First team
Dundee United (H) - Preview
09/08/2024
The art of building a new squad for a new season has been the main priority for County boss Don Cowie since Premiership status was secured back in late May with the playoff win over Raith Rovers.
When he took over as interim boss in late February, he had to work with the players he inherited from previous manager Derek Adams, including a clutch of newbie loan players.
Inevitably all the loanees left when the season ended so Cowie had to set about putting his own stamp on his squad by both retaining those players he already knew well, while also bringing in his own selections.
With only a few weeks to do so it was a challenging time for a man who was getting to grips with a process that was all very new to him.
"When the loan players left, and we also lost key players such as Simon Murray, Jack Baldwin and Yan Dhanda, we did look a bit thin squad-wise for a week or so, "admitted Cowie.
But although it was new to him, it was a process Cowie says he really enjoyed.
"Basically you identify the type of player you'd like and then see who's available.
"We've got Greg Strong working mainly in England, while we think we've got a pretty good understanding of the Scottish market - so between us we identify a player, try to speak to them and then go about persuading them to come here, "explained Cowie.
There are certain players, inevitably, who don't fancy making the trip north, but for those who do, the facilities at the club and how it's run - along with the beauty of the Highlands - often make a compelling case.
"We reckon that if we can get them here to see what we've got, most will see it's a good move for them," said Cowie.
In marked contrast to County's home nations approach to scouting, this Saturday's visitors are adept at bringing players to Tannadice from Eastern Europe and elsewhere while they also have a well respected Academy set up, which until recently was run by Don's brother Paul, who has now joined the County set-up as first team coach and performance lead.
"Jim Goodwin has a really good track record of getting players from Eastern Europe and the early signs are that he's been successful at that again.
"I'm not sure how that works for Jim, but it's not something we've got, so instead we focus on what we're good at which is tapping into the home market, "said Cowie.
Having watched the Dundee derby on Sunday, Cowie is now familiar with the threat of Macedonians Trapanovski and Babunski, while Academy youngster Miller Thomson also left a positive impression.
"United's new players look like they've adapted pretty well to Scottish football while they've also got some good young players - so it will be a difficult game for us," he said.
But with his new squad almost complete - there may still be one or two others joining before the transfer window ends at the end of the month - Cowie is happy with what he's done in the last month or so.
"We've got healthy competition for places and I feel we're in a really good place," he concluded.