Q5) Our whole Club has been built on bringing through youth players to the First team yet with our drop down to the Championship there has been few players who have been able to make the step up to the first team. What are the short, medium- and long-term plans to bring our youth structure back up to the levels we have been used to? - Lancashire Arab

I think I have answered this previously it is an integral part of our long-term strategy and everyone at the Club is behind it.

I have worked within clubs on a consultancy basis who look only window to window to make changes, sometimes because the fans and the media influence the owners, or the head coach influences the owners to sign players but this won’t happen here.

Robbie and I have a long-term viewpoint by developing our own players through Andy Goldie and the Academy and all the coaching staff will have an input. Gordon Forrest has vast experience not only in first team football and the MLS but also in Academy development. Brian Grant has been at the Club a long time and when we spoke I said to him he had been part of the staff that developed Gauld, Souttar, Russell, Fraser etc. I told him we need someone with that bit of “stardust” because he knows how to deal with these young players around the first team.

Project Brave elite status is something we are trying to achieve but Andy Goldie and his coaching team will be working on that as it is the new owners wishes to get this done.

We have tremendous support from the Dundee United Youth Board with whom I have met on a number of occasions and they will play a huge part. We have players in the Academy and development squad on loan and the reports are very good and we have a number of players in the Scotland youth Squads and one called into the Poland Youth squad so the future is good but there is no point to an academy if we are not getting them into the first team.

Motherwell in particular have a number of academy graduates in their first team and this has not stopped success on the pitch.We will also look at the recruitment of players in the UK or abroad who are young and we feel we can develop or can enhance our team.

In answer to your question, we are fully committed to youth development

Q8) Any plans to adopt a Porto policy at United ie sign good players from The UK and abroad cheap and sell on at profit ? - Zarab82

Zarab, we will invest in players that fit our criteria of our recruitment model and academy graduates, however not to the detriment of long-term stability.

 Q10) In terms of growth of the club any plans to market United in the US it’s self? selling merchandise and setting up on demand streaming services for new fans abroad to broaden the clubs appeal? -Zarab82

Of course, with US owners and introducing Ian Harkes and Gordon Forrest we would look to the US market in terms of performance related visits and recruitment. The other things are carried out by the MD and his team and his plans for this, however other clubs are now seeing tie ups with US franchises.

 Q13) You said previously (Scotsman interview with Alan Pattulo) that you had sat as a fan in the Eddie Thompson Stand last season and had felt the supporters frustration, even when we were winning.

So question.

Does performance, come into your assessment of how Utd are playing, and not just results (I hope so) ?

Because, quite honestly, I feel we are very poor to watch. Slow, ponderous, over-passing the ball when on the offensive and surrendering possession easily at other times when the play is narrow. - Tek

Hi Tek, Performance is my role but results in the short term are the name of the game. As I said previously, we need to fulfil the short-term aim of promotion.
What I will say is that my point was that supporters were just frustrated at everything about the Club at that time. We have one of the best coaches in Scotland who I believe will - in the future - manage at the highest level.

The Championship is different because you never know what you are getting from your opponent’s, even with the benefit of analysis. Every game is a battle because the stakes are high, so sometimes these games are more ‘substance over style’.

 Q15) Longer term, are things like safe standing, redeveloping the Shed in some way on the agenda? – TheShed

This area isn’t under my remit, sorry. Mal Brannigan as MD oversees the non-playing areas of the Club.

 Q18) Mr Asghar, you were at games last season watching United. From that I'm thinking you have had an involvement in the club for longer than the point when you took up of your position as sporting director.

Given there has been a change in team manager during this season, did you have any input to that transaction? 

Hi Pat. No, the appointment of Robbie was by the previous board and to be honest that had a positive bearing on our business and performance plan moving forward.

Robbie is exactly the type of head coach that the owners and I would have identified as a prime candidate if the post had been vacant. To get someone of his quality in the Championship was great work by the last board.


Another question: does Derek Bond have a blind butler, or does he dress in the dark? - PatReilly

Ha ha, no comment.

Q20) When the club signed Ian Harkes it seemed likely that he wasn't a player on Robbies radar previously. If you know of a player that you think would be a good fit for the club how much input does Robbie get into that process? - Redford Must Score

 Our recruitment model is clear that the head coach will have final say on all players coming into and out the Club - no exceptions.

Coming into the Club during a transfer window is time critical and with Ian he was identified by our global network and presented to Robbie and the coaching staff.

Video evidence, statistical analysis, financial costs are some of the criteria we work to. Some players Robbie has worked with before and our recruitment meetings clearly identified these players as the types we needed to enhance our squad.

We will continue to create a player DNA for each position and our recruitment team will identify players who fit our criteria and we weekly (sometimes twice a week) go through the targets and then send our talent ID team to watch them.

This week we have had scouts cover games in England, Slovakia, Czech and Malta (watching our youth players playing for Scotland).

Q23) Can you and Mal please try a Nichols peh then come to deal to bring them back and get the current facilities away to fuck, once you've tried the Nichols peh you'll know what the fuss is aboot 

Cheers - Dyce arab

Mal will try the pie. I have eaten too many as you can see

Q25) How can we start to win big games again would the management team consider 2 up front with added psychologist sessions pre match? - DU Peligro

This is a question for Robbie but rest assured we are continually looking at ways to improve all areas of the Club

Q27) Would you consider bringing in sports/football psychologists and/or motivational professionals?

Our predicament is maybe rare but not absolutely unique.

Highest pressure matches are lost more than won and especially those that have been hyped up most and live on TV as pointed out recently with some fkn horrific stats.

I'm a believer in the law of averages to an extent but wonder what can/should be done to help change things for the better.

What are your thoughts in this respect? - Arabnophobia

My favourite question. I have run a performance consultancy for the past number of years and my consultants come from a variety of  sports and business background from the highest level. We have utilised their services in a number of clubs in Spain, France, England, Middle East and others.

The key point is that all elite performing teams can learn from external professionals and our football department is no different and we have already started this process.

The question about TV games I have answered before and if we look at specific issues or perceived issues it may only provide a short term solution (a few cracks in your wall can be repaired but will continue to cost you but if we plaster the whole wall with a higher cost it will last longer!) so we need to look at the bigger picture to alleviate the small things.

That said we will make improvements daily if there is opportunity to improve an aspect of the Club.

A Message from Tony -

I thank you for all the questions and hope my answers explain the aims and vision we are building towards.

Although it isn’t normal practice  for a Sporting Director to answer questions from a fans forum and not something the Club will necessarily do moving forward, it was important to me to do it this time to help get the message across that all the board and staff at DUFC all have the one vision to be a success and we need the support behind us - especially the players.

They and everyone  else employed by Dundee United wants the best for the Club and your continued support plays a part in that.

Macbonzo wrote:

bowers wrote:

Macbonzo wrote:

Believe it or not, Tony and I got on quite well. He's a nice guy. Stealing my sweets I would have got over, it's destroying my club that bothers me

Ok..

So you register on here around the time Tony became involved with Utd and you are concerned about him ruining the club... Why do you think that he will destroy Dundee Utd? 

Remembering here that he is a sporting director of the club. Tony has alot to do with the player side of things where as Mal Brannigan is more involved in the business side day to day running of the club overall. Both under the owners who can make the axe fall on either or both at any time if they dont think they are doing what is best for the club.



  

 
Fair question.

Tony has completed a course in Masters in Sporting Directorship. Personally, I have looked at the content of the course and the course teaching staff. What struck me was that many of the teaching staff were not published at all. The content of the course: psychology, business, organisational theory, legal seems to me a mismatch of subjects cobbled together designed to appear innovative. The rest of the course seems to be a glorified networking opportunity.

On the organisational side, Tom Peters, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Peter Drucker, Michael Porter have been leaders in this field for the last three decades. They are all American. On the psychology side apart from Professor Steve Peters at Liverpool Uni the leaders in performance psychology are predominantly American.

While I have no doubt that Tony will give it his all, his position is at best experimental and he is applying a lot of theory to a Championship football club. Can you think of any other club in Scotland who have a Sporting Director, General Manager and Someone else (Southern) whose job description I am unclear of?

What do you think of the MSD course content?

I have no interest n the MSD course being honest.
I also would need to look at the other clubs in Scotlands staff lists before answering the last part of your post which i dont really have time to do so if you already have the answer then fire i up.

Just to add as you have mentioned David Southern i believe the club should be looking to pay him off asap.