Tannadice flop Alex Mathie has branded Dundee United skipper Jason deVos a BACKSTABBER - and claimed Jim McLean was still running team affairs before he quit last week. Mathie, who has left United after two years of hell, insists deVos is noth- ing more than a puppet for the managerial regime. And he claims McLean was the REAL boss, and not Paul Sturrock, during his torture on Tayside. Mathie, now trying to re- build his career at York, launched a savage attack on the pair following McLean's decision to quit after his alleged attack on BBC reporter John Barnes last weekend. Mathie said: "Jim McLean pulled all the strings when I was there, only Paul Sturrock and the coaches, Maurice Malpas and John Blackley, knew the truth.

"United need someone who is strong enough to stand up for themselves and not be intimi- dated. I was never intimidated, but I don't know if that's the case with others including the players. Tunnel "McLean came into the dress- ing room after we had lost to Hearts at Tynecastle at the end of my first season there and had his-say. "There - were other times when, as I was warming up as a sub, I could see him batter- ing on the windows of the glass box near the tunnel if things were going wrong. "The morale in the dressing room before I left was the lowest I've experienced during my career and I didn't look forward to coming into train- ing in the morning. "McLean resigning is maybe the best thing that could have happened to United." Mathie is adamant the SPL basement boys also have to ditch skipper deVos because of the unrest his antics cause in the dressing room. He said: "I can only think of one guy who I haven't really liked so far in my career.

"And deVos isn't very popu- lar with the players because he tells the manager everything that is said in the dressing room. "He talks about people behind their backs, which isn't the best thing to do, and it means he can't be trusted. "It meant the morale in the dressing room was so low and I couldn't wait to get away." Mathie, United's record signing at £500,000 when they bought him from Ipswich, failed to make any impact at Tannadice, scoring only six goals in two years. But the striker is convinced the only way players will improve at United is if shamed McLean severs all remaining links with the club. Mathie added: "It's in the interests of everybody that he leaves and lets fresh faces on to the board who can take the club forward and help fulfil its potential.

"It would be good if there was a clear-out from top to bottom so they could make a fresh start. "Nobody can question Jim's record as manager - but times have changed and you have to move with them. "What he achieved in the past will never be repeated again because of the way foot- ball is now. "It would be best for a replacement to come in from the outside." Mathie believes the shadow of McLean over Tannadice was too much for previous boss Sturrock to emerge from. But he has a feeling veteran Alex Smith could succeed if given time. He said: "Paul loved the club so much, but it's difficult when you're trying to emulate the achievements of someone else. "But, when things go wrong at United they automatically look to the chairman for advice on how to change things and it's not always the answer. Nearly all United managers in recent years have played under Jim McLean and have obvi- ously been very close to him. "Ivan Golac was the exception - and he did not do too badly by winning the Scottish Cup and building a good side. "The players who have been there since they left school only know one way the Dundee United way and that can't be good. "What they need is for someone to come in who has no previous connection with them and inject soane fresh ideas.

"Alex has proved in the past he's a good manager so I hope he's given time to do the same Sturrock said he wanted to make United a British club with as few foreigners as possible when he took over a couple of years ago. "But they've gone in the other direction recently - even though all these imports are no better than the young Scottish lads at the club. "I really hope they can turn things around because there are a lot of good lads there. "But if they do go down it might not be the worst thing to happen to them. Maybe they need to take a step back before taking two steps forward. "They were relegated a few years ago, but bounced back from that. They could even come back a stronger team — who knows? "But they need some major changes and quickly so they know where the club is going." ©Supergoals.com