Dundee United chairman Eddie Thompson loses battle with cancer

Eddie Thompson was the millionaire football fan who put his money where his mouth was.

A highly successful businessman, he chose to devote his energy – and millions of pounds – to the football club of his adopted home town.

As a founder member of a convenience store chain and passionate fan of the game, he backed Dundee United with both cash and leadership.

Mr Thompson, who died today aged 67 after a long battle with cancer, ploughed millions of pounds of his personal fortune into the club.

His interest in the club, where he became chairman in 2002, was driven by a love of the game and a strong belief he was looking after it for the fans.

His commitment to United and championing of all small sides in the SPL made him a much-loved figure in the football world.

He once said: "You can change your wife, your house, your car, but you
can never change your team.

"Chairmen come and go, boards come and go, but the fans remain. They are the one true constant.

"I've just been a custodian of the club."

His commitment to Dundee United was clear in his unique relationship with the fans, who had great affection for him.

One of the stands at Tannadice was named after him earlier this year and thousands of fans donned "One Eddie Thompson" T-shirts for this year's CIS cup final.

He also encouraged supporters to play an active role, allowing them to buy shares and setting up a trust for collective share ownership.
ArabTRUST, the Dundee United Supporters' Trust, is now the second largest shareholder after the Thompson family.

His efforts bore fruit and he leaves a club in good health, both in terms of its recent on-pitch successes and its finances.

The team reached the final of the CIS Cup final in March this year. They came close to defeating Rangers, but finally lost on penalties in a nail-biting clash.

In June 2003, the club was mired in huge debts of £2.7 million. But by June 2008, this had been transformed into an operating profit.

As it became clear his health was failing, he made arrangements to secure the club's long-term future, handing day-to-day duties of the chief executive to his son, Stephen.

He also gave manager Craig Levein a position on the board to reward his success. Levein had quickly turned around a struggling team before challenging for a European place and reaching that Hampden final in his first full season.

The performances were a long-awaited reward for Thompson's work off the park after the likes of Ian McCall, Gordon Chisholm and Craig Brewster had failed to match his expectations and provide a return on his investment.

While Thompson felt he had to dismiss several managers in his quest for success, his close relationship with Levein showed how much he inspired those around him.

He was also a champion of all small sides in the Scottish Premier League, fighting their corner as a member of the SPL board.

Born in Glasgow in 1940, Mr Thompson moved to Dundee in 1964 to work as an accountant for the firm Watson & Philip plc.

His love of Dundee United was born, and his time at Watson & Philip resulted in the VG sponsorship in the late 1980s.

In 1991, he left Watson & Philip to form the convenience store Morning, Noon & Night.

The chain proved a success and by 2004 it had 50 outlets, 800 employees and was generating yearly sales of £53 million.

In August of that year, it was sold to Scotmid in one of the largest deals of its kind in Scotland in recent times.

Mr Thompson was a well-known figure in the business world.

He was first chairman of the Scottish Retail Consortium in 1999, president of the Scottish Grocers' Federation and sat on the CBI Council for Scotland.

He was awarded the Scottish Grocery Lifetime Achievement award in 2003 and received an OBE in 2005.

Always keen to put his business acumen at the club's service, he was a founder member of the Dundee United Business Club.

He became chairman and owner in September 2002 when he acquired a majority shareholding.

Mr Thompson had been battling prostate cancer for the past few years and received specialist treatment at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee.
But this did not prevent the disease from spreading and he lost his fight in the early hours today.

He is survived by his wife Cath, children Justine and Stephen and four grandchildren.