Peter Houston ready for lift-off as Dundee United manager

Peter Houston is set to be offered the Dundee United manager's job on a permanent basis. The Premier League club, who won the Scottish Cup last Saturday, hope to confirm the 51-year-old's appointment early next week after talks between his representative and United's chairman, Stephen Thompson. United's 3-0 Cup victory over Ross County was their first success in the competition for 16 years. It is also only the fifth major trophy the club have won in their 100-year history. Houston was placed in charge until the end of the season after Craig Levein's departure for the Scotland job in December. United finished third in the SPL, nine points clear of Hibernian, and eliminated Rangers, the eventual champions, from the Scottish Cup in the quarter-finals.