By Bernard Thompson
Published in Irish Times online edition
Try to add Alex
Ferguson to the list and all manner of arguments begin. So, if the
manager of the English and former European Champions must struggle to
establish his credentials, then it is no surprise that Ferguson's
Scots contemporary, Jim McLean, has become a target for disdain.
When Ferguson was
challenging the supremacy of the Old Firm, McLean was in charge of a
Dundee United side that seemed equally able to rock the foundations
of the Scottish game. Between them, the east coast sides, were given
the title of "The New Firm" in recognition of the belief
that their tilt at the established order would be lasting.
Ferguson's successes
are legendary but, with a League Championship, two League Cup
successes, a UEFA Cup Final and a European Cup semi-final, McLean's
achievements could stand comparison with any recent Scottish club
manager. On Saturday, his 29 years with his beloved club came to an
end in the most bitter of circumstances.
After a fans' protest
outside the ground, McLean faced the television cameras to insist
that he would not be driven from a team that he had supported before
many of the cat-callers were born.
However, when
questioned about the role of his brother, at the club, and the future
of manager, Alex Smith, McLean, rashly, raised his fists to the
reporter and later announced his intention to sever all links with
United, in a public apology. His demise marked a sad end to the
career of one of Scottish football's few truly remarkable figures.
When McLean took over
United, they were an insignificant club, with no appreciable history
of success. Established as Dundee Hibernians in 1910, they were known
as the second club in Scotland's fourth city and of negligible
importance. It was purely through McLean's understanding of football
- an appropriate attribution of the word "genius" - that
the Tayside club came to challenge, and often overwhelm, the
established powers of Rangers and Celtic.

They also lost a UEFA Cup Final to IFK Gothenburg, in 1987 (having beaten Barcelona and Borussia Moenchengladbach on the way) denying McLean's team the sort of glory enjoyed by Aberdeen but establishing the Tangerines as a team of genuine quality.
Such success would not
be long-lasting. The introduction of Graeme Souness, at Ibrox, with a
bank balance to match his personality, saw the establishment of a
dominance in Scotland that was Royal Blue. However, the success that
McLean had provided was never acknowledged as being unsustainable by
the relatively small body of United fans. Over the years, they grew
increasingly frustrated - as did McLean - by the team's inability to
emulate their greatest successes.
The pressure increased
until McLean finally agreed to give up the job of manager and take
charge of the club's administration, in his new role of Chairman, in
1993. However, the failure of the club to prosper under new
leadership was as inevitable as the ability of the Old Firm to use
their financial power and massive Scottish audience to ensure that
future challenges to their dominance would remain the stuff of
fantasy. For United, relegation followed, as did promotion, but the
hoped for re-establishment of a third power in Scottish league
football would not materialise.
The result was a
challenge to the boardroom, through a campaign in the media. "United
for Change" was the name of a movement, led by the Scottish
politician, Lord Watson, and backed by some businessmen and naïve
fans. Their promise was to deliver the impossible with a plan that
was without realistic specifics. McLean resisted, his board supported
him, and it appeared that the threat had been fended off.
However, one of the
worst League records of modern times was more than the supporters
could bear. Dundee United have failed to win a match since April of
this year and their last home win was in 1999. Saturday's 4-0 home
defeat by Hearts saw the inevitable protests outside the ground and
McLean agreed to defend his position on television.
Unfortunately, the
relatively benign questioning became too much for him and he struck
out at the BBC's interviewer. Although remorseful, he immediately
realised that his position was untenable and intimated his intention
to resign.
McLean understands that
his moment of anger required a self-inflicted punishment. But what
must seem unfair is the extent to which his contribution to football
has gone unrecognised. While acknowledged for his team's
achievements, his observations on the game went largely unheeded. At
the peak of his success, he insisted that his players would be paid
bonuses on their entertainment value rather than simply their
results.
He was describing
football as a product long before the new breed of polished
executives had turned their attentions from Rugby Union to the
proletarian game of soccer. And, as architect of one of Britain's most
successful youth policies, he preached about the need to protect
young players as well as the danger of financially greater powers
poaching the fruits of years of coaching labour from "provider"
clubs.
In many ways, McLean
was ahead of his time but his visionary statements went largely
unheeded. Had he possessed the panache of so many modern, highly
educated executives, the international reputation of an established
coach, or just the credibility of an Old Firm manager (he once
refused the job of managing Rangers), he might have been regarded as
a football luminary.
As things stand, his
association with Scottish football and Dundee United has ended in
ignominy. His actions, on Saturday, may have been unforgivable but it
is certain that, between the victim and the perpetrator, it is
McLean's pain that will be more acute - and long-lasting.
No comments:
Post a comment