Devoted Thompson invested his very heart and soul

IT WAS typical of his indomitable spirit that Eddie Thompson held on long enough to read what amounted to his own obituary notices prior to Dundee United's appearance in the CIS Cup final in March. And then, ever more stricken by cancer, also lived to see his team recover from a surprisingly poor start to the current season, his last match at Tannadice, after regular attendance since 1964, being a thumping 3-0 win over Hearts at the end of last month.

Given his devotion to United, many are often surprised to hear Thompson was not born in Dundee. His surname, for one thing, is among those associated with the city. But Thompson was born in Glasgow, grew up in Hamilton and did not move to Dundee until his mid-twenties. United, at the time, were the second club in the city, and not the obvious attraction for an interloping football supporter in search of a thrill.

Indeed, Thompson initially watched his football at both Tannadice and Dens Park on alternate weekends, something which then was not so absurd as it sounds today. But he was drawn to United, perhaps part of the allure being his commitment to the idea of the small man winning out against the odds. He was on the way to doing this in business; perhaps United, too, might be able to break the established order in the city, with Dundee, having won the league title in 1962, reaching the European Cup semi-finals the following season.

But United had some star quality of their own, in the shape of the Scandinavian imports then manager Jerry Kerr hoped would lead to better times for the club. "Dundee had some good players, but it was the days of Orjan Persson, Lennart Wing and Finn Dossing," Thompson explained, as we trawled through his back pages ahead of last season's CIS Insurance Cup final, his perkiness in welcome contrast to reports at the time, which speculated on whether he would survive to see United take on Rangers at Hampden Park at the end of that week.

"They (United] were exciting," he continued. "And then I was silly enough to start supporting them home and away, which wasn't good for the family." Thompson recalled a match at Easter Road, when the entire United support was able to take shelter beneath wooden planks lain across the floodlights above. From this to last March at Hampden, when over 16,000 United supporters wore 'One Eddie Thompson' T-shirts and sang his name. "Teary-time," as he later recalled.

As well as being symptomatic of the fragile state of his health at the time, the emotion perhaps also recalled the struggle involved in depositing Thompson in that moment. His association with the club developed from mere attendance at games into a business one, as Thompson's reputation as a shrewd operator grew in the city. He became operations manager for the Dundee-based wholesalers Watson & Philip, and then general manager. He was appointed to the company's board in 1976, and named managing director. "I started to back United with various things, particularly hospitality," he said.

He was instrumental in arranging Dundee United's first-ever shirt sponsorship deal with VG, Watson & Philip's retail arm. Ahead of the 1985 centenary Scottish Cup final, when United faced Celtic, then chairman George Fox approached Thompson with a proposition. "He said: 'could you maybe stick something on the shirts?'," recalled Thompson. "And I did that. I then took the following two seasons as well – 1985-6, '86-7. VG became synonymous with Dundee United, who were on TV nearly every weekend then."

"It was good money for United, but good for us also in return," Thompson reflected. "45,000 per annum. That was big money in those days. That's when I started to get to know everyone in the club, including Jim (McLean]. And then, into the early Nineties, a lot of guys approached me and said – 'look, Ed, we're getting nowhere. Jim was a fantastic manager but as a chairman he is going to hold on forever. What we need is the shares to be opened up so the public can get them, and also to change the board'.

"Wee Jim didn't give a toss. I tried and tried and tried, and insult after insult came back to me," he continued, chronicling the increasingly bitter battle. "I was a 'Walter Mitty' character – I had 'nothing', even though I had a 50 million turnover. I was told to go and sell my pies, because I know nothing about football."

Neither McLean or Thompson denied a clash of personalities, but they had at least one thing in common – a love for Dundee United. They were also successful in their respective fields, with Thompson having set up his own successful convenience store firm, Morning Noon and Night, after a split from Watson & Philip. "We weren't too bad," said Thompson, of their relationship. "He used to tell me to '**** off' quite a lot, but that was just his style."

Their personal animosity – when the subject remained strictly football, Thompson consistently described McLean as the "best Scottish manager since Stein" – became an issue when United struggled under McLean's chairmanship, and fans began to agitate for change. Thompson was among the most vocal, and, significantly, had access to considerable funds. McLean, however, resisted Thompson's attempts to buy his 41 per cent share holding, at one stage even insisting "hell will freeze over" before they faced each other at the negotiating table. On three separate occasions he turned down Thompson's bids. Eventually, in 2002, McLean relented, resigning from the United board for a second time, and commenting that everything has a "sell-by date".

The phrase was an apt one. In swept Thompson, this ball of energy in Cuban heels who had built his fortune on a grocery empire. He spoke of creating a "united United" but offered almost immediate evidence of his ruthless side. He disposed of well-respected manager Alex Smith after just two games, and then sacked club legend Paul Hegarty, who had taken over on an interim basis.

Thompson had spoken of wanting to make United the 'best of the rest', with reference to those clubs outwith the Old Firm, so struggled to comprehend United's subsequent failure to escape relegation battles, despite heavy investment. Earlier this year, when he spoke in the Tannadice boardroom following the club's decision to rename the stand at the Arklay Street end of the ground after him, he estimated the club to have cost him over 5 million. "It doesn't matter – I am only looking for return on the park," he added.

He got it in 2003-04, Ian McCall's first season in charge. Handsomely funded, United reaped the benefit on the park and finished in fifth place. But cut-backs the following season, as Thompson opted for a more prudent form of housekeeping, impacted heavily on the side's morale, and McCall was sacked after an emotional meeting with his chairman, which ended with the pair embracing at the top of the Tannadice stairs. McCall, Thompson said, had been like a son to him, but even so, United's welfare came first.

After a spell in interim charge, Gordon Chisholm was appointed just prior to a Scottish Cup final meeting with Celtic, which United lost 1-0. A further sustained run of disappointing form led to Chisholm's removal, and then Craig Brewster, who had scored the Scottish Cup-winning goal in 1994 which provided Thompson with one of his finest memories as a fan, felt the icy wrath of his chairman. None-too-complimentary comments about the team's performance made by Thompson while on the phone were overheard by journalists, and it was only a matter of time before Brewster, too, departed.

None of these managerial appointments had appeared left-field, but all had ultimately ended in disappointment. A successful one was overdue, and in Craig Levein there seems little doubt Thompson has made it. He recalled his pitch to the former Hearts manager, who was operating without a contract at Raith Rovers when United came calling. "I said: 'For Christ's sake, it's going to cost us 1.9 million to get relegated. We are staring it in the face. Just save us'. He's done a bit more than that."

It is a matter of some relief to all at the club that Thompson finally appeared to have allowed himself some satisfaction as his life-blood drained away.

He brought pride and stability back to United

Hamish Mackintosh, our Dundee United SPL Fanzone correspondent, pays a warm tribute to Eddie Thompson

THERE was a fleeting, magical moment at last year's CIS Cup final when Hampden's big screens flashed up footage of Eddie Thompson enjoying the action, which, in turn, prompted the massed Tangerine ranks to their feet in a resounding chorus of: 'There's only one Eddie Thompson.'

Our chairman was very visibly moved by the gesture and that, for me, summed up the high regard and affection Arabs have for Eddie Thompson and everything he's done for the club we all love.

Quite simply, we wouldn't even have been anywhere near a cup final were it not for the time, energy, devotion and not inconsiderable financial input of our chairman. That alone would be worthy of respect, but the measure of the man, and his love for his team, has been the strength, quiet dignity and steely determination he continued to apply to the daily running of the club throughout his long illness.

Football fans are a notoriously fickle bunch, especially in these uncertain times, and respect must be earned. Eddie did that ten-fold with his hands-on attitude to running the club, his unshirking approach to the big decisions and his tireless commitment to trying to return some silverware to Tannadice.

This is a man who stood on the terracing as a fan before getting anywhere near the boardroom. Indeed, one of the most telling posts on the United-Mad website came from Mark Forrester who related the tale of Eddie watching United play Alloa from the terracing and having lengthy half-time discussions with Arabs both for and against the United For Change movement that eventually ushered Thompson into the chairman's seat. Suffice to say Eddie Thompson lived and breathed Dundee United and Arabs everywhere are eternally grateful for his passion and service.

We thank you Eddie for bringing pride and stability back to Tannadice and for restoring a smile to the faces of us long-suffering Arabs. Your legacy will endure for a long, long time and your inspiration and devotion won't be forgotten. May you now enjoy your rest after all your many hard-fought battles of the last few years.

Everyone at United-Mad extends our respect and best wishes to the Thompson family at this tragic time. There truly was only ever one Eddie Thompson… United through and through. God bless.

IN QUOTES

"He had a real empathy and connection with the Dundee United support – something it is often difficult for a football chairman to achieve."

First Minister Alex Salmond

"Eddie was a man who loved the game and was passionate about bringing success to the club that he loved."

Gordon Smith, SFA chief executive

"Eddie's incredible enthusiasm for Dundee United, the SPL and football in general made him an inspiration to many."

Lex Gold, SPL chairman

"His brave battle against cancer was inspirational. He was a die-hard United fan, and put his heart and soul into the club. I will miss him very much."

Lorraine Kelly, GMTV presenter and Dundee United supporter

"He was talking recently about the new Setanta deal. He knew there was no way he was going to live to see that deal. But he was so enthusiastic that he was part of the committee who got that deal for all the SPL clubs."

Dave Bowman, former Dundee United player

"There were times we had to negotiate hard on matters but it was always done in a great spirit."

Dave MacKinnon, Dundee chief executive