Saturday Interview: Stephen Thompson: 'I Don't Feel I Am 'Eddie's Son' Any More, I Have Made My Own Mark'

Summary

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FOR a man under heavy pressure, Stephen Thompson looks remarkably relaxed. For someone accused by his detractors of dithering, he is decidedly strong-willed and self-assured, with a sharply focused picture of how he wants his club to be.

More than three weeks on from the departure of Craig Levein, Dundee United are still no closer to finding a new manager - hence the charges of dithering directed at Thompson, the club chairman. His insistence on taking his time before deciding on this key appointment, however, may be in part an attempt to make a virtue out of necessity following the collapse of talks with Bohemians manager Pat Fenlon, but it is also just one example of his determination to put his own stamp on the club.

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Saturday Interview: Stephen Thompson: 'I Don't Feel I Am 'Eddie's Son' Any More, I Have Made My Own Mark'

For the moment United are still generally perceived as the club who were owned by Eddie Thompson, Stephen's late father, just as in an earlier era they effectively belonged to Jim McLean. When Eddie Thompson died of prostate cancer in October 2008, his majority shareholding passed to his widow Cath, his chairmanship to Stephen, who had also been chief executive since the start of that year.

Given the simple fact of that inheritance, it was understandable that few people had a...

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