Steven Fletcher launches Dundee United defence of Jim Goodwin as striker calls for Tannadice board to stick with boss

Hurt. Anger. Frustration.

Steven Fletcher wore all three emotions like a shroud in the immediate aftermath of the match that all but consigned Dundee United to Championship football on Wednesday night. A 3-0 defeat to relegation rivals Kilmarnock means, in Fletcher’s own words, a miracle is needed at Fir Park on Sunday where confidence-shot United will need to batter Motherwell while Derek McInnes’ men do the same to Ross County at Rugby Park if Jim Goodwin’s side is to climb into the play-off spot.

The Tannadice captain has been around this business long enough to feel in his gut that it isn’t going to happen. Dundee United are going down and while much will change - and there is no guarantee he will be even be there to see it - he sincerely hopes that another managerial sacking does not happen. United have had three bosses this season in Jack Ross, Liam Fox and Goodwin. Fletcher believes the club hierarchy - and owner Mark Ogren who flew in from the States to watch Wednesday’s debacle - has to keep faith in the latter’s ability to get the club back into the big time at the first time of asking.

Ogren calls the shots and having pumped £13m into the club in his five years at the helm, has every right to expect a far bigger bang for his buck than he’s had. But Fletcher is convinced that adding Goodwin to the list of cast-aside managers would be yet another catastrophic decision to add to the catalogue of them on and off the field during the Minnesota businessman’s tenure.

“That’s why he is an owner and that’s why he’s got to make the decisions at the end of the day,” Fletcher said when asked if Ogren has a big decision to make in terms of the manager’s role.

“But I think he (Goodwin) has been fantastic since he came in. I