Craig Levein praying Jim Goodwin can save Tangerines from the drop
By James Reid, Sportsbeat
Craig Levein is ‘praying’ Jim Goodwin can mastermind a dramatic great escape and steer his former Dundee United to Scottish Premiership safety.
The Tangerines have won just five league games all season and sit six points adrift of survival, with manager Liam Fox dismissed at the end of February and replaced by former Aberdeen boss Goodwin.
The Irishman has just eight games to save United from a return to Championship after three seasons in the top-flight.
Levein admits he is concerned about the club’s prospects but is hopeful Goodwin has what it takes to overhaul the gap on both Ross County and Kilmarnock.
“I am slightly worried,” he said.
“To be in a dogfight with other teams who are probably more used to being in that situation than Dundee United are, it is going to be difficult.
“Jim Goodwin has come in, he did a really good job at St Mirren and a tough time at Aberdeen – I am praying Jim can get enough points to keep Dundee United in the league.
“My hopes would be that Jim can do the difficult task of making sure the club is still in the Premier League next season.
“If we do go down, then hopefully Jim can get us straight back up again.”
Levein has been linked with the Tannadice hotseat in recent weeks, but brushed off speculation to focus on his current advisory role at Brechin City.
And another former United manager, Jackie McNamara, who was speaking alongside Levein at the launch of the eScottish Football Cup, believes the squad have enough to avoid the drop.
“I think they have got enough in their squad to win enough games,” added McNamara. “Although they have not been great in terms of points, they are not cut way adrift and it is not impossible.”
McNamara is the owner of eRena, the company behind the new competition that will see 75 fans from across Scotland battle it out at Hampden Park on May 20 and 21.
Gamers will return to the site of Scotland’s famous 2-0 win over Spain last month, and McNamara is now backing Steve Clarke’s men to qualify for Euro 2024 in Germany.
“I am optimistic,” he added. “We have looked good in a number of games we have played, we have got some fantastic young players coming through.
“It wasn’t a massive shock to beat Spain, as it would have been before. You have a lot more confidence in the players so it is a good time for the national team.
“The biggest thing is that they are playing as a team, it is not about individuals. They have a good structure, they work hard for each other and the manager; it’s a good place right now.
“I think we have got the best squad of players we have had for a long, long time.
“The team is fairly young, they are growing together and Steve has got a real connection with them.
“That is apparent by the improvement that we have seen in the team.
“I wasn’t confident but I was very hopeful that we could beat Spain, and that proved to be the case.
“It wasn’t a fluke, it was a fairly solid display and it gets us off to a wonderful start in this campaign.”
The eScottish Football Cup is taking place at Hampden Park over 20th/21st May, with up to 75 clubs from across the country competing for a prize pool of £50,000
