I won’t be axed if we stay down
Laszlo insists Premiership play-off win is not crucial to staying in the United hotseat
CSABA LASZLO last night insisted his Dundee United future doesn’t depend on tonight’s crunch play-off with Dunfermline – and still expects to be at the helm even if they miss out on their promotion dream.
The Tangerines boss faces a huge 90 minutes in their quest to seal a top-flight return as they gear up to face Allan Johnston’s Pars in their quarter-final second-leg tie following Tuesday’s 0-0 draw with the 10-man Fifers.
Laszlo took over from departed gaffer Ray McKinnon in November but soon saw their ailing title bid go up in smoke as St Mirren romped to the Championship while the Taysiders finished third behind runners-up Livingston.
Now they have the chance to save their season by beating Pars and setting up a semifinal with Livi next week.
But Laszlo is adamant his own position won’t be decided by the outcome.
He said: “I would definitely expect to stay.
“This is a big club and I’m fully committed. What we’ve talked about is between me and the chairman.
“There’s been a lot of turbulence in the past year. The chairman stepped down and now we have a new one.
“Everybody knows we failed to be champions but now we have to try and reach our target through the play-offs.
“It’s as simple as that and we have to go for it.”
Laszlo insisted Dunfermline were now the favourites in the wake of Tuesday’s stalemate in Fife but it hasn’t dampened his belief in his own players to do the business.
He said: “I suspect both teams will go out with the same thoughts, thinking they can progress to the semi-final.
“I’m always positive by nature going into any game, more so than confident. I always have faith in my players and I hope my team is also of a positive mindset.
“The team who scores more goals will win – it’s nothing to do with confidence.
“There will be more United fans inside Tannadice to cheer us on but we’ve got to go out and do the job on the pitch. It’s all about heart and holding your nerve as well.
“The players have the chance to make a name for themselves in history so they must try to take this.”
Meanwhile, midfielder Scott Fraser reckons the Tannadice club’s big-time players can see them through to the next stages.
He said: “We’ve got a lot of experienced boys like Scott McDonald, Bilel Mohsni and Willo Flood, they’re a big help.
“We do have a few boys who were in the play-offs last year with us or played in them for other teams in the past and that helps. We know what to expect and how to handle it.
“Last year at this stage we went down to Morton and got a good result, then came back to Tannadice and won well. We’ll look to do the same on Friday.
“Fans tend to think it’s easy when you have a man advantage but sometimes it’s harder because teams sit in.”
The players have a chance to make a name for themselves in history CSABA LASZLO