The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Chairman aware of financial realities
Thompson targeting promotion and dismisses doomsday scenario
Stephen Thompson insists there will always be a Dundee United no matter what.
It is no secret that the club has suffered financially since its demotion from the Premiership.
This is now United’s second season in the Championship with chairman Thompson and the club board acting swiftly to dismiss former manager Ray McKinnon after the team lost two games in quick succession.
Csaba Laszlo has now been appointed as the new boss, tasked with winning the Tangerines promotion.
Thompson is convinced the 53-yearold can take United back to where they feel they rightly belong.
However, if he is not successful in that quest, the chairman insists that, while it will be financially painful, it will not be the doomsday scenario many are forecasting.
When asked directly if the club could go bust without promotion, Thompson replied: “I’ve been hearing that for over two years and I’m sick of answering questions about finance.
“One of the problems at United was that we were too open for too long.
“I don’t see any other clubs in Scotland answering these questions.
“We are the only ones people point the finger at.
“There is a lot less money in the Championship than the Premiership. We’ve had £66,000 from the league and the Premiership have had £660,000 plus £350,000 Uefa money.
“People will say we voted for it but I see life from a different perspective now and have different views because of different experiences.
“This club will always be around. There are other things happening right now – Dundee United will be around as a club. Absolutely.”
Thompson added: “We are in our second year in the Championship and the penalty for not going up last season was £2.5 million in income.
“It’s a challenge. Every season is a challenge but it’s a bigger challenge in the Championship because all of the money is in the top league.
“If we don’t go up then there will be a lot more pain. But we are not talking about that.
“We have a new manager and the target is winning the league.”