Paul Dixon believes the die for how his second spell at Dundee United would turn out might just have been cast within a few hours of him rejoining the club.
Dixon’s second spell at United started on deadline day in the January transfer window two years ago and, when he put pen to paper, he was convinced he’d spend it challenging for the league and silverware in the cups.
United had, after all, reached the League Cup Final a little over 48 hours earlier and were riding high in the Premiership table.
But the loss of Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven the same evening as he signed proved to be the start of a slide that ended with the Tangerines being relegated less than 18 months later.
“I came up from Huddersfield and signed about six o’clock. I knew Stu had been linked with Celtic but there were just a few hours before the window closed and it didn’t look like there was enough time for business to be done — I certainly didn’t think it would be.
“But it was and Gaz, who was going to Celtic at the end of the season anyway, went as well. That was a big change and suddenly a team that had been flying was soon struggling for results.”
That, Dixon stresses, is not him pointing the finger of blame at anyone and he admits he didn’t see what happened, coming.
“Like I said, Gaz was going to Celtic in a few months anyway and, in the end, the money United got for Stu was a lot for a Scottish club to turn down.
“And I certainly felt we still had a good team, one that would was good enough to stay high up the league table.
“But we finished the season badly and then the next season became a nightmare. When I look back on it I still scratch my head because there were so many games when we basically battered teams but just couldn’t score.
“We’d dominate most of the games, not get ahead and then concede a goal and lose. There were so many matches we could have won but didn’t. We were a decent team but we just couldn’t get out of that rut and it cost us our place in the league.”
Likewise, the 30-year-old left Tannadice at the end of his contract last week feeling very frustrated he was not saying goodbye with his boyhood favourites back in the top tier.
And, in his usual straight-talking fashion, he’s not afraid to say he feels somewhat cheated by the authorities over that.
“I’ve nothing against Hamilton, they won the play-off final — fair play to them and good luck to them next season.
“For me, though, they have to take a look at this system where the Premiership team only plays in the final because that makes it set up for them to stay up.
“If you look at us and Hamilton, there really wasn’t anything between us over the two games but they were far fresher because we were playing our fifth and sixth games in less than three weeks.
“We just didn’t have anything left physically in the second leg down there and that’s not the way promotion or relegation should be decided.”
There’s no bitterness in those words and what’s uppermost in Dixon’s mind is where his next challenge will be. Wherever it is, he’ll remain a big United fan.
“For all I’m disappointed in how things went in my second spell, I do not regret coming back. United are my team and it was a great opportunity to play for them again.
“For a while now, though, I’ve felt this summer would be time for another challenge, so for me it’s back to being a United fan again. I’m going to take a bit of time.”
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