IT’S ABYSMAL
Tannadice chief Thompson hits out at United’s faltering squad
DUNDEE United chairman Stephen Thompson has told his players they have 13 games to save the club’s season and ‘their own professional reputations’ — after branding them ‘abysmal’ following their latest flop.
His ferocious verbal volley followed Tuesday’s 3-0 home defeat to Motherwell, which left the club 13 points adrift at the foot of the Premiership and seemingly doomed to relegation.
Thompson, who is expected to stand by manager Mixu Paatelainen, apologised to fans for the display on the club website, and berated the players for ‘failing miserably’ this season. He conceded that he and the board had made poor decisions, thought to refer to the sale of star players Gary Mackay-Steven, Stuart Armstrong and Nadir Ciftci to Celtic.
But Thompson maintained he has always had the
best interests of the club at heart and insisted United have the third-largest playing budget in the top flight. ‘I would like apologise to all fans for the abysmal performance against Motherwell,’ he stated. ‘The current position at the bottom of the Premiership is wholly unacceptable. It is not where we should be under any circumstance. ‘The board and myself have made certain decisions in the last 18 months which in hindsight were incorrect but were made for the greater good of the club and with the ambition of maintaining our position at the top of Scottish football, something we have done successfully for the last eight years. ‘This included supporting a playing squad that commands the thirdhighest wage bill in the Premiership. ‘However, we have failed miserably on the pitch with only three wins in 25 league matches and an early exit from the League Cup. ‘Performances such as last night simply cannot be tolerated. The current playing squad now have 13 matches to preserve the club’s Premiership status and redeem their own professional reputations.’ Meanwhile, Tannadice legend Paul Sturrock has criticised the running of the club, writing on a fans’ forum: ‘Confidence has deserted the squad and disjointed performance has been the norm. Time, chairman, to let this great support know your plans for the future.’