I AM convinced Paul Hartley made a smart decision when he rejected a move to Cardiff City this week.

That a manager should stay at Dundee because of the stability it offers is something I never thought I'd see, but the Cardiff owner Vincent Tan shows no regard for continuity when it comes to the managerial position and seems more than capable of upsetting people.

It is no surprise to me that a club as big as Cardiff were looking at Hartley. I love guys who have learned their trade at the coalface, and, in terms of timescale, I think Paul should stay at Dundee for two or three seasons to develop more at Premiership level. I am not saying he isn't ready to do that job right now - I just feel he has made an excellent choice in staying.

Dundee are still in a period of transition, but it looks like they have settled down a wee bit at boardroom and business level and in Paul they have a manager who has them looking the part on the field. Going to Cardiff would have been a major gamble, but by staying he can help Dundee stabilise and also help himself.

Paul's decision to stick by the boys he has in the dressing-room at Dundee gives his players an extra incentive for today's city derby against Dundee United. It is a fixture I have great memories of, although I guess you could say they were mixed.

I suffered defeats, some real hidings in fact, and was sent off when I kicked out at United's Freddy van der Hoorn. I also scored the winner in derbies for both clubs. You could say I have seen all sides of it.

Strange, surreal: there is no other way to describe that walk up or down Tannadice Street beforehand, but once you get into the stadium you are back into your normal preparation. I wouldn't say it is a friendly derby, but neither is there the same kind of nastiness you get with the Old Firm. It is a fixture both teams are desperate to win, and it is nice to have it back, a real big city derby in the calendar.

It is particularly well set up this year. Paul Hartley has done a brilliant job already of galvanising Dundee and getting them settled into the Premier League.

However, I would still say that if you are looking at their respective squads man by man then United have the better players, the flair players, the ones who can cause the real damage, although there is no doubt the gap has narrowed compared to what it might once have been.

These are both ball-playing teams. With players such as Gary Harkins and Paul McGowan, Dundee can't really be anything else. Even Jim McAlister, who is really back on form as the sitting midfielder, started out as a winger at Morton.

And you know what Dundee United are all about. If you can keep their front four quiet you are halfway to winning the game.

That is why I don't think Paul will want a particularly open game. While he will want his side to get the ball down and pass, he will be well aware of the threat presented by United's front four and will want his players to keep it compact and show some real doggedness. Fortunately, that kind of graft is also one of Dundee's attributes.

While I still feel you can score goals against United's back four, Jackie McNamara will be saying that if they can keep things secure in defence then their front four will win the game for them. United are definitely a top-six team this year for me, still a good team to watch.

They have reacted well to their drubbing at Celtic Park, and will cuff teams themselves at times this season. You have to go back to 2003 for the last time Dundee finished ahead of their city rivals and I think even Paul would say that his priority is survival; to ensure a traditional yo-yo team stays in the Premiership for the next four or five years.

I they will finish somewhere in the middle of the league this season. I wouldn't be surprised if today's match was a score draw, but I also know that United have a decent record at Dens Park and if the game goes the way I think it will I think they might just shade it.

One thing about a derby is that it can sometimes take a bit of time to get over a defeat, but that won't be the case. The two sides meet again in the League Cup at Tannadice on Wednesday night and it isn't the worst thing to have a chance to turn the result on its head so quickly.

That could give the beaten team a bit of an edge and one other thing is also for sure about the Dundee derby - you don't want to lose two in the space of four days.