Scottish football’s capacity to take your breath away was further emphasised this week with the stunning news that Dundee United had brought in Jim Goodwin as their new manager.
The departure of Liam Fox had come as no great surprise, given their perilous position in the league table, and the suggestion was that either Craig Levein or Neil Lennon might be asked to lead them safety.
There had been no mention of the former Dons boss, but out of the blue, word emerged, and within hours we got confirmation.
If that was an eye-opener, the revelation that his appointment was only until the end of the campaign made it even more incredible. It is one thing promoting from within on a short-term basis, or bringing in a senior figure to steady the ship, but if United really believe Jim is the right man to save them, he surely deserved more than a three-month deal?
It might be that such a contract suited him, that he preferred that limited time in case the club is relegated, but it offers no continuity, and does not feel as if it is what United needed at this turbulent time.
In another remarkable twist, Jim’s first game will, of course, be against Aberdeen in Saturday evening’s Tannadice head-to-head. The last time the Dons made the short trip they were humiliated by a United side still searching for their first victory of the campaign; no-one could have imagined, even in the crazy world of Scottish football, that when they next met there, Goodwin would be in the home dugout.
You really could not make it up!
After that 4-0 thrashing in October, Jim won his next away game, 2-1 at Motherwell, before losing eight in a row. It was a run that included a series of heavy defeats, and the club’s worst ever result at Darvel, and that was a major factor in his sacking.
When he made that lonely walk out of Easter Road just over a month ago, Goodwin was severely damaged goods. His rehabilitation has been sudden, and unexpected, and I would imagine that even he was not expecting to be given such a swift opportunity to revive his managerial career.
Despite United’s woeful campaign, and it has been a shocker, it remains one of the bigger jobs in our game, and if Jim can turn things around, it will be a massive tick on his CV. Given where they are right now, there is, however, no guarantee he will be able to achieve that.
The new manager has inherited a side which has lost six in a row, and has recorded a single victory since January 2, against the University of Stirling. Their last outing was a dismal performance in Dingwall which had inevitable consequences for Liam Fox. This will be no easy task for Goodwin.
Of the four sides currently in the relegation mix, two have blinked in the last couple of weeks. Motherwell were first to act, and Stuart Kettlewell has picked up seven points out of nine, earning himself a permanent contract.
Ross County and Kilmarnock have experienced heads guiding them in Malky MacKay and Derek McInnes, and that could be a major factor in the run-in.
Right now, appointing Jim looks to be a big gamble by United. We will only discover if it was the right call in the next few weeks.
No let-up in the Championship
The Championship continues to be the most cut-throat and demanding division in the SPFL.
Given my role at Cove Rangers, my focus has in the main been at the lower end of the table, and it promises to be a nerve-shredding conclusion to the campaign as the club looks to meet our stated aim of preserving our second tier status. Make no mistake, securing that, would be a major achievement.
Further up, an almighty scramble is continuing in the battle for promotion.
Queen’s Park are in a strong position right now to secure the automatic spot, with four others vying for the three play-off places, but with so many head-to-heads to come, that can all change very quickly.
Even having watched all the contenders, I find it difficult to predict who will prevail, and that, I suppose, sums the league up perfectly.
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