As the old cliche goes, Dundee United will be hoping for the ‘new manager bounce’ tonight as Jim Goodwin takes charge of his first game against Aberdeen.
However, interim Dons boss Barry Robson reckons that old saying is overplayed.
The 44-year-old reckons much more is made of a new manager starting a new job in a positive fashion than actually comes into fruition.
Robson and his Reds side will certainly aim to prove that at Tannadice come 6pm this evening.
He said: “Do you know what, this is all I have heard…does anyone have any statistics about the new manager bounce? I was thinking about this and I was actually going to check it. I am not sure about that. I think maybe the stats go against that. I am not sure that will happen, I don’t know.
“From my point of view and the staff and players here, I think you have seen us as a team. We look a lot better, we look a lot more structured and in the two games we have won, I think we look more comfortable. They can see how we are wanting to do things and things have really settled down a bit. We look a lot sharper and we are going in the right direction.
“I think you can see the confidence of the players really coming back in training and that for me has been the most pleasing thing. We have done everything the right way and steadied the ship while starting to build again.”
Robson also played down the emotion Goodwin’s recent sacking from the Pittodrie club will have on the game.
While the former Celtic and United player understands the narrative that the Irishman will be looking to get one over his former employers, Robson insists he and his players and fully focussed on putting in a good performance and picking up three points.
“It is not surreal for me,” Robson exclaimed. “I have never come up against Jim as manager before and have never coached against Jim so it is nothing for me. For Jim it is great.
“He left a big club in Aberdeen and now he has gone into a big club in Dundee United so I am sure he will be really pleased.
“I got on fine with Jim when he was there but he is the Dundee United manager now and I am the interim Aberdeen manager at the minute. He will be trying to win for Dundee United and I will be trying to win for Aberdeen so I am just looking forward to the game. I know United well and know the fans well. I have been in this game a long time and have seen it all.
“He knows them well and that is good but he won’t know what we are going to do today. It is good for him that he knows the players but we have all moved on from that and he is trying to get to know his Dundee United players which is important for him. That for me is not a big issue.”
Meanwhile, Robson confirmed that Vicente Besuijen has returned to the North East for a scan on a recent injury picked up on loan.
