I’m so sad at the state United are in 30 years on from beating Barca.. they’ve got to get right boss this time

McLaren: My old club desperately need period of stability like they had under Jim

ANDY McLAREN has warned Dundee United must get the right man for the Tannadice hotseat this time.

Otherwise they run the risk of languishing in Scotland’s second tier for years – a far cry from the days when Jim McLean’s side beat Barcelona home and away en route to the 1987 UEFA Cup Final.

United are still searching for a successor to Ray McKinnon, who was sacked last month, and a number of names have been linked to the post.

Alan Stubbs knocked back the role this week as the former Hibs boss felt the Taysiders were not the right club for him to relaunch his managerial career.

McLaren – a Scottish Cup winner with the club in 1994 – believes Stubbs would have been the ideal fit for the Tangerines although he reckons the board were too quick to pull the trigger on his former team-mate.

With Stubbs now out of the frame McLaren, 44, reckons a Tannadice dream team of Jim McIntyre and Billy Dodds could pull the club out of their slump.

Former Falkirk and Inverness boss John Hughes and ex-Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo have been interviewed for the position whilst former Dundee United defender Gordan Petric is also keen on the job.

McLaren, who enjoyed two stints with United, can’t bear to see his the club stuck in the Championship, not least because he feels the club have a squad good enough to win the title this season.

He is adamant that the Tangerines badly need stability which was the hallmark of the Taysiders’ success during the glory years under legendary manager McLean.

The former player is convinced any new Dundee United manager will have to unite everybody at the club both on and off the park.

McLaren said: “For years Dundee United had stability which is why they enjoyed success. They have been chasing those days ever since.

“They need someone to go in there and lift the club, give them a boost. There is a slight disconnect at the club therefore any new manager coming in would have to unite everybody right from the off.

“A good manager will pull it all together and get everything moving in the right direction. A club like Dundee United need everybody pulling together.”

Of course McLaren would have been happy had Stubbs accepted the position and already been planning for the visit of league leaders St Mirren tomorrow.

He said: “Somebody like Alan Stubbs would have been a great managerial appointment and he could have done that.

“Stubbsy is a big name and I can see why Dundee United were attracted to him.

“It is vital that they get this managerial appointment right. They also need a manager who knows the league inside out as well.

“Jim McIntyre and Billy Dodds have also been linked with the post and they know Dundee United as a club. They were both very successful with Ross County and I felt that they were harshly treated too after winning a trophy.

“I thought Stubbsy would have been a great fit for Dundee United as he worked up here and knew the Scottish game.

“If Dundee United now decided to go for Jim and Doddsy then I am sure the supporters would be equally as happy.

“The problem with the Championship is that Dundee United want to play football but you can’t do that in that league. It is about grinding out the 1-0 wins.

“Hearts went down and came straight back up a few seasons ago. Rangers spent two seasons in the second tier and Hibs were three years in the Championship.

“It is not an easy league to get out of once you are stuck in it. I was relegated myself with Dundee United in 1995 and we came straight back up via the play-offs.

“We spent a lot of money on guys like Owen Coyle, Steven Pressley and Gary McSwegan because it was imperative we got the club back up to the Premier

If United went with Jim and Doddsy the fans would b