Dundee United take their turn in the great boss hunt

With Levein Hampden bound, where next for the Terrors?

The merry-go-round rarely stops when it comes to managers moving about. Although there has been no official confirmation, it is looking very likely that Dundee United will be on the lookout for a new boss.

If, as expected, Craig Levein becomes the new Scottish national team boss, United will once again be searching for a new boss and one that will hopefully take the club to being best of the rest and possibly beyond.

When it comes to appointing a new manager, there are three main areas:

An up and coming young manager with something to prove

An experienced manager to steady the ship

An ex-player keen to revive his former club

Sometimes, a candidate can fit one of the first two criteria and the last one, making them more likely to success. Keeping the fans onside is important to all boardrooms and football fans love nothing more than an old hero coming back to bring new glories to the club.

Sadly for Dundee United, this hasn’t always been the case with Cup Final legend Craig Brewster being unable to bring his early success at Inverness Caledonian Thistle to Tannadice. Paul Sturrock was another Tannadice striking hero who was unable to bring the playing success he had to his time in managing the club.

Both Brewster and Sturrock may be tempted to apply again for the post although the increasing health problems that Sturrock sadly faces may prevent him from being a genuine candidate, although he stresses that he is entirely in control of the situation.

Either way, with a number of fresh candidates, these ex-Arab hitmen may not even get on the starting blocks.

Two ex-players listed in a few online sources are Derek McInnes, currently impressing at St Johnstone and Michael O’Neill, boss of Shamrock Rovers. Both would also fit the bill of up and coming managers and would need to be considered as strong challengers.

Other ex-players with a bit of experience who would no doubt love a crack at the United job would be Maurice Malpas or Paul Hegarty. Given their none too exciting track record in Scottish football management, the United fans may not be overly keen on their appointment but the players will harbour an interest.

In recent times, Dundee United have favoured the younger approach but there may be a switch to a different tact this time.

It could be that ex-Scotland boss George Burley fancies a quick return to management and a job swap with his SFA replacement could be of interest.

There have been internet murmurings about Jimmy Calderwood being offered the post. Given the Aberdeen v Dundee United rivalry this may take the United fans a while to warm to but it should be remembered that the Tango man was able to finish higher above Levein’s United two seasons in a row.

As an outside bet, is it not time Jim Jeffries gets a crack at a bigger team than Kilmarnock again? Yes, he is a moaning faced toerag but he is well respected in Scottish footballing circles and this job may put a smile on his face.

Yes, WeKnowSFA are looking for miracles!

Whoever gets the job, United fans will hope that he is in place as quickly as possible. With the January transfer window looming, it is not a bad time to be coming in to manage a club.

United fans, who do you fancy as your next boss?

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