Dundee United boss demands full backing from his chairman

DUNDEE United manager Peter Houston has asked his chairman to publicly back him following headlines claiming he was facing the sack.

A report yesterday claimed Tannadice chairman Stephen Thompson was set to cut short his holiday to hold crisis talks with Houston following United's Scottish Communities League Cup quarter-final exit to First Division Falkirk in midweek.

United sit third bottom of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League ahead of tomorrow's visit to Dunfermline, but Houston yesterday defended his record.

The club had earlier described the stories as “simply speculation and rumour” but the official statement released made no mention of Houston’s future or that the manager had the club’s full backing.

Now Houston wants Thompson to dismiss the reports. He said: “I haven’t spoken to the chairman. I have read the reports in the newspapers, I’ve had calls about it. If I am talking to the chairman I will put the stats to him. However, we may be jumping the gun here because I haven’t spoken to him.

“I thought I might have heard from him yesterday but I didn’t. I look at other managers in the SPL who have been given criticism recently and every time I have seen the chairman of that particular club come out and back them.

“I would expect the chairman of Dundee United to come out and back his manager as well.”

Houston led United to Scottish Cup success just months after Craig Levein left to become Scotland manager. And he kept United in the top four in his first full season in charge.

He took up the post of assistant to Levein with the national team but this week said that he would not travel to Cyprus for Scotland’s friendly next month.

“I spoke to Craig and we agreed that it was not the most important game for me to be at,” Houston said. “We’ll do extra work on the training ground because it’s important for the manager to be around when things aren’t going as well as you’d like them to.”

United’s statement yesterday said: “The club have no comment to make on what is simply speculation and rumour regarding the manager’s position. Everyone at the club is fully committed to Saturday’s game against Dunfermline and trying to get the club further up the SPL table.”