Houston wins board backing but admits ‘results should be better’

The United manager met with his employer yesterday after the chairman had cut short a holiday in the United States following the team’s disappointing midweek League Cup exit at the hands of Falkirk.

That piled the pressure on Houston prior to their match with Dunfermline at East End Park on Saturday, but the Scotland assistant manager received a positive response from his players as the Tannadice side beat the Fifers 4-1 to move up to seventh in the league.

Houston – who led United to the Scottish Cup last year – has had to rebuild his side on a vastly reduced budget this season, and the Tannadice board have promised to give him time to get on with the job.

A club statement read: “The chairman and board of directors of Dundee United Football Club would like to confirm its unanimous and unequivocal support of Peter Houston as manager.

“After the recent media attention regarding the manager’s position, it was felt a statement needed to be issued to put an end to the rumour and speculation.

“The team is going through a transition this season and, as such, performances will be inconsistent but everyone is united in the aim of moving the club forward and our wish is to now focus on doing so and we would hope this confirmation will end all media speculation on this subject.”

Houston admitted after the East End Park win – only United’s third in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League this season – that he was seeking clarification over the source of the reports.

“I’m accountable to the board and results should be better,” he said. “I’ll go in with a sensible attitude, I’m 53 years of age, not some silly wee boy, but I want to know where all this came from.

“I’m not sure if I’ve been undermined. You can ask a question and you’ve got to believe the answer unless you have proof and, if I don’t have proof, then I’ll just have to get on with it.

“I never said I am the second-best manager at United after Jim McLean. I’m not like that, and Craig Levein is a far better manager than me, but the fact is my stats are better than his. If I’m called into question, the fact is I’ve done alright.”

Houston admits inconsistency may be a problem for a team which finished their clash with Dunfermline with nine outfield players under the age of 21, but is confident of improved results.

“We have a squad, if everybody’s fit, that is capable of beating any team in this league apart from the Old Firm,” he added. “I still think it is the same. When you have a small squad, you have to have a lot of the squad who are fit.

“They won’t play well every week, they are inconsistent, but I thought they should be proud of themselves that they put up such a good performance against a difficult side. Yes, we would have more points on the table, but we took our chances. The three points were magnificent and were big for us. It’s not about Peter Houston. It is about getting points on the board that matters.”