The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
United fan delighted at losing tattoo tribute bet
A lifelong Dundee United fan got a tattoo of club manager Tam Courts after losing a bet with his mates.
Malcolm Steedman, 53, got the tattoo after the Terrors earned a spot in the Europa Conference League qualifiers – something he admits he didn’t think would happen at the beginning of the season.
Following the club’s League Cup match against Ayr United in August – a draw which Dundee United only won on penalties – the 40-year-long season ticket holder told his pals he would get a tattoo of manager Tam Courts if they qualified for European football.
He said: “Last year I was at the Perth Races with my mates.
“United were playing Ayr United in the cup that night and they went through on penalties.
“Before it, when (Tam Courts) got appointed I was like: ‘This is a disaster, what are we doing?’
“I was arguing with my mates and when we went through on penalties I thought it was ridiculous – Dundee United shouldn’t be going through on penalties against Ayr.
“It was a wee bit of a heated argument with my mates and I said that if he got us to Europe I would get a tattoo.”
At the time, the Audi employee never thought he would have to follow through on his bet.
However, things soon started to improve for Courts – and the team.
He said: “As the months went by we were getting better and then somebody put up the idea for this tattoo – I don’t know where it appeared from – because we were doing so well and I decided that it would be the one I got.
“I still never thought we’d ever get to Europe!
“I actually forgot all about it until the (league) split and my mate reminded me.”
On the final day of the season, United beat Ross County and secured their first European appearance in a decade.
The result, of course, also meant that Malcolm would have to follow through on his pledge, and on Friday he got the tattoo at Lochee’s Tribal Skribe.
The design – which was inked on to Malcolm’s right arm – shows the United manager Courts smiling, with ‘Puss Shuttin’ Champion 21/22’ written underneath.
The United fan added: “I’m a man of my word.
“My mates said it was superb.
“I posted it to Twitter and people were pretty positive.
“Courts has done us well, got us to Europe and I’m a man of my word.
“I have a lot of tattoos anyway so it doesn’t really make a difference to me – I’m just surprised we got to Europe.”
Malcolm hopes to go and see the qualifier with his son when the draw is announced.
He says that he is yet to hear anything about the tattoo from the club itself, however the response on social media has been very positive.
He posted a picture of the tattoo to Twitter, where it received more than 500 likes and 41 generally favourable responses.
One user said: “Brilliant! Need to get his signature tattoo next to it.”
Another added: “It’s actually a very good tattoo and captures his likeness.
“I think you might get hacked off in 10 years time explaining to folk who it is, however.”