Lambert tells of snubbing Mclean

Champions League winner Paul Lambert has revealed he snubbed the chance to join Jim Mclean’s Dundee United, writes Sean Hamilton.

Lambert burst on to the scene as a youngster at St Mirren and, in 1990, was picked by legendary United gaffer, Mclean, for a Scottish League select side to face Scotland at Hampden.

Three years later, the then-tangerines chairman lured the future Borussia Dortmund, Celtic and Scotland star to a meeting at Tannadice.

But Lambert recalled feeling uneasy from the very start.

“I went to Dundee United to speak to Jim Mclean, believe it or not,” he told former Dundee man Si Ferry on the latest instalment of his Open Goal podcast.

“I went to Tannadice and it had stairs into it – I don’t know if it still has – you went up the stairs and turned right into the dressing rooms.

“So I went up, pressed the doorbell and nobody answered. I just thought: ‘I’m not sure this is for me,’ before I… talked to him. I was there by myself.

“I went in, I was in (Mclean’s) room, waiting and waiting, and he came in and said: ‘Hi Paul, how you doing? Listen, I’d like you to join Dundee United, there’s the deal, you’ve got a day to decide.’ I said: ‘All right, I’ll let you know tomorrow.’

“So I travelled back to Renfrewshire, then I go back to my dad and he said: ‘What do you think? “I said: ‘I don’t know, I’m undecided what to do.’ He went: ‘Go with your gut feeling’.”

After that, things still weren’t straightforward for Lambert and his St Mirren manager, Jimmy Bone, sensed his indecision.

“I made up my mind – I’m going to go and sign, so I get the suit on,” Lambert explained.

“I go into St Mirren on the Friday morning, Jimmy’s the manager, and Jimmy says: ‘Have you decided?’

“I went: ‘Aye,’ he went: ‘What you going to do?’ and I went: ‘I don’t know.’

“He looked at me bizarrely and said: ‘You don’t know? I thought you’d decided?’ I said: ‘I’m so unsure.’

“He said: ‘Put your training clothes on, go round the track,’ – Love Street, at that time, had a big track round it – ‘take a lap round it, then come back and tell me your answer.’

“I walked round Love Street, came back in, he goes: ‘What you going to do?’ and I said: ‘I’m staying.’

“Three weeks later I joined Motherwell with Jim’s brother Tommy.”

Lambert has never regretted signing for the Steelmen.

Asked why he picked Motherwell, he said: “Gut feeling.

“If you look at it that way (how big United were at the time) aye (it was a brave decision). 100%.”

“Gut feeling”: Paul Lambert has no regrets not joining Dundee United.