Dundee United and 7 manager candidates: The ex-Tannadice favourite, high-profile duo, a former target

Dundee United are on the search for their sixth manager in the last three years, and their third this season, after they parted company with Liam Fox following the weekend’s 4-0 defeat to relegation rivals Ross County, a result which leaves the Tannadice side rock bottom, four points from safety.

The statement which confirmed Fox’s departure said “an announcement as to a new head coach will be made in the near future and we will make no further statement at this time”. With Aberdeen, led by former United star Barry Robson, due in town on Saturday evening, there is little time for the club’s hierarchy to get a new man in position to try and stave off the threat of relegation.

The Scotsman look at the possible candidates:

Craig Levein

The former Hearts and Scotland manager became joint favourite with one bookmaker after the Courier reported there was strong support for him amongst the club’s hierarchy. Levein is remembered fondly at Tannadice after returning the team to a competitive fixture in the upper echelons of the top tier. He is credited for laying much of the groundwork and foundations for the club’s Scottish Cup success and third-place finish under Peter Houston in 2009/10. He departed midway through the campaign for the Scotland job. It remains the only time the team have finished top three in the Premiership since 1997. Levein’s last spell in management ultimately ended in failure, sacked by Hearts after a defeat at St Johnstone with fans previously protesting against his position as manager. The team were 11th in the league when he left. He would certainly bring a raft of experience and his presence could well have helped Liam Fox prior to his sacking. The dynamic with sporting director Tony Asghar would certainly be interesting.

Neil Lennon

Another high profile name in Scottish football. It is hard to think of a better manager to come into the building and give the whole place a shake-up. The Northern Irishman is the type who would likely get instant buy-in from a group of players, especially one of the club's most experienced figures in Charlie Mulgrew. Lennon made Hibs a more robust and solid presence and would do likewise with United, a job which is one of the country’s biggest and would provide the former Celtic manager with a challenge after his spell in Cyprus. He is one of the first managers who should be considered.

Jim Goodwin

Craig Levein and Neil Lennon are two high profile managers linked with the Dundee United job. Picture: SNS

The Irishman is the type of personality who would back himself in any situation. Yet, the one at Tannadice is probably more of a risk for him than it is the club. He’d be jumping from the chip pan of Aberdeen into the fire which is engulfing Dundee United currently. After a disappointing spell, the next choice is crucial for a manager. Any manager coming in won't be the fall guy for a relegation, focus would be elsewhere. Yet, it won't do any favours if the team were to get off to a slow start in the Championship and doubts would not be slow in forming. Goodwin would perhaps be better taking his time, taking stock of his time at Aberdeen and then waiting for the right move. If he feels United is the right move, he would have plenty of confidence in himself to succeed.

Barry Robson

The man who is likely to be in the opposite dugout on Saturday evening when Aberdeen come to town. Robson, to many Scottish football observers, will forever be associated with Dundee United after a four-and-a-half season spell at Tannadice where he racked up more than 160 appearances and captained the side. He is highly regarded as a coach and has been impressive in his interim role at Pittodrie since replacing Jim Goodwin. Clearly a a switched on tactical thinker, he also exudes confidence and gravitas, while ticking that ex-player box.

Tam Courts

Barry Robson, a former Dundee United star, is currently interim boss at Aberdeen. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

It would be fascinating to see how United fans would take Courts if he was to return after his European sojourn with Hungarian side Budapest Honvéd which lasted just 18 matches. The 41-year-old did really well to build on from the previous season under Micky Mellon, taking the team into Europe. Due to the nature of the Premiership last season there were still questions around just how good a manager courts is. Yet, he has plenty of credit in the bank in Scotland and the more this season has progressed, the more credit he should be building for what he did with a United squad which lacked the star quality it has this campaign.

Tommy Wright

The former St Johnstone manager was a candidate for the United job in the 2015/16 season, the one in which the club were relegated to the Championship. Saints rejected an approach from their Tayside rivals and he would sign a new deal to extend his stay in Perth. Eight years later and Wright is not in a job after a difficult period at Kilmarnock who he took over in not too dissimilar circumstances to United and around the same time of the season. That may put him off going back into a club with such a situation, perhaps preferring to wait until the summer.

Charlie Mulgrew

The club's experienced centre-back has come in for criticism in the last few weeks as United have struggled on the pitch, the nadir being a 4-0 defeat at Ross County on Saturday. Mulgrew is keen to move into coaching and has been part of Liam Fox's coaching staff. His appointment would likely not sit well with United fans who would view it as a cheap option. Instead, Mulgrew would be more suited to perhaps working with someone like Neil Lennon, his former boss at Celtic, and then stepping up to the manager's position in more positive circumstances and not having to firefight in a relegation battle.