Dundee United: Can Liam Fox halt slide towards relegation?
- Published
'It's a nightmare. He's just got to clear it'
When Liam Fox described Dundee United's ongoing plight as "a wee bit difficult" on Saturday, it was an admirably positive slant. Or a hopelessly naive one depending on your perspective.
His goalkeeper and most experienced player had just combined to condemn the Scottish Premiership's bottom side to a fifth consecutive defeat with an act of self-harm so egregious that it was almost laughable.
The manner in which Mark Birighitti and Charlie Mulgrew managed to turn a goal kick into a winner for St Johnstone was just the latest in a list of calamities to befall United this term.
Despite that, the Tannadice side are still only a point adrift of Ross County and three behind Kilmarnock at the bottom of division, having played a game fewer.
The trip to Dingwall on Saturday has the makings of a season-defining contest, but also a career-defining one for Fox.
"We've got some huge games coming up," said the first-time head coach on Saturday. "We're all a bit sore and we understand we're in a difficult situation with the run of results, but we're still fighting.
"Just because things get a wee bit difficult, that's when people stand up, and that's what I'll be doing."
But with American owner Mark Ogren in the country and likely hugely perturbed with what's gone on in his absence, whether Fox is afforded much more time to do that remains unclear.
Is the squad good enough to survive?
Ogren, and sporting director Tony Asghar, would likely say yes.
They signed off on a summer strategy - in conjunction with then head coach Jack Ross - that focussed on fewer signings of a higher quality, but the consequence of that is a glaring lack of options in certain positions.
Benji Siegrist has not been adequately replaced in goal, with both Saturday's concessions the latest exhibits for the prosecution.
The defence is lop-sided and lacks mobility. The midfield balance has not been right all term. And Steven Fletcher is being asked to contribute more than is fair from man with 35 years of bodily wear and tear.
Somehow, United ended January weaker than they started and that, as much as anything, might be the thing that costs them their top-flight status.
Individually, the squad probably is good enough, but the league table would suggest that they might not be collectively.
Is Fox getting the best out of them?
On Saturday, United didn't play badly. At least not compared to the abject efforts of the previous week's Scottish Cup defeat by Kilmarnock.
They enjoyed 66% of the ball and had 19 attempts to St Johnstone's nine. Not for the first time, though, their work was undermined by individual errors and poor decision-making on the pitch.
Fox can not be held responsible for that. Nor can he be accused of not trying to change things, having switched to a back four and significantly recast the XI for Saturday's game.
But are the players responding to his coaching? A spurt of seven points from nine immediately after the World Cup break suggested they were, but thing have taken a turn for the worst since then.
"It's gone a bit stale," former Scotland winger Neil McCann said on Sportscene.
"Liam went four at the back and tried to win the game at home but they were cut open at will. He needs to galvanise the group and come up with a plan to get them to a level they've not been at recently."
Does the fixture list offer any hope?
In their final eight matches before the split - and the five after it - United will only play one game against a side in the top three. That comes at Ibrox.
They also have to travel to face relegation rivals Ross County - on Saturday - and Motherwell.
Home and away games with Livingston are still to come, as are the visits of Aberdeen, St Mirren and Hibernian to Tannadice.
So, on the face of it, the fixture list isn't too bad. But trying to determine what this United team will do from one week to the next has proved a fool's errand.
What do they have to do?
Be better than two other teams - most likely now County and Kilmarnock after Motherwell conjured up two unlikely wins in five days after sacking their manager.
Should the post-split fixtures balance out, both are due back at Tannadice in the final five games. And both have been skelped there earlier in the campaign.
In six of the last eight seasons, 31 points have been enough to avoid bottom spot. And in all eight campaigns, 37 would be sufficient to escape a play-off.
Given they've only reaped 20 from 25 so far, can United reach those marks? And will Fox be there to attempt and do so?
What do you think?
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