope the root and branch review has unearthed whoever was responsible for giving that strip the thumbs up, with them promptly being booted out the door.

Bar none, the most hideous Dundee United strip in history. I don't care what anyone says about black and tangerine stripes etc, at any further than arms length, it was phucking jobby broon.

Going by what I've heard on Martin though, what he's saying isn't all just bluster, there are real postives changes being made in many different areas of the club. I know a couple of people who work within Tannadice and the difference in  working environment since Thompson's departure is apparently night and day.

The 25-mile radius thing is an interesting one, I think the intentions behind the idea are sound, it will definitely put us on the back foot somewhat when it comes to signing certain players. Not too sure how well it'll end up working.

Last edited by JerryDungle (07/6/2018 7:24 pm)

I am actually quite positive for next season and beyond after listening to the Chairman.  There seems to be a complete plan and way forward right through the club.
  I can see how some might think the 25 mile radius might put off players from signing . To me though it means they actually want to play for the club and shows commitment.
  Dundee is a vibrant city with all the renovation at the waterfront over the past few years and all the surrounding coastal  towns in the Angus area and North Fife to live in. No excuses for players and family's not to be living here if they want to play for the club.

Last edited by Abacabarab (07/6/2018 9:41 pm)

He certainly has the skill set to be a chairman, financial background a good communicator and a clear vision for the club.
It all depends though on the calibre of player that comes through the door in the next couple of weeks.
Any potential signings watching MM would certainly feel that Tannadice is now a positive place to come and play.

blackandtangerine wrote:

Abacabarab wrote:

I am actually quite positive for next season and beyond after listening to the Chairman.  There seems to be a complete plan and way forward right through the club.
  I can see how some might think the 25 mile radius might put off players from signing . To me though it means they actually want to play for the club and shows commitment.
  Dundee is a vibrant city with all the renovation at the waterfront over the past few years and all the surrounding coastal  towns in the Angus area and North Fife to live in. No excuses for players and family's not to be living here if they want to play for the club.

Ok. Say the players biding in a toon thats 50 miles away . Hes more than happy to sign on the dotted line for 2 years but he doesnt want to uproot his family. Bairns are happy in their school and the wife has her own wee business in said toon which is 50 miles away. Would you refuse to sign him fir 25 miles?
 

 
Exactly the type of scenario that will stop us attracting some players with this 25 mile rule.  The worlds a whole different place than it was when this stuff worked in the 80’s.
It’s not like these boys are moving to a stable long term job, folk don’t want to move house every year, that’s why so many footballers live in the central belt, 30 odd clubs in reasonable travelling distance.

I have an issue with continuity. On the face of it "continuity" is considered to be a desirable thing but what does that really mean in practice. Had we kept Jackie or Mixu or Ray and gone along with the "continuity" approach, where would we be now. Possibly in an even lower division or even out of business. Is Csaba any better than those 3 and what do we do next season if Csaba gets us relegated (our form post Christmas has been relegation form for the past 2 seasons and the season before we were actually relegated) - do we persist with the continuity approach. I suspect not.

I'm all for having a Dundee United way as long as its the right way (like we had when we won the league and other trophies and were a force in Europe. If only we had continuity of the way we play and not been subjected to the stupid unsuccessful fads that Jackie Ray and Csaba have peddled.

Continuity is difficult to achieve as good managers and players will always be moving on and do we really want to keep those that nobody else wants. The important factor for me is getting the right manager in and if we had someone like Hopkins we would IMO have been promoted in both the last 2 seasons. 

I also think that requiring players to live with the 25 miles or whatever is difficult too. This was ok in the days of wee Jim with his 10 year contracts but totally unworkable in todays game where we are lucky when we finish the season with the players who started. You cant expect to uproot families for a few months work

MM's not done anything to win me over yet, not writing him off either but his decision to stick with Csaba Cshambles doesn't fill me with confidence that this season will be any different to the last 2.

What i think is it should be an hours drive from the training ground, not Dundee. I dont think an hours an unreasonable time to travel.

MM is trying to create a culture where the players actually give a fuck about UTD. Some players only set foot in Dundee once a fortnight and piss of to weegie land asap.
Dundee is a great place to live  if you are not prepared to comit to the area your no use to the terrors

All the players should live within a FIFTEEN mile radius of St. Andrews and WALK to training SIX days a week.

MM outlines his concept of 'The Dundee United Way' to an extent (players living in the community, the 'traditional' look to the jersey, and players playing in a certain manner across the age groups): it sounds, to me, that Luggy has emphasised the approach wee Jim took, and come up with this.

To be honest, players being brought through to approach the game with a particular 'way' is the most important to me. A number of years ago, Jim McLean outlined to supporters his approach to coaching, in a simple manner. Players would pass, not directly to each other but always to the side of the receiving player (makes marking difficult) who should always be moving. And the ball should go forward as quickly as possible.

I've got my doubts Csaba has it in him to implement such a simple concept. Which brings me to Burger: when does he come and take on his......role?

Ex Houston Arab wrote:

blackandtangerine wrote:

What i think is it should be an hours drive from the training ground, not Dundee. I dont think an hours an unreasonable time to travel.

 
Neither does MM, he lives in Edinburgh 😂😂

 
Very good point 😆

blackandtangerine wrote:

Ex Houston Arab wrote:

blackandtangerine wrote:

What i think is it should be an hours drive from the training ground, not Dundee. I dont think an hours an unreasonable time to travel.

 
Neither does MM, he lives in Edinburgh 😂😂

 
Very good point 😆

So does Csaba 🙈