 He remained in post for just over two years, a period in which United struggled in the North Eastern League as they found it difficult to attract the better players available during the unusual conditions of wartime.Littlejohn handed over the manager's job to one of his players, Charlie McGillivray, in November 1944, but remained a director.With the exception of three years when he stepped down due to ill health, he was a board member for the rest of his life, though his greatest contribution to Dundee United was the establishment of Taypools.