He knows he’s at a club with huge potential but new Dundee United manager Micky Mellon insists they will be taking the path to success step by step.
Prior to his appointment as Tangerines boss on Monday, the talk under predecessor Robbie Neilson was for the club to be aiming for the top six on their return to the Premiership next season.
Beyond that, former managing director Mal Brannigan had discussed Europe and domestic honours as United look to recapture former glories.
However, for Paisley-born gaffer Mellon, who checked in at Tannadice from Tranmere Rovers on a two-year deal, it’s a case of slow and steady wins the race.
His aim is to take it day by day as the Terrors re-adjust to life in the top flight after four years away, starting with a bounce game against top-tier opposition on Saturday.
“I aim to be good tomorrow. Honestly, I won’t lose my focus on that,” the 48-year-old former Fleetwood and Shrewsbury head coach said.
“You will never get me talking on anything other than gradual improvement. I will get out and try to improve on yesterday.
“That’s the only way to improve a human being, by first of all knowing what it takes to make them better and then recognising that.
“That takes time, it takes relationships, that takes putting them into circumstances and moments in games and training. I will grow that and find out what that is.
“And then I get another opportunity on Saturday to have another look and you will hear me saying that I will start work to make sure we are prepared properly to try and get the first goal.
“And if we get the first goal I’ll want to get the next goal. Then I’ll want to try and perform well and win the game.
“That is how I will do this, step by step as we go on and I will try to keep improving day by day and game by game and enjoy life, not rushing too far ahead and predicting that I’m going to win the European Cup or anything.
“I am very, very focused on making sure of that because that is the best way I know, in my experience, of building teams. I know that is the best way of doing it and that is what I will stay true to.”
Despite his conservative initial aspirations, Mellon believes he is joining a club well-placed to progress on and off the park under his stewardship.
He continued: “With the size of the club, the people who are here and who I’ll be working with, obviously they are the champions of the Championship, the club is in a good place.
“I’ve spoken to the owner and everything is lined up for me.
“What can I achieve? That’s not really the way I work. It’s a day to day thing for me. I won’t lose my focus.
“I just try to be the best I can every day and then pick up from the day before about how I’m going to keep improving the group and get them moving towards the way I want them to play in order to get victories.”
Mellon has never played or managed in his home country before, having spent the vast majority of his career down south.
The Paisley-born coach, however, doesn’t feel he has a point to prove to anyone. His only focus is on the challenge of improving Dundee United.
He added: “I don’t think proving a point is where I’m at in my career. I think I’ve done enough to make people understand that I’ve a good idea of how management works.
“I think the challenge is to come here and work in my home country and it lets me be near my family.
“Coming to a great club like Dundee United lets me compete in the national league and that’s fantastic.
“I’m excited about it and I’m looking forward to getting going but I’m calm about it. It’s not like I’m going to be losing my composure over it as I’m more experienced than that.
“I’m looking forward to getting among the players and getting them ready for the Premiership.”
He loved his time at Tranmere, enjoying great success on Merseyside, but Mellon insists it was a relatively easy decision to head up to Tayside and fulfil a childhood dream.
“I grew up in Scotland and as a wee boy, obviously, watched Scottish football,” he explained.
“It’s always been a dream of mine.
“I love football so the romantic in me always wanted to either play here or, once I was too old for that, if the opportunity ever came, to manage here with a fantastic football club that’s going to give me the opportunity to compete.
“So it wasn’t too tough a decision. The opportunity came at the right time for me and I’m delighted to be here.”
