The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Return to Hearts discussed last year
Levein not surprised to see former United boss make move to Tynecastle
or perhaps a new signing if they appoint the new boss from within, such as current assistant coach Lee Mcculloch.
The club have now seen their managing director Mal Brannigan and their manager Robbie Neilson leave the premises in short order.
That might cause some supporters to wonder if there’s a bigger issue behind the scenes starting to unfold.
Covid-19 has also changed things dramatically.
The returns from a potential sale of Lawrence Shankland may have been dramatically reduced as English clubs struggle financially with the impact of the pandemic.
The United owner has pumped a fortune into the club and yet recently was glad of a £100,000 lifeline from the Dundee United Supporters Foundation.
That has raised alarm bells among more questioning fans.
United now urgently need a new manager.
Tommy Wright has all the experience and is interested under the right conditions.
For me he’s the stand-out candidate as United face a huge challenge in finding the man to lead them into – and keep them in – next season’s top division.
Craig Levein has revealed that Robbie Neilson was contemplating a return to Tynecastle as far back as November.
Neilson, who left Premiership newcomers Dundee United to rejoin the relegated Jam Tarts on Sunday night, left many Tangerines fans stunned. It was widely viewed as a move that came out of the blue.
However, the ex-tannadice manager and former Hearts director of football disclosed that Neilson’s itchy feet were a factor as long ago as last autumn.
Asked if the news of Neilson’s exit from United came as a surprise to him, Levein responded: “No. I had a long conversation with Robbie in November.
“At that point he intimated that he would like to come back to Hearts at some point. I didn’t think it would be as soon as this, obviously.
“I’m not one to put words in his mouth but I think he regretted leaving (Tynecastle) when he did,” added the former Scotland national coach, who was speaking to the BBC’S Sportsound podcast.
“He went to Hearts as a 15-year-old kid so he’s got a really strong connection.
“He did say to me at some point he would like to come back. I’m not surprised he’s gone back.”
Levein stressed that Neilson didn’t reveal to him any unhappiness at being at United but that it was more a desire to take care of unfinished business.
He said: “He didn’t intimate anything like that to me.
“I speak to Robbie quite often.
“I had a two-hour conversation with him in November and it wasn’t (about) anything that was going on at United, it was just him saying that he’d left Hearts too early and that he had unfinished business at Hearts and wanted to come back.”
There have been suggestions that there was a problem between Neilson and United’s sporting director Tony Asghar, while it has also been claimed that the head coach didn’t feel he had good enough access to American-based owner Mark Ogren.
However, Levein said: “I don’t know what Robbie’s relationship is like with Tony at United.
“That relationship between the manager and having direct access to the owner is hugely important.
“One of the things that I put in place at Hearts was every Friday that (Hearts owner) Ann Budge and Robbie get together without me and can speak about what happened through the week and Robbie can speak about his game plan for the next game.
“What that did was alleviate any fears that the message coming through the director of football was (not) the same one that arrived at the owner’s door.
“It was transparent. Sometimes as a manager you feel isolated and need the support of the owner, and it was really important, especially as a young manager, to have that feeling that Ann had his back, and she did.”
Former United defender Steven Pressley, meanwhile, expressed concerns about United’s financial health in the wake of Neilson’s departure.
Pressley, who had a chat with the now former Tannadice boss after the Sunday