Jackie McNamara feels he has weathered the storm

Jackie McNamara endured the toughest spell of his managerial career at the tail-end of last season.

Dundee United fans, driven to fury by the loss of Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven to Celtic, unleashed a hail of criticism on their club’s hierarchy.

In McNamara’s case, it was intense and at times personal.

It wasn’t just his side’s results that were called into question, it was his integrity.

It’s hardly surprising to hear the United gaffer admit that the jibes centred around his entitlement to a cut of the Armstrong/Mackay-Steven transfer fee left him anguished.

But as United’s pre-season plans begin to kick into high gear, McNamara insists he is optimistic about the season ahead and unwilling to alter his youth-oriented approach.

“I’m disappointed with a lot of things that came from that time,” he said. “It hurt me, of course it did. But it also made me stronger.

“You’re seeing people having a pot-shot because they think I’ve done something.

“These things shouldn’t have been in the public domain to start with, but it’s old ground, it’s old territory.

“In an ideal world, people see it as me being here with a clean slate, with no debt, with nothing whatsoever. That’s what the chairman brought me here to do to turn it around.

“We’ve turned it around and we’re looking forward now to getting on without all the baggage.”

The Tangerines’ first summer signing, 22-year-old centre-half Mark Durnan, is in keeping with McNamara’s philosophy.

He is young, highly-rated and hungry to develop all prized traits for the United gaffer.

And he believes the experience his young side picked up last season will stand them in good stead for the season ahead.

“I don’t see why I should change the philosophy,” he said.

“Our philosophy is why we’ve brought the young guys in, taken them out again, given them a taste.

“If I’ve felt they were ready to do it week-in, week-out, I’ve left them in. But it’s the physicality, the demands both physically and mentally. That’s why experienced players can sustain it over a longer period.

“The younger ones, the Spittals, the Telfers, the Connollys, they’ve been around it now.

“People like to see new faces, but I know what we’ve got there.”

Meanwhile, Paul Dixon admitted improvement is top of his agenda for next season after a disappointing first few months back at United.

“Last season was a bit of a write-off for me, to be honest,” said the Tangerines star.

“I didn’t feel my performances were up to the standard I set for myself and the standard the management team expect, possibly.

“They know what I can do, I know what I can do and hopefully I can show that again.”