THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS
Hearts exit fuelled fire for Mellon to succeed in England
FAMILIARISING himself with his new surroundings yesterday, Micky Mellon had cause to consider that perhaps some things in life do happen for a reason.
For a few moments, Dundee United’s new manager was transported back to the mid-1980s when the harsh reality of professional football hit him with the force of a juggernaut.
Having done the rounds of bounce games and trials at various clubs, including the one which now employs him, he signed professional terms with Hearts.
Quickly discarded by then manager Alex MacDonald, though, it was a chastening experience. Aged just 16, he had already arrived at the point of sinking or swimming.
His progress in Scotland blocked, Mellon moved to England to sign for Bristol City, a far more emboldened and determined individual. The whole experience might well have destroyed him. Instead, it defined him.
‘Listen, it was probably the best thing that could have happened for me,’ he reflected.
‘Look at the career I ended up having in England. I won promotions as a player, working with some unbelievable people.
‘As a young kid, it was obviously devastating. But you have to show character, come back and try and look forward with your career.
‘You have to try things in life in order to motivate yourself. You try and get better. I was only 16 — it was a long time ago. I know it doesn’t look it…’
Born in Paisley and raised in Elderslie, those 30-plus years spent at clubs as diverse as West Brom, Blackpool and Burnley haven’t dulled his accent or an appreciation of the game in a country he was forced to leave.
‘I grew up in Scotland and as a wee boy obviously watched Scottish football,’ he added.
‘It’s always been a dream of mine. I love football, so the romantic in me always wanted to either play here or, once I was too old for that, if the opportunity ever came, to manage here.’
He’s a name most here have heard of but few truly know. Having spent his entire playing and managerial career in England, is he motivated by the chance to prove his worth in the country of his birth?
‘I don’t think “prove” is where I’m at in my career,’ he insisted. ‘I’ve done enough to make people understand that I’ve a good idea of how management works.
‘The challenge is to come here and work in my home country and it lets me be near my family.
‘Coming to a great club like Dundee United lets me compete in the (top) national league and that’s fantastic.
‘I’m excited about it and I’m looking forward to getting going but I’m calm about it. It’s not like I’m going to be losing my composure over it as I’m more experienced than that.’
Mellon wasn’t hired purely for his willingness to engage with the local community but it’s that facet of his previous posts that moved United’s sporting director Tony Asghar to state that he would fit into the culture of the club.
Acutely aware of the disconnect between the fans and the boardroom at the point they came in two years ago, the Ogren family have worked to rebuild trust. Mellon wants to finish that job.
‘I know the history of this club,’ he said. ‘And I know the passion that the fans have for this club. I will be aiming to make sure that they know I am going to match what they expect to see on that football pitch.
‘That’s the first thing about culture — you’ve got to grow into it and accept it. I have been making sure I represent that at all times and that the players do. We will work hard to do that.
‘I will be going out to meet people and making sure they get to know me as much as possible. It’s all about relationships.’
Mellon’s reputation as a developer of talent precedes him. He’s liked what he’s seen from the brief look he’s had at the squad this week and is enthused by the prospect of improving them individually and collectively.
‘That’s how we’ll grow it. I’ll look with my own eyes,’ he explained. ‘I’ve been brilliantly impressed by the enthusiasm of some of these young players.
‘We’re going to have to be careful as to how we nurture that and give it space to grow because there’s so much talent here.
‘You mentioned Lawrence Shankland. He has done terrific here and is going to get better and better.
‘But there’s a lot of talent here at the club, players who I will give opportunities to.’ Despite being immersed in the English lower leagues of late, Mellon does not feel completely alien in his new environment. ‘In terms of recruitment (at Tranmere), you would always cover Scotland and England and, with technology the way it is now, there is no game I can’t watch back again,’ he explained. ‘We always looked at Scotland so I am well-versed on the game up here, its players and the way the teams play.’ The elephant in the Zoom interview — Hearts and Partick Thistle’s
I was 16... it was devastating. But look at the career I ended up having in England
legal fight to deny United and others promotion — was tackled with a straight bat. ‘That’s a question for other people,’ said Mellon. ‘They’ll get on with that, that’s what they’re paid to do. That’s not my remit.’
Yet Mellon does recognise the irony in leaving Tranmere as the club weighs up its own court action to dispute its demotion from League One on a points-per-game basis. The unfairness of what’s happened clearly still smarts.
‘I can only comment on how we were as a team — not the politics of it all,’ he said. ‘We knew we were improving (when football was stopped). I knew I had a group of players that were showing evidence of being able to comfortably stay in the division.
‘That was the disappointment for the fans, for the playing staff and coaching staff. Because we knew we had that right.’
With a track record of improving three clubs across a ten-year period, it would take a brave man to contradict that view.
The fervent hope for United supporters is that his touch proves just as golden at Tannadice as it’s been elsewhere.
‘What can I achieve? That’s not really the way I work,’ he stressed. ‘It’s a day-to-day thing for me — step by step as we go on.
‘I will try to keep improving day-by-day and game-by-game and enjoy life — not rushing too far ahead and predicting I’m going to win the European Cup or anything.
‘That’s how I’ve always managed. I try and make the players the best they can be.’
Focus on the process, believe in your players and the rest will take care of itself; it’s a mantra that saw him win three play-offs down south — including two at Wembley.
After a lifetime of longing, repeating the trick at Hampden holds considerable appeal.
‘That would be incredible to be able to achieve things like that,’ he said. ‘But I won’t lose my focus on what’s important in order to achieve those things.
‘Make sure you keep your finger on the pulse and watch very closely how things need to improve and how the mentality needs to be.
‘If you keep getting that right day-to-day and you are tough with the standards of the club, you will get those big days.’