Peter Houston believes he is in a unique position at Dundee United - because caretaker managers are usually appointed in times of crisis. He takes charge during a positive period for the club; they sit fourth in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League and have lost only two matches this season.

Houston will be given a minimum of four matches in charge and is a candidate for the post, but insists he is simply focused on maintaining the Tangerines' good form.

He said: "I'm delighted to be given the job on a caretaker basis.

"For the next few games, perhaps up until the Scottish Cup tie with Partick Thistle in early January, I'll be in charge of the team.

"I'm quite happy and relaxed about the situation.

"Usually, when a manager leaves the club and a caretaker is appointed, they're struggling near the bottom of the table.

"But this is an entirely different scenario. At the end of the day, we've only lost two games this season.

"We're on a roll - the players have been enjoying their football - so it's all about continuity.

"We've got a great bunch of lads here and it's obviously nice if some of them were saying nice things about me.

"We've got a great team spirit here so everyone is used to pulling together."