Tony Asghar has admitted European-bound Dundee United are going to need to bring in better quality this summer - that they not only get results but will also do it in style.
United make their return to the European arena after a 10 year absence.
The Tannadice outfit punched above their weight to finish fourth under Tam Courts and sporting director Asghar acknowledged that at times although their play was effective it wasn’t exactly the most exciting.
Asghar confirmed: “Our recruitment is going to have to be stronger. We are going to have to look for better quality.
“Make no mistake, me, the coaching staff and the analysts know we are going to have to get a style of football that is going to be more entertaining and successful.
“But we also have to look at the results. It’s a results-business and we are sitting fourth in the league and were hardly out of the top-six all season.
“Our big problem — that Tam and I speak about on a daily basis — is ‘how are we going to make sure we get there and play an attractive style of football?’ We are all on that journey.
“It doesn’t matter if you were a fan of Dundee United, everyone was engrossed in this club when it was jumping in the 1980s.
“We know that qualifying rounds of the Europa Conference League isn’t the same as the Europa League or Champions League. But it gives us a taste and allows us to go toe-to-toe with some great opposition.”
Asghar has come under fire at times from his own supporters. He has made mistakes but he is adamant every decision has been made for the right reasons.
He said: “I’ve got social media that says ‘Asghar Out’ all of the time. There’s even a hashtag for it!
“When I first came in I said I was going to read social media and get on the forums. But I don’t read it any more.
“It was a big learning curve for me.
“I’ve made loads of mistakes. For all the good things we have done, I’ve made loads of mistakes. But you never make the same mistake twice.
“The perception of me is difficult. There was a preconceived idea of me when I first came in. The word ‘agent’ was used a lot. People said I was taking money from the club.
“If Mark Ogren really believed that, then he wouldn’t give me the autonomy to make sure the football department was running the way it is.
“I’ve got a son [Adam Asghar, coach] at the club. I’ve got a son and daughter and wife. My wife doesn’t come to the games, which is disappointing.
“We are putting our heart and soul into this and trying to make sure we do things right.”
United have come a long way since American Mark Ogren bought the club at the end of 2018. Asghar claimed things were so bad when they first bought the club that the coaches didn’t put the heating on and sat with their jackets and hats on.
The club were still in the Championship but have now re-established themselves in the Premiership and are now back in European competition.
Asghar recalled: “When I came in, I had Brian Grant and Dave Bowman in the room,” he recalled. “There was no heating on in the room.
“They had their jackets zipped fully up with beanie hats on and were absolutely freezing!
“Grant had to go to the launderette to clean strips for the under-16s. There was nothing there.
“We had to come in with a sledgehammer and do things differently.
“We have grown a lot and changed a lot of mindsets.”
