I think we can safely say that Sean Dillon isn’t interested in shortlists, longlists, who has been or who is still to be interviewed to be the next Dundee United manager.
Speaking after Saturday’s match with Ross County and before this morning’s announcement that Peter Houston has left Tannadice Dillon was trying to concentrate on on-field matters.
He certainly doesn’t believe the latest in a long line of home wins which have slipped through United’s fingers has anything to do with the managerial uncertainty at Tannadice.
The Irishman pointed out: “It is what it is. What can you do? Do you work less hard because of the situation? The answer is ‘no’.
“The lads put in a shift every day we come in and that won’t change just because we know the manager’s going. For me on a personal level we give 100% in a match, and we can’t give any more than that.
“In my head he’s the manager and nothing has changed from six weeks ago or six months ago. Everything continues the same, from your preparation to the games themselves.
“Obviously when you don’t win people will talk about it a lot more but I certainly don’t see it as a problem.”
As for the rumoured runners and riders for the Tannadice post?
“I have zero interest and that’s a fact,” he insisted. “The boys will back me up on that. I have no time for speculation. I hate it. The transfer window? I have no time for it.
“When you know who’s going to be the manager, then tell me. You could tell me my dad’s going to be the manager at the moment and it wouldn’t make a difference.
“It might get my hopes up, though, because he’d pick me!
“I hate talking about who it could be who’s coming in. I don’t get as excited about it as some of the other boys do.
“When a deal is done proper done then we’ll chat about whether it’s good or not.
“But, regardless of who it is, he’ll get 100% respect from me.”
Saturday’s draw had more to do with old habits than any new worries players may have. It was a script that the United fans have seen several times before already this term.
After a dreary first half, a lead was taken shortly after the break through a Gary Mackay-Steven curler from the edge of the box.
Unfortunately this is not a team that does killing a game off at Tannadice, and Ross County edged their way back into the match and began to eke out some chances of their own.
Eventually they took one on 82 minutes and what a goal it was. For any St Johnstone fans reading, Richie Brittain’s long-range left-foot bullet showed that when Liam Craig leaves in the summer his goals from midfield are likely to be replaced by this man.
Dillon doesn’t believe that his team’s consistent failure to put games away at home that’s now 11 without a win has got into their heads, even though the evidence would suggest otherwise.
“For me I don’t think about it much,” he pointed out. “And I don’t think the other lads do either. We certainly don’t talk about it.
“They came with a game plan and will say they deserved a draw, but I think it’s a match we should have had won. We felt we had done enough.”