Tam Courts says the chance to try to restore Honved to former glories was too good to turn down. Courts decided to quit Dundee United after a hugely successful first season in charge, to take over at the fallen Hungarian giants.
The move came after United sporting director Tony Asghar phoned him while he was on a family holiday in Turkey, to give him permission to speak to Croatian side Rijeka. And it was while he was talking to Rijeka that Honved – where Courts’ old United colleague Chris Docherty is sporting director – made their move.
Honved were the top team in Hungary in the 1950s when the likes of Ferenc Puskas starred for them, but they’ve only won the title twice in the last 30 years and have spent recent seasons at the wrong end of the table. Courts said: “It (Rijeka) probably dragged on a wee bit too long, which allowed Honved to step in.
“I know Chris from Dundee United and the more I researched what they’re trying to do there were a lot of similarities with Dundee United. They have a very good academy here, are a club that should be performing better in terms of their league position and they want to develop the club. Once I started to learn a bit more about it from Chris, I started to become a bit more excited. It just made sense to me. Once you review the history of the club, you start to get a sense of the passionate fan base, the size of the club and the fact they’re probably under performing.”
Courts always had ambitions to manage in Europe but he had no immediate plans to leave United this summer. The Fifer said: “It was never my intention at the end of the season to leave. But when the Rijeka opportunity started to develop and subsequently the Honved one, I started to get quite excited about the prospect of working outside Scotland. It was always difficult to leave because, first and foremost, there is Europe to look forward to.
“So it was a wrench to leave the club. I believe I have definitely left it in a better place. But the attraction, at 40 years old, with one year in the Premiership, to work abroad and challenge myself was the key driver. The pleasing thing is Dundee United have appointed a very good manager in Jack Ross, who I think will have success. Hopefully this time next year, both teams will be back in Europe.”
Meanwhile, Tony Asghar insists Dundee United won’t be throwing all their eggs into their European basket even though group stage qualification could crack open access to a “game changing” financial boost.
New boss Jack Ross will lead the Tannadice side on their first European adventure in 10 years when they kick-off in the third qualifying round of the Europa Conference League at the start of August. If the Terrors can battle through two rounds, they would stand to pocket a hefty £2.5million UEFA windfall.
And sporting director Asghar admits those are the kind of figures which could have long-reaching effects for a club like United. He said: “The financials of getting into Europe now are a game changer.
"The group stages can change the dynamic of a football club. The owner has been quite clear, he’s certainly looking to generate revenue from this football club.
“Getting into Europe, not just this year but on a regular basis, is going to give us that. It’s also going to increase the value of our players. It can’t be overlooked. But we also have a duty and care to make sure we have sustainability for the season.
“Financially, great, Europe will put a lot of emphasis on how we go about our business and prepare for that. I’ve been lucky enough myself to be involved in a lot of these European campaigns with Scottish clubs. I understand what it’s all about and how the prep is.
“We’ll do a lot of due diligence on teams we’re drawn against and hopefully the squad will be built that’s good enough to go and challenge.”
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