Dundee United need to cool it with constant sacking of managers as hot seat stats make for grim reading

It used to be the most secure seat in Scottish football. Now the manager’s chair at Tannadice comes with an ejector button.

Liam Fox became the latest to be fired into the Tayside stratosphere after a distress run of six defeats on the spin sent Dundee United bottom of the Premiership. At least the former boss will have plenty of company up there. The club are now looking for their third manager of the season having jettisoned Jack Ross back in August after just seven games in charge. The initial bounce under Fox didn’t hit any great heights and lasted a mammoth 22 games in the dugout.

No one was shocked. Only Mayflies – who are lucky to last a day – have shorter lifespans than Dundee United managers. It wasn’t always like this. Jim McLean sat on the Tannadice throne for almost 22 years until his eventual abdication in May 1993. In almost 30 years since, the Tangerines have has 21 permanent managers. There are flames coming off this hot seat. At some stage you have to think it can’t always be the boss to blame. There must be other factors at work here.

If you look back at the 21 gaffers who have been and gone, how many could be classed as success stories? Ivan Golac smelled the flowers and won the Scottish Cup but all wasn’t rosy in the garden with Wee Jim.

Craig Levein did well before Scotland called and Peter Houston won the trophy again. He was stupidly mutually consented and Jackie McNamara was decent until the punters turned. Since then? Robbie Neilson got them out the Championship then went straight back to do the same for Hearts. Tam Courts got them in to Europe and also decided he didn’t want to hang about.

See a pattern here? Dundee United rack em and sack em and any time they do get a half decent gaffer in