McKinnon could keep Tannadice outcasts
NEW Dundee United manager Ray McKinnon could re-sign the players axed by chairman Stephen Thompson last week, after making it clear that he would only accept total control over the hirings and firings at Tannadice. Thompson and general manager David Southern presided over a massive cull of the squad following the departure of manager Mixu Paatelainen. The number-crunching exercise resulted in eight players who were out of contract being told that they would not be offered new deals — while all but four of the first-teamers still under contract were also invited to find new clubs. That could have left former Raith manager McKinnon, who said winning the Championship title at the first time of asking had to be the target for United, with only Blair Spittal, Scott Fraser, Luis Zwick and Simon Murray as recognised senior players on the books. But the new boss insisted that players like Paul Paton, Sean Dillon, John Rankin, Ryan Dow and others may yet be
given a second chance to prove themselves. ‘What the chairman did was to say that there is no money to offer you contracts, there is no manager in place,’ said McKinnon. ‘But, if I want to go back to any of these players and chat to them or bring them back to the club, it will be my decision. Some of those players are all under contract unless I say so. If I want them to go — and they want to go — then we will address that. ‘But every player who is under contract, it will be my decision if they’re here or not.
‘Can some of them get a second chance? Absolutely. ‘If I want to keep any of the players and it’s within budget, I can certainly speak to them. ‘There’s not many players left. We’re going to have to bring players in, no doubt about it. How many depends on what I can get out of the players here. It depends if I want to keep these players here. ‘Looking at them, there are some talented people but we’re going to have to recruit, and recruit well. ‘I’m also going to have to recruit within a boundary. There’s no way I’m going to be spending the money that’s been spent recently. But there is a budget there and I’m hopeful that I can go and recruit the right people.’ Setting his sights high, he added: ‘It’s Dundee United. The expectation levels are there — and rightly so. ‘I knew taking the job that people would want us to bounce right back. Winning the title has got to be the aim. It’s got to be that mentality — 100 per cent. ‘I want to create something different at the club. It’s something I think I’ve done at my other clubs. Everybody wants to come and play and they’re happy. When people are happy, they come and train properly.
‘We want to set really good standards in training. I’m not saying there haven’t been good standards in training. It’s how I treat people. Right around the whole club, I want to bring something completely different.’ Asked about predecessor Paatelainen’s comments that entire departments required an overhaul, McKinnon said: ‘It’s something I’ll look into once I get my feet in the door. ‘Firstly, I just want to make it a really good environment for everybody to work in. Further down the line, we’ll definitely be looking at the youth set-up. But right now my main focus is on the first team.’