Alex Smith revealed yesterday that the thought of quitting the Tannadice hotseat has not entered his head. Dundee United may have bagged just two points from a possible 48 this season and failed to win any of the 14 SPL games he has overseen but Smith remains convinced he can reverse this apparent slide towards relegation. And he claimed his resolve has been strengthened by the support both he and the team have received from fans. "I’ve never known a harder time in my managerial career," confessed the 59-year-old Tangerines chief. "I’ve had bad patches, every manager does, but nothing as prolonged as this.

"However, it has never crossed my mind that I might walk away. "If I wasn’t confident that I could turn things around I would, for the sake of the club, be brutally honest about it. "But I believe we can sort this situation out and apart from my own commitment to getting the job done the devotion and backing of the supporters is such that I am determined to see this through. "It is remarkable, considering what they have endured for the past 10 months, that the level of support has remained as high as it has and I was greatly encouraged by the comments of some fans I met at our Tangerine and Black dinner on Sunday night, who were saying to me things like "we’ve got to get out of this situation and you are the man to get us out of it". "The fans at this function were genuine supporters and really concerned for the club and that more than anything else has made me determined to get it right here. I won’t wash my hands of this club. No chance." Smith admitted, though, that the next four matches-against Dunfermline (home), Kilmarnock (home), St Mirren (away) and Aberdeen (away)-will have a massive bearing on whether United, presently eight points adrift of St Mirren at the foot of the table, can hold onto their top flight status.

"This run of games we’ve got coming up is going to be crucial," he acknowledged. "And that is why it is so important we get a striker in as soon as possible. "I feel for the players because I know the effort they have been putting in of late and also the supporters whose backing at Perth on Saturday was terrific and deserving of reward. "And our scouring the country, as we have been and are continuing to do, for a goalscorer must pay dividends so everyone gets a lift and increased hope that we can get out of this position." While third bottom Aberdeen have moved 13 points clear of the Tangerines, Saints, another of Smith’s former clubs, remain eminently catchable providing that is United discover the means to improve their present goal every two games record. "The club above us is the one to concentrate on and if we do close the gap it will be interesting to see how they handle that," observed Smith. ©The Courier