Season 1999/2000 divided into two distinct parts with third position in the SPL maintained until the mid-winter break and thirty points amassed. It is a measure of the disappointing form shown in the second half of the season that United's final points total was thirty-nine. One optimistic feature of the season was the number of appearances made by players of twenty-one and under as manager Paul Sturrock continued his complete restructuring of the playing staff and during the close season five new players were signed as others departed the Tannadice scene.

The 2000/01 league campaign began with a home defeat by Celtic. Although this game included some bright second half form it was not carried forward to the second match against Hibs in Edinburgh where defensive lapses were compounded by a very disappointing overall team performance which included fifty-two minutes being recorded on the clock before there was a United shot on target.

On Monday 7 August, and just two matches into the new season, Paul Sturrock tendered his resignation which the Board reluctantly accepted. In the Board's statement Paul was thanked for his loyal and dedicated service to Dundee United. At the same time the Club announced that Alex Smith had been appointed interim Manager with immediate effect.

Within four weeks 'interim' was dropped from Alex Smith's job title when he accepted the job of Manager on a permanent basis and set about the task of turning United's fortunes around. By 25 November 2000 United won just two points from their first sixteen league fixtures, the lowest points total at that date in any year since the Premier League's inception in 1975.

As the mid-Winter break approached there were unmistakable signs that performances and results were improving. Astute signing of players such as Jim Lauchlan, Jamie Fullarton, Derek Lilley and Charlie Miller, all with SPL experience, the return from injury of Danny Griffin and the emergence of Jamie McCunnie all combined to make United, in the second half of the season, one of the League's form teams.

There were several set-backs along the way but a last-gasp winning goal by Derek Lilley in a thrilling second last match of the season at McDiarmid Park in Perth meant that United had escaped relegation.

The credit for the transformation in United rightly went to the Manager. Alex Smith had assembled an industrious and skilful squad in the most trying of circumstances and throughout a most difficult twelve months had displayed a calm approach and self-belief. His revitalised team had galvanised the fans and United supporters approached the 2001/02 season with renewed optimism.

At the end of the first half of the 2001/02 season there was no argument about the team's enhanced points-gathering ability as nineteen games had yielded 22 points for United compared to the meagre five points collected after the same number of games the previous season. As a result the half-way stage league position had improved from 12th to 7th but an extremely disappointing display against Hibs in the CIS Cup Quarter Final and two heavy defeats by Rangers at home and Celtic away cast some doubt on United's ability to match the confident claims in some quarters of finishing in the top six after the April split.

The doubters were proved right and United never rose above 8th between the half-way stage and the split at the end of March 2002. There were few examples of good back-to-back performances and typical of the inconsistent pattern was a narrow reversal but good display against Rangers at the beginning of March closely followed by defeat over two games at the hands of First Division Ayr in the Scottish Cup.

The five games of the post-split series allowed Manager Alex Smith the luxury of blooding young players and a number of promising teenagers found themselves playing at SPL level much quicker than they could ever have anticipated. Time would tell if 2001/02 was to be the beginning of a new talented Dundee United side which would match the deeds of previous seasons.

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