Liam Fox's better half can’t get her head around the attraction. But now he's landed his big chance in management, the new Dundee United gaffer fancies himself to be the man who finally finds a way to stick around at Tannadice.
Tangerines chiefs Mark Ogren and Tony Asghar have developed an unfortunate habit of burning through bosses at an alarming rate. The former Cowdenbeath boss is now the fifth manager they’ve appointed since hiring Robbie Neilson in 2018 and their most recent incumbent Jack Ross lasted a grand total of seven games before getting the bullet.
With such a short shelf life, it’s no wonder Mrs Fox is struggling to see why her husband would want to put himself through the stress that comes with life in the dugout. Fox himself is only looking as far as November. But the hope is that if he continues taking care of the short-term targets, he might just stumble upon the long-term stability United have been crying out for.
“As a manager you probably look window to window and if you’re performing, you’ll get to look at another window beyond that,” grinned the new Terrors boss as he was officially unveiled at their training base in St Andrews. "That’s the world of football today, that’s the nature of it - you saw what happened at Watford with the manager [Rob Edwards] getting 11 games.
“Why become a manager then? That’s something my wife asked me too! It’s something I have been working towards for a long time and sometimes in life opportunities come along. I’d rather live my life by things I have done as opposed to things I haven’t done. So I’d rather commit to it and if it doesn’t go right it doesn’t go right - that’s how I look at life.”
Fox admits he didn’t bother applying to be promoted when the man he spent last year assisting Tam Courts quit the club. So what convinced him to throw his hand in the ring barely two months on? "Having that period working with Jack Ross helped me, having that period working with Tam here too and Robbie Neilson, Craig Levein, Ian Cathro at Hearts - all the people you work with help you get ready,” he explained.
“But it’s more down to the opportunity being presented rather than saying to myself ‘now is the right time’. A lot of the time in football it happens naturally, an opportunity presents itself and you have to go for it. Stability is something you hope for and you look for. I believe I have a board and a chairman who will support me, the staff and the players.
“To be honest, at this moment in time, because of where we are in the table we are only looking to November and the break for the World Cup. We have ten games between now and then so it’s all about getting results in those matches and away from the bottom of the table.
“My focus right now is on Saturday and after that we’ll look at the next one. We need to continue building the confidence in the group and ultimately get points on the board. I need to implement how I want the team to be, that won’t happen overnight and will take a period of time. During that period of time we have to be taking points and winning games.”
Time may not be an issue just yet but with United rooted to the bottom of the table with just two points from the opening seven Premiership fixtures, Fox knows he’s got his work cut out. It’s been a dismal start to the season for United, with heavy defeats to AZ Alkmaar, Hearts and Celtic wiping away any confidence they had coming into the new campaign.
But Fox said: “I’m proud and feel privileged to be asked to manage the football club, so I am looking forward to it. We want things to be very positive, there’s no point looking back. We are moving forward and that has been the message to the staff and players.
“Do I see this as week one? Yes, I do really. Obviously I already have that bank of history with the players from before, but officially it’s all on me now. I have built up that trust with the players over the time I have been here. I don’t plan to change loads. I have to be myself because if you try to be something different then players can sense that. But I’m also aware that as soon as I pick my first team this weekend there will be a group of players unhappy. That’s up to me to manage that.”
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