United stand has paid off for Ogren
Tangerines’ first target is staying up but Mellon must be eyeing top six
BY GAVIN BERRY “WE absolutely intend to invest the necessary funds to get us into a position to get promoted but equally important is when we get up we stay there.”
Mark Ogren’s short-term ambition when he took over a Dundee United side still stuck in the Championship in 2018 was pretty clear – splash the cash to get up and stay up.
The US-based oil tycoon certainly did that with the club’s accounts showing their wage to turnover as a mammoth 133 per cent at last year’s AGM, highlighting the cost of promotion.
And he couldn’t have envisaged the drama that would have surrounded the first part of their aim being achieved then the subsequent shock departure of the man who guided them back to the top flight.
As if Robbie Neilson’s return to Hearts just 67 days after the Tangerines had been confirmed champions on a points-pergame basis once the season had been cut short wasn’t bad enough, United then had the uncertainty of a legal challenge to reverse their promotion.
But when you’ve waited four years to return to the top flight, a few weeks longer is no real hardship – even if it was an anxious time before victory was confirmed.
It’s ironic that even in a time of success for the club there has still been turbulence after a chaotic stretch since United slipped into the second tier.
Fans have been longing for the good times to return and a bit of stability after a period of off-field chaos but Neilson’s departure denied them that.
However, the appointment of Scot Micky Mellon at least gives them the chance of a clean slate ahead of a return to the Premiership.
According to the bookies only three clubs – Hamilton, Ross County and St Mirren – are more likely to finish bottom of the table than United. That tells you that consolidating is the No.1 priority but historically United are one of the bigger clubs and must be aiming higher.
Hearts, the team they are trading places with, showed exactly what can be done after they finished third in their first season following promotion five years ago.
The fact Neilson was the man who guided the Jambos to that finish is why his exit is such a blow.
Mellon is a rookie when it comes to the Scottish football scene after spending his career south of the border.
He has made a shrewd move in appointing Stevie Frail, someone who does know the Scottish scene well, as his No.2.
Mellon’s mantra has been, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” with inactivity in the transfer market. But for a club that last October revealed £3.7million in losses for the previous year, before the cost of the pandemic, then he’ll spend his budget wisely.
And with plenty of squad members having sampled life in the top flight before, Mellon is right when he says he won’t take a sledgehammer approach.
With his connections in England, the 48-year-old should be looking to add that bit of quality that could make all the difference. And with the infrastructure in place there is no reason why they shouldn’t be targeting a top-six finish.