Peter Houston Interview

[Franck is God]

Not sure if anyone else heard it but I just listened to the end of the Motherwell v Dundee United match which United won 3-2, pretty much confirms them finishing third.

They interviewed Peter Houston afterwards and he was talking about this being the reward for the work him and Craig Levein had done at United over the last 3 years, putting together a group of players over that period capable of challenging for third spot and this year they did it.

A lot of people on this board have questioned whether Yogi is the right man or not, I believe that he is but needs more than one season to get where Dundee United are now, in fact I think he's had a pretty decent first season and if we make it into Europe then I think its a job well done.

[seanraff07]

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Not sure if anyone else heard it but I just listened to the end of the Motherwell v Dundee United match which United won 3-2, pretty much confirms them finishing third.

They interviewed Peter Houston afterwards and he was talking about this being the reward for the work him and Craig Levein had done at United over the last 3 years, putting together a group of players over that period capable of challenging for third spot and this year they did it.

A lot of people on this board have questioned whether Yogi is the right man or not, I believe that he is but needs more than one season to get where Dundee United are now, in fact I think he's had a pretty decent first season and if we make it into Europe then I think its a job well done.

I'm a fan of Dundee.Utd, i hope they do well i Europa League next season and i believe they could go very far in it.

Back to Yogi, i agree with you there. And i'm more optimistic now than i was on Friday about our chances of getting 4th. If we finish 4th this season and get Europe i would certainly class that as a success and a big improvement on last season.

[bingo70]

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Not sure if anyone else heard it but I just listened to the end of the Motherwell v Dundee United match which United won 3-2, pretty much confirms them finishing third.

They interviewed Peter Houston afterwards and he was talking about this being the reward for the work him and Craig Levein had done at United over the last 3 years, putting together a group of players over that period capable of challenging for third spot and this year they did it.

A lot of people on this board have questioned whether Yogi is the right man or not, I believe that he is but needs more than one season to get where Dundee United are now, in fact I think he's had a pretty decent first season and if we make it into Europe then I think its a job well done.

Good post.

Some results and performances have been completely unacceptable recently, however, on the whole if we manage to finish 4th, thats a pretty good result considering how bad we were last season.

On a side note it'll be interesting to see how Utd do next season, they'll lose Webster, think they're pretty skint so likely to accept any offers for there players and they don't have Levein any more who always seemed to find players from nowhere.

[GlesgaeHibby]

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Not sure if anyone else heard it but I just listened to the end of the Motherwell v Dundee United match which United won 3-2, pretty much confirms them finishing third.

They interviewed Peter Houston afterwards and he was talking about this being the reward for the work him and Craig Levein had done at United over the last 3 years, putting together a group of players over that period capable of challenging for third spot and this year they did it.

A lot of people on this board have questioned whether Yogi is the right man or not, I believe that he is but needs more than one season to get where Dundee United are now, in fact I think he's had a pretty decent first season and if we make it into Europe then I think its a job well done.

Yogi came in last summer to a poor squad and the sale of two of our best players (Fletcher and Jones). They were always going to be difficult to replace. He also inherited a squad full of dross (Chisholm, McNeil, Van Zanten, Keenan, O'Brien, and some others that are still here).

On the whole Yogi has made some very good signings (McBride, Miller, Stokes, Smith and potentially Brown) and cleared out a lot of the journeymen.

After a full year working with the players he'll be able to make a very good assessment about areas he needs to strengthen in the summer, and those that he will need to move on to take us up a level.

I'm looking forward to the close season to see some new faces brought in to improve our squad.

[houston1875]

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I'm a fan of Dundee.Utd, i hope they do well i Europa League next season and i believe they could go very far in it.

Back to Yogi, i agree with you there. And i'm more optimistic now than i was on Friday about our chances of getting 4th. If we finish 4th this season and get Europe i would certainly class that as a success and a big improvement on last season.

well said bud

[Sprouleflyer]

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Yogi came in last summer to a poor squad and the sale of two of our best players (Fletcher and Jones). They were always going to be difficult to replace. He also inherited a squad full of dross (Chisholm, McNeil, Van Zanten, Keenan, O'Brien, and some others that are still here).

On the whole Yogi has made some very good signings (McBride, Miller, Stokes, Smith and potentially Brown) and cleared out a lot of the journeymen.

After a full year working with the players he'll be able to make a very good assessment about areas he needs to strengthen in the summer, and those that he will need to move on to take us up a level.

I'm looking forward to the close season to see some new faces brought in to improve our squad.

The big question is what funds will he get for the summer.

Unless a player is sold like Bamba for a couple of £M, then Hibs will probably post a loss this year.

I have a feeling that ST sales will be down (i hope not), which will not help his budget.

I just can't see where he will find the right players to strengthen the team in the right positions on a limited budget.

[GlesgaeHibby]

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The big question is what funds will he get for the summer.

Unless a player is sold like Bamba for a couple of £M, then Hibs will probably post a loss this year.

I have a feeling that ST sales will be down (i hope not), which will not help his budget.

I just can't see where he will find the right players to strengthen the team in the right positions on a limited budget.

He didn't spend a lot last summer. We got around £3.5m for Jones and Fletcher. I can't remember him having to spend a fee on any player coming in (Stack-Free, Miller-Free, McBride-Free, Cregg-Free, Stokes-around £300k IIRC).

Clearing out players like Makalambay, Stevenson, Nish, Thicot, McCormack etc who are not good enough will free up money on the wage bill.

The stand has apparently been paid for, so we should have money available from the sale of Bamba, if as expected, it happens.

[green.and.white]

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Not sure if anyone else heard it but I just listened to the end of the Motherwell v Dundee United match which United won 3-2, pretty much confirms them finishing third.

They interviewed Peter Houston afterwards and he was talking about this being the reward for the work him and Craig Levein had done at United over the last 3 years, putting together a group of players over that period capable of challenging for third spot and this year they did it.

A lot of people on this board have questioned whether Yogi is the right man or not, I believe that he is but needs more than one season to get where Dundee United are now, in fact I think he's had a pretty decent first season and if we make it into Europe then I think its a job well done.

Yip, Levein took 4 years to build that team. In his first season, Utd finished 9th so we aren't doing bad

[Arch Stanton]

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The big question is what funds will he get for the summer.

Unless a player is sold like Bamba for a couple of £M, then Hibs will probably post a loss this year.

I have a feeling that ST sales will be down (i hope not), which will not help his budget.

I just can't see where he will find the right players to strengthen the team in the right positions on a limited budget.

If Yogi really is going to be seriously compared to Levein and Houston then he should also be emulating their ability to bring in quality players who are not already of proven SPL ability - just where is the skill in doing that?

I also remember reading that CL and PH had to make sacrifices to their squad in order to bring in Webster - has Yogi really shown that kind of strategic thinking? If he has then I haven't seen it.

[bingo70]

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If Yogi really is going to be seriously compared to Levein and Houston then he should also be emulating their ability to bring in quality players who are not already of proven SPL ability - just where is the skill in doing that?

I also remember reading that CL and PH had to make sacrifices to their squad in order to bring in Webster - has Yogi really shown that kind of strategic thinking? If he has then I haven't seen it.

In his first transfer window he was always going to bring in players he knows and trusts.

Now he's had a season looking and assesing the squad i agree, i'm expecting him to find players that we aren't already aware of. It's been said he watches lots of reserves game down south so i'm hoping he should be able to pick up a couple of players from there.

[KeithTheHibby]

Those who are calling for Yogi's head should have a word with themselves.

It's been 4 years and 2 managers since we had a season where we could and should finish 4th. Yes there have been periods this season which have been disappointing however this management team and players have got us where we are and if we finish 4th should regard this as an improvement and a success so to speak.

Yes Yogi has made mistakes and I am sure he will be the first to admit it.
Yes I think he would like to change his squad around however he has only had 2 transfer windows to operate in.
Look at Tony Mowbray, wholesale changes in the January window, made a complete cods of it and is now out of work..Rome wasn't built in a day.

I am hoping Yogi will have learnt a lot this season, especially during the dismal run we are currently on, this run should tell him a lot about the players he has at his disposal and the strengths he is looking for.

[Perspective]

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Not sure if anyone else heard it but I just listened to the end of the Motherwell v Dundee United match which United won 3-2, pretty much confirms them finishing third.

They interviewed Peter Houston afterwards and he was talking about this being the reward for the work him and Craig Levein had done at United over the last 3 years, putting together a group of players over that period capable of challenging for third spot and this year they did it.

A lot of people on this board have questioned whether Yogi is the right man or not, I believe that he is but needs more than one season to get where Dundee United are now, in fact I think he's had a pretty decent first season and if we make it into Europe then I think its a job well done.

Great post and thought the same thing myself when I heard Houston.

Yogi has to be given, in my opinion, at least four transfer windows to put his own shape on the squad. He can't really be judged until then.

As you point out, United have built their squad up step by step and now have a very settled, well balanced team. They've plenty of back-up in key positions, play good football and match it with a keen work ethic. But they didn't get there overnight.

I have some slight concerns, but would still like Yogi to be given the chance to prove he's the man we all want him to be.

[Arch Stanton]

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In his first transfer window he was always going to bring in players he knows and trusts.

Now he's had a season looking and assesing the squad i agree, i'm expecting him to find players that we aren't already aware of. It's been said he watches lots of reserves game down south so i'm hoping he should be able to pick up a couple of players from there.

I couldn't help but smile at the bit in bold (and I really do admire your faith in Hughes despite just not seeing how in hell he deserves it) because your 'assessing the squad' is my 'making fairly random changes to the team in response to poor performances'.

Also unlike you probably, I just don't believe in this urban myth that you can't tell if he is any good as a manager until he has been in the job some number of years - I personally would just like it if he could give us all a sign that he has some clue as to what he is about.

[matty_f]

It should be remembered that United finished 9th in Levein's first season in charge (he took over in the October, so not quite a full season) at a time when Eddie Thomson was still putting money into the club.

Levein then took them to consecutive 5th place finishes, flattering to deceive at times when many pundits had them pegged as favourites for third place.

That said, because he had the time to build a team and carry out top to bottom changes at the club, United are getting the rewards for the patience and perseverance now.They will, IMHO, finish third, and they are hot favourites for the Scottish Cup. That is a fantastic season for a club the size of United.

If Levein had taken over at Easter Road and finished 9th, 5th, and 5th folk would be calling for his head from the end of the first season.

[bingo70]

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I couldn't help but smile at the bit in bold (and I really do admire your faith in Hughes despite just not seeing how in hell he deserves it) because your 'assessing the squad' is my 'making fairly random changes to the team in response to poor performances'.

Also unlike you probably, I just don't believe in this urban myth that you can't tell if he is any good as a manager until he has been in the job some number of years - I personally would just like it if he could give us all a sign that he has some clue as to what he is about.

Since i started following hibs around 20 years ago we've qualified for europe about three times, he's on the verge of achieving that again in his first season so i don't think it's that hard to understand why i don't want him sacked just yet.

Don't know what you mean about it being an urban myth, we've not got very good players just now yet are sitting 4th in the league, once he gets better players i think we'll do better.

He's clearly made mistakes and i don't agree with every decision he makes, however, the league position he's got us to means it's be crazy to sack him now IMO.

[matty_f]

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Since i started following hibs around 20 years ago we've qualified for europe about three times, he's on the verge of achieving that again in his first season so i don't think it's that hard to understand why i don't want him sacked just yet.

Don't know what you mean about it being an urban myth, we've not got very good players just now yet are sitting 4th in the league, once he gets better players i think we'll do better.

He's clearly made mistakes and i don't agree with every decision he makes, however, the league position he's got us to means it's be crazy to sack him now IMO.

[JimBHibees]

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Since i started following hibs around 20 years ago we've qualified for europe about three times, he's on the verge of achieving that again in his first season so i don't think it's that hard to understand why i don't want him sacked just yet.

Don't know what you mean about it being an urban myth, we've not got very good players just now yet are sitting 4th in the league, once he gets better players i think we'll do better.

He's clearly made mistakes and i don't agree with every decision he makes, however, the league position he's got us to means it's be crazy to sack him now IMO.

Totally agree it would be completely nonsensical to get rid at the moment. There are the makings of a decent team at ER and with 3 or 4 good quality signings I think we can kick on and be more consistent. I think his signings have been in the main good and I think he is a decent judge of a player.

[Arch Stanton]

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Since i started following hibs around 20 years ago we've qualified for europe about three times, he's on the verge of achieving that again in his first season so i don't think it's that hard to understand why i don't want him sacked just yet.

Don't know what you mean about it being an urban myth, we've not got very good players just now yet are sitting 4th in the league, once he gets better players i think we'll do better.

He's clearly made mistakes and i don't agree with every decision he makes, however, the league position he's got us to means it's be crazy to sack him now IMO.

Do you not think that Blobby couldn't have got us into Europe if he had the kind of resources that have been made available to the managers over the past couple of years? Brewster was the only experienced player of any quality that he had and he had to let him go.

If you alight on the opinion that the manager is good then naturally you must conclude that the players he has are rubbish, but did you never consider the possibility that it is the other way round?

I also don't see why all the loyalty has to go to the manager and the players can just get turfed out left right and centre and I most certainly dislike the disdain that is being shown to good athletes who in all likelyhood are out there doing their very best to put in a decent shift.

[seanraff07]

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Since i started following hibs around 20 years ago we've qualified for europe about three times, he's on the verge of achieving that again in his first season so i don't think it's that hard to understand why i don't want him sacked just yet.

Don't know what you mean about it being an urban myth, we've not got very good players just now yet are sitting 4th in the league, once he gets better players i think we'll do better.

He's clearly made mistakes and i don't agree with every decision he makes, however, the league position he's got us to means it's be crazy to sack him now IMO.

I agree, if i was told before the season that we were going to finish 4th and guarantee us a place in the Europa League then i would be delighted.

So i am not going to complain that we haven't been the same this half of the season. We should be judging Yogi based on this whole season, not just the last couple of months. When analysing a Managers performance based on a season, you can't just look at the last few months and forget about everything he done during the 6 months before that.

I think it would be careless letting Yogi go now, give the guy a bit of time.

[3pm]

Dundee United were bottom of the league, Hughes unherited a team that finished 6th. Also, the SPL has dipped in quality over that time. It's not something I am buying into to be honest. Bloody doom and gloomer! :o)

[bingo70]

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Do you not think that Blobby couldn't have got us into Europe if he had the kind of resources that have been made available to the managers over the past couple of years? Brewster was the only experienced player of any quality that he had and he had to let him go.

If you alight on the opinion that the manager is good then naturally you must conclude that the players he has are rubbish, but did you never consider the possibility that it is the other way round?

I also don't see why all the loyalty has to go to the manager and the players can just get turfed out left right and centre and I most certainly dislike the disdain that is being shown to good athletes who in all likelyhood are out there doing their very best to put in a decent shift.

Don't know if he would or wouldn't have got us into europe, all i know is that yogi has got us on the verge of it, something he deserves some respect for. The league table doesn't lie as they say.

The loyalty has to go to the manager not the players because when we gave him the job we gave him the responsibility of managing the playing staff at the club.

With regards to them being good athletes i suggest you go up to george street on a saturday night

[BEEJ]

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It should be remembered that United finished 9th in Levein's first season in charge (he took over in the October, so not quite a full season) at a time when Eddie Thomson was still putting money into the club.

Levein then took them to consecutive 5th place finishes, flattering to deceive at times when many pundits had them pegged as favourites for third place.

If Levein had taken over at Easter Road and finished 9th, 5th, and 5th folk would be calling for his head from the end of the first season.

As I recall, when Levein took over at United they were further down the SPL than ninth flirting with relegation. So by the end of the first season he had 'enjoyed' the luxury of just one January transfer window and had ensured the club's SPL survival.

I think in those circumstances most supporters, even Hibs supporters, would see that as step one in a rebuilding process and be looking forward to the summer transfer window and the next full season to see what could be achieved.

Again Levein always came over as a shrewd manager tactically, even when his team lacked the resources and quality to make it count. So supporters would have reason to be confident that their team was in sound hands.

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Don't know what you mean about it being an urban myth, we've not got very good players just now yet are sitting 4th in the league, once he gets better players i think we'll do better.

That must make the squad that Mixu left us with last year as utter cr@p. And it in turn was an improvement on the squad that JC latterly assembled so they must have been .........

... I'll leave you to come up with a suitable description.

[matty_f]

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As I recall, when Levein took over at United they were further down the SPL than ninth flirting with relegation. So by the end of the first season he had 'enjoyed' the luxury of just one January transfer window and had ensured the club's SPL survival.

I think in those circumstances most supporters, even Hibs supporters, would see that as step one in a rebuilding process and be looking forward to the summer transfer window and the next full season to see what could be achieved.

Again Levein always came over as a shrewd manager tactically, even when his team lacked the resources and quality to make it count. So supporters would have reason to be confident that their team was in sound hands.


That must make the squad that Mixu left us with last year as utter cr@p. And it in turn was an improvement on the squad that JC latterly assembled so they must have been .........

... I'll leave you to come up with a suitable description.

Like how everyone's so ******ing cheerful after Yogi topped Mixu's securing top 6 on the last day we could, and improving the points total of last season already, you mean?

[IWasThere2016]

Levein didn't have the squad we have.

Levein didn't have the wages budget we have.

Levein didn't have the training resources we have.

Hence it took time.

Yogi won't get - and doesn't deserve - 3 years unless the results and quality of football rapidly improve IMHO

[NORTHERNHIBBY]

If our last 14 games or so, had been our first 14 games, does anybody think that Hughes would still be here? That said, Saturday was miles and miles away from what we were offered up at Hamilton last week. Fourth and Uefa or even fifth and Uefa would be a decent enough return, but in this climate, if we end up sixth that is not much of a platform to sell seasons for next year. As much as other posters have talked about squad investment, well our first 100K has to be on a new pitch and that could be the best investment in the squad we could make.

[CallumLaidlaw]

My current problem isn't really the squad yogi has. It is his lack of sight in picking the right formation and his lack of ability to change things during a game when we are under the cosh. He needs to do a lot of learning in the summer

[blackpoolhibs]

What does Peter Houston know, why would he know better than us? TQM has told us 9 months is enough, Petrie do the right thing.

[weonlywon6-2]

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He didn't spend a lot last summer. We got around £3.5m for Jones and Fletcher. I can't remember him having to spend a fee on any player coming in (Stack-Free, Miller-Free, McBride-Free, Cregg-Free, Stokes-around £300k IIRC).

Clearing out players like Makalambay, Stevenson, Nish, Thicot, McCormack etc who are not good enough will free up money on the wage bill.

The stand has apparently been paid for, so we should have money available from the sale of Bamba, if as expected, it happens.

the fact we have the money for the new stand probably means rodders has a few quid for players.

not to lose to rangers and a win over the gorgay boys and we will be a lot happier and season tickets will be ok for next season, even thinking about one for the new stand myself !!

[weonlywon6-2]

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If our last 14 games or so, had been our first 14 games, does anybody think that Hughes would still be here? That said, Saturday was miles and miles away from what we were offered up at Hamilton last week. Fourth and Uefa or even fifth and Uefa would be a decent enough return, but in this climate, if we end up sixth that is not much of a platform to sell seasons for next year. As much as other posters have talked about squad investment, well our first 100K has to be on a new pitch and that could be the best investment in the squad we could make.

no i think he would have gone. what has saved us a bit is we have been poor for what seems ages now and we are still in 4th.

i think had we sunk to 8th or 9th things would be different.

we will probably have a good start to next season again,its the keeping the momentum going thats the problem

[RIP]

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Levein didn't have the squad we have.

Levein didn't have the wages budget we have.

Levein didn't have the training resources we have.

Hence it took time.

Yogi won't get - and doesn't deserve - 3 years unless the results and quality of football rapidly improve IMHO

But isn't Levein a better / more experienced manager with better contacts though?