New Dundee United boss Robbie Neilson is determined to find a settled team and formation as soon as possible as he believes that is the recipe for success in winning championships.
The 38-year-old was appointed on Tuesday and immediately tasked with taking the Tangerines back to the top tier of Scottish football.
The former defender certainly knows what it takes to do just that, having completed the feat when he was in charge of Hearts.
Now, he is determined to do the same with United and when asked what changes he would like to bring in, Neilson said: “A wee bit more consistency and stability.
“There has been a lot of chopping and changing from what I have seen here whether that’s formation wise or in personnel.
“But I always find that the strongest teams, and the ones that win championships, generally play with the least amount of players because they have that consistency.
“Maybe one or two changes a week if you are lucky, so we need to get back to that.
“We need to find who the best XI are and then work with that.”
Neilson’s quest to do that starts tomorrow when United travel to face Partick Thistle at Firhill.
He added: “It is good to get a game on Saturday.
“It gives you a focus and it is a big game against Partick. It is a chance if we get a result to really move up the table as it is so tight.
“Hopefully we will get a good start.”
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Neilson has also managed at MK Dons and when asked what his first-game-in-charge record was like, he smiled and said: “You are putting pressure on me now.
“At Hearts, we went to Ibrox and won and the first game with MK Dons we beat AFC Wimbledon which was their biggest game.
“So they were two good results and we just have to keep it going.”
Of course, if things had worked out differently, Neilson could have been in the home dug-out at Firhill tomorrow afternoon.
Thistle parted company with boss Alan Archibald at the weekend and were keen to bring Neilson in as his successor.
He spoke to the Jags chief executive Gerry Britton but admitted the lure of Tannadice proved too strong.
He said: “I had a chat with Gerry because I know him and I wanted to go and speak with him.
“I think it is a great club. To be honest, there were a couple of clubs that I thought if they came up they would be good ones and they were one of them.
“Dundee United was another one but what happens in football is that they both came at the same time – that is just the way it goes.
“Once I spoke to the chairman here last week, there was never any doubt that I was going to come here.
“But I wanted to speak to Gerry and the club because there are a lot of good people there and I like it – I stay around the corner from it!
“So it was just the timing of things. I have known Archie for years and the job he has done.
“It is disappointing when anyone loses their job.
“He is a really good coach and when I left the Hearts job, he was one I thought would maybe have a chance of getting it as he was doing so well.
“It wasn’t to be for him but I am sure he will get back in.
“Partick is a great club but United just ticked so many boxes for me. There are so many things you can’t really say no to it.”
Neilson confirmed that Laurie Ellis will be staying on as part of the United backroom staff but he is still on the look-out for another coach with striking expertise with Stevie Crawford, who is currently at Dunfermline, top of his wanted list.
He said: “I need to get someone in as that is the key for me.
“We have Laurie here who is a very good coach. He is going to stay here with us because he has a good relationship with the players.
“But I would like to get a striker coach in. Someone who can come in and work with the strikers specifically with the details.
“I always find that players can ask you questions and if you have not been in that position before, then you can be a wee bit vague on it whereas if someone is there and has got the T-shirt, they can do it.
“So I would like to get someone in. Obviously people are contracted to clubs so we need to be careful that we don’t step on toes.”
