Dundee United fans will be able to get their first look at a new statue of legendary manager Jim McLean this weekend.
The sculpture is the culmination of a long fundraising campaign to have the memory of the club’s greatest-ever boss immortalised at Tannadice.
A total of £62,000 was raised to pay for the monument by a steering group and Dundee United Community Trust, including donations from hundreds of supporters.
The statue will show the late McLean celebrating with the Premier Division trophy that he won with the club in 1983 – the only time in the Tangerines’ history that they have finished at the summit of Scotland’s top league.
Where will the statue be placed?
The 6ft 3in statue, designed by Edinburgh-based sculptor Alan Heriot, will be situated outside the Eddie Thompson Stand at Tannadice, overlooking supporters as they attend matches.
It will sit pride of place on a two-metre-high platform, at the top of the ramp leading to the stand.
When will the statue be unveiled?
A private ceremony will be held on Saturday afternoon, where the statue will be shown off to those closest to McLean for the first time.
Attendees will include wife Doris and sons Gary and Colin, along with other members of the McLean family.
The club’s current chairman Mark Ogren will also be present, joined by representatives of the steering group that brought the statue idea to life.
Players and staff from the 1983 league-winning team will also be invited along.
When can fans see the sculpture?
Supporters will be given access to visit the statue from 6pm on Saturday, following the conclusion of the ceremony.
Fans will be able to view the statue until around 8pm.
There will be a further chance to see it from 9am on Sunday – just before Dundee United take on Dundee in their first derby of the season.
McLean’s contribution ‘still felt around Dundee’
McLean died in December last year at the age of 83, but United chairman Ogren says his “commitment and contribution is still felt around the city and the stadium to this day”.
He continued: “I am delighted that we can now unveil the statue ahead of the Dundee derby.
“I look forward to representing the club now we can plan the event without the impact of Covid-19 restrictions.”
George Haggarty, chairman of the Jim McLean Statue Steering Group, said: “We are honoured to have planned, organised and commissioned this wonderful statue and look forward to the ceremony and thereafter the opportunity for fans to come and see the statue that they donated to the club.”
Steve Finan, author of Jim McLean Dundee United Legend, said: “I was honoured to receive an invitation to the unveiling and am greatly looking forward to what will probably be an emotional occasion for all United fans.
“And it can only be inspiring to the players to have Jim back at Tannadice once more, even if only as a statue.”
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