| Despite his ongoing battle with cancer, the Tangerines owner was at Tynecastle last night to see his men blast past the Dons 4-1 and admitted the final whistle brought tears of joy.
Much of the focus was on him and his illness, but that did not stop the chairman hailing the work of his team boss.
“When Craig Levein was interviewed for the job in 2006, all we asked him to do was make sure we didn’t get relegated,” he said.
“Well, I think you can say he has done more than just that and you can see now we why call him ‘director of football’.
“He’s done so much for this club and, even now when we’ve reached a final, he is speaking to me about things we must do for the future.
“And I can’t say enough about the players. Not one of them let us down against Aberdeen, they were fantastic.”
A United fan for 40 years, as well as being owner for just over five, Thompson admitted it was a special night for him.
“With my situation, I am obviously a bit emotional and there have been tears. As a fan, I saw us win the league at Dens and lift League Cups and then the Scottish Cup, but the personal involvement I have now makes reaching a final extra special for me.
“Since I took over, there have been some difficult times at United, but I think, with the arrival of Craig, there has been a real turnaround and the team has a great future.” |
