Football without Spin - Craig Levein living a dream

December 3 2008

Craig Levein living a dream

Can Dundee United win the league? Well, in theory, anybody could, and Levein believes it.

"I would never say never; I wouldn't ever say that the league is an impossibility," he said.

"There are a number of things that make it more difficult, obviously the spending power of the Old Firm and Hearts as well."

"The other thing is that you start to lose players when you're doing well" he added.

"There are things that make it more difficult but I would never rule it out."

So that's encouraging, then. Levein immediately rationalises his dream, saying that (a) Hearts, Rangers and Celtic can all spend more and (b) when Dundee United get good their best players get sold. There are a few more points that might be worth remembering - (c) Dundee United are having a pretty good season at the moment, lying fourth in the table, and they're still 17 points off the top with 16 games played, (d) their last and only league win was in 1982-3, (e) the last side to win the top flight in Scotland besides the Old Firm was Aberdeen in 1985, and their manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, faded into obscurity thereafter, (f) they've only finished in the top half of the SPL twice in the last ten years...

Still, it's best to never say never; after all, Martin Jol said that breaking Spurs into the top 4 in England would be tough and that started the ball rolling to his sacking, so at least Craig Levein is one step ahead in that particular game.