The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Reynolds proud of his United legacy
Former Dundee United captain Mark Reynolds left a poignant message on social media as he quit Tannadice last month.
“Try to leave things better than you found them” wrote Reynolds on a photo of himself holding the Scottish Championship trophy above the city of Dundee.
Reynolds’ time at United didn’t end the way he wanted it to.
A substitute appearance in the 3-1 Premier Sports Cup defeat to Hibernian in September saw him, unfairly, concede a penalty.
A month later, he relinquished the captain’s armband with Ryan Edwards taking over.
It was clear Reynolds’ time at the club was coming to a close.
But what wasn’t clear was just how dearly Reynolds holds the club to his heart.
During three years at United, he played 77 times and captained them to the Scottish Championship title in 2020.
His departure from United was entirely amicable as he left to sign for Cove Rangers.
In fact, Reynolds is gushing in his praise for United, manager Tam Courts and sporting director Tony Asghar.
“I’ll always be grateful to Dundee United for my time at the club,” Reynolds said.
“Do I have any regrets? The only regret I have is not being able to share our title win with the fans because of Covid.
“That image of me holding the trophy above Dundee was iconic and it was our way of showing we’d won it to the city.
“Dundee United will always be special to me.
“Tony Asghar was my link to the club and when I say he ‘sold the dream’ to me it’s not pie in the sky stuff.
“I bought into what he and the owner Mark Ogren wanted to do for United.
“I’m all about projects and what a great journey it was at United.”
Reynolds relinquished the United captain’s armband last October.
His game time had become severely restricted and he made just one Scottish Premiership start.
Ryan Edwards took on the role as captain in October but Reynolds retained close ties with manager Courts.
“I have a great relationship with Tam Courts,” said Reynolds.
“When you aren’t playing it’s easy for a manager to forget about you or stonewall you but that was never the case.
“The manager recognised I had so much to give, even from the sidelines.
“Being captain is about more than what you do on the park.
“It’s about creating a culture behind the scenes and fostering a team spirit.
“We had a great relationship. I suggested to the gaffer he handed over the armband to someone else, several weeks before he did.
“But he is meticulous in everything he does. He took the time to get it right and has made an excellent choice in Ryan Edwards.”
Reyolds has gone parttime with Cove Rangers as he continues to plan for his future away from football.
He completed his studies in 2019 and is likely to move into engineering.
“United were great with me during my studies,” added Reynolds.
“It was a unique situation because I was training then hitting the books for a few hours after it.
“Football won’t be forever and I want to make sure I have plans in place for the future.
“Cove is another very exciting project for me. They are very ambitious and I want to help them on their journey.”