Dundee United vs Motherwells

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Dundee United vs Motherwells; Tues 16th Feb 2016, 7:45pm
Tweet Topic Started: Feb 14 2016, 07:09 PM (4,660 Views)
Morvant's Finest	Feb 17 2016, 11:34 AM Post #61
Tommy McLean Posts: 2,106 Group: Members Member #37 Joined: January 13, 2011	Ouch, that wasn't the best time to throw in our worst performance for a while... Was going to come on here with a crazily optimistic take on our chances, before I saw the next 3 fixtures.... Dundee Utd V Hearts Ross County V Dundee Utd Dundee Utd V Aberdeen



Cobardon	Feb 17 2016, 12:02 PM Post #62
Uncle Smurf Posts: 1,768 Group: Members Member #16 Joined: September 12, 2010	Nice post Radger. Sums up a lot for me, though I was unable to attend last night (fortunately as it turns out). There is a lack of plan and character about the squad when things are going bad though, and has been for a couple of years (including the time of our silky football when we often ducked out of tougher games). As long as it's there we've had it. It's not that we couldn't, in theory, win the 8 games of our remaining 13 that may give us a chance this season, it's that this set of players aren't good enough to do so. A team in the bottom position of any league needs heart more than it does skill, and we may have some of the latter but remarkably little of the former. Not sure putting the young guys in en masse is such a good idea for now though. I know they'd be getting experience but the crowd could well destroy them. Better to let the likes of Riski and Demel suffer those pelters and protect the guys we'll be relying on next season - the likes of Coote and Telfer are getting experience at lower levels anyway so I'd suggest they're better off there. I would throw in a couple of the young guys though - Muirhead needs game time and he can get the last dozen or so games to see if he's really cut out for it. I'd probably play a few others a couple of times as well, just gradually. I thought, for example, Robson did well on his one appearance and can't really be much worse than Dixon at the moment. Going down is a little depressing, of course, but it can also be an opportunity as some have alluded to. Clean out the deadwood, get a new attitude and style and fix what's wrong with the club. Oh, and I find the scapegoating of the chairman a little baffling. Obvious blunder last January aside, what's he supposed to have done wrong? He's backed the bosses and their signings. With hindsight Mixu may not have been the best for the role, but he was perhaps the best of those actually wanting the role. Should he have kept faith with Jackie or sacked him sooner? Hard to say, even now. He seems to be turning it round at York after all. It's dead easy to run things when you don't have to. Maybe the relegation will be a chance to rid the club of some of the worst fans too. Edited by Cobardon, Feb 17 2016, 12:05 PM.



Conan the Destroyer	Feb 17 2016, 12:27 PM Post #63
I prefer it when we're pish Posts: 3,265 Group: Members Member #6 Joined: September 10, 2010	Here's an indication of how little heart the team have this year - we have gained one point from a losing position all season. And that was with a penalty against ten men down at Kilmarnock.



Hamish	Feb 17 2016, 12:30 PM Post #64
Ian McCall Posts: 786 Group: Members Member #27 Joined: September 20, 2010	The chairman has spoken... Statement From The Chairman February 17, 2016 Stephen Thompson, Chairman of Dundee United Football Club, issued the following statement this morning: “As Chairman of the Club, I would like apologise to all Dundee United supporters for the abysmal performance last night against Motherwell. The current position at the bottom of the Ladbrokes Premiership is wholly unacceptable. It is not where Dundee United should be under any circumstance. “The board and myself have made certain decisions in the last eighteen months which in hindsight were incorrect but were made for the greater good of the Club and with the ambition of maintaining our position at the top of Scottish football, something we have done successfully for the last eight years. This included supporting a playing squad that commands the third highest wage bill in the Ladbrokes Premiership. “However, we have failed miserably on the pitch with only three wins in 25 league matches and an early exit from the League Cup. Performances such as last night simply cannot be tolerated. The current playing squad now have thirteen matches to preserve the Club’s premiership status and redeem their own professional reputations.”



radger	Feb 17 2016, 12:35 PM Post #65
Craig Brewster Posts: 461 Group: Members Member #49 Joined: June 26, 2011	Ta Mr Don. I wasn't putting forward that we should just throw all the young boys back in the team (in case you thought that), more that we should get back to the philosophy and strategy of old where we try to nurture and produce talent. I'd agree that just throwing all the young lads into the team isn't how you go about doing that. Getting relegated seemingly was the best thing that could have happened to Hearts, and Hibs are a decent side again, with very much a positive vibe over there (albeit they may not even go up this season). I remember having a positive vibe once....it was good. Point is that okay, while relegation is a result of failure, it brings an opportunity to put a lot of wrongs right, something that can be more difficult to do when you're in a basement battle in the SPL. So hopefully we are able to use that opportunity effectively ala Hearts not Rangers. Ah when things are shit people need someone to shout at. It was Jackie earlier in the season, we replaced him, signed a ton of new players and have ended up even worse. So it must be Thompson! For me the only thing that might have been done differently would have been to keep Armstrong til the summer. But then he'd have gone then, probably for around the same cash and we'd be in exactly the same spot this season. By the way I heard something about Ciftci getting hooked after about half an hour on his debut in Turkey and getting sent off in his second appearance. 1.5 million for him must be the best deal of the season! Edited by radger, Feb 17 2016, 12:37 PM.



zico	Feb 17 2016, 12:46 PM Post #66
Ivan Golac Posts: 1,127 Group: Members Member #60 Joined: December 26, 2011	Hamish Feb 17 2016, 12:30 PM The chairman has spoken... Statement From The Chairman February 17, 2016 Stephen Thompson, Chairman of Dundee United Football Club, issued the following statement this morning: “As Chairman of the Club, I would like apologise to all Dundee United supporters for the abysmal performance last night against Motherwell. The current position at the bottom of the Ladbrokes Premiership is wholly unacceptable. It is not where Dundee United should be under any circumstance. “The board and myself have made certain decisions in the last eighteen months which in hindsight were incorrect but were made for the greater good of the Club and with the ambition of maintaining our position at the top of Scottish football, something we have done successfully for the last eight years. This included supporting a playing squad that commands the third highest wage bill in the Ladbrokes Premiership. “However, we have failed miserably on the pitch with only three wins in 25 league matches and an early exit from the League Cup. Performances such as last night simply cannot be tolerated. The current playing squad now have thirteen matches to preserve the Club’s premiership status and redeem their own professional reputations.” When will the money grabbing little shyster learn to keep his trap shut. Apologise for the performance yes but goading the squad??



Barca87	Feb 17 2016, 12:54 PM Post #67
Gordon Chisholm Posts: 824 Group: Members Member #17 Joined: September 13, 2010	Great post Radger, and the point about Souttar is the most pertinent. How on earth has this club, which has done some amount of trumpet blowing about our ability to develop players clearly failed with arguably the most talented one? That is on McNamara and it's on Mixu. Agree with Cob on Thompson. The scapegoating of him is ludicrous. He is not responsible for the team having no tactical guile and no heart this season (or last whilst we're at it). That all said, I'm not sure I would have come and said what he did this morning. I doubt it will help at all. The squad aren't pulling up trees as it is. I doubt being told you're crap by the Chairman will change that. But I stand to be corrected. Thompson's big issue is whether he really thinks Mixu can get us out the Championship and be competitive the season after? His statement doesn't read that way to me. Maybe that's okay. As they say in North America, maybe we just need to tear it all down between now and the end of the season, keep the one or two older pros who will help next year (Dillon, Rankin for example) and put our faith in the kids - and probably get a new, younger coach with the approach that could succeed with a youngish, skills based team over the next 3 years.



zico	Feb 17 2016, 01:15 PM Post #68
Ivan Golac Posts: 1,127 Group: Members Member #60 Joined: December 26, 2011	Fact one I am just annoyed and spouting pish Edited by zico, Feb 17 2016, 03:04 PM.



Cobardon	Feb 17 2016, 01:37 PM Post #69
Uncle Smurf Posts: 1,768 Group: Members Member #16 Joined: September 12, 2010	zico Feb 17 2016, 01:15 PM Fact one Most of the support have no faith in ST Fact two Questionable although the sales of GMS and stretch were they aren't the reason we are where we are now Fact three Hanging the manager out to dry over a contract he put in front of him.. Fact four Approx 2 million quid in quoted transfer fees seems to have disappeared from the accounts Fact five ST has no shame Fact Six backing the managers is good but every transfer needs to be queried. Fact Seven we aren't relegated yet, Send for Ivan Golac!!!!! See, I don't get most of those issues you are raising. One is unquestionable...I agree with it. Two is backing for the chairman, surely? Three I don't understand at all. Could you elaborate please? Four I have no way of knowing if it's true or not. Nor, do I suspect, do you. Sources please? (These better be good) Five is entirely perceptual Six is nonsense. If you appoint a boss you can't query every transfer, unless it's in extreme circumstances (i.e. selling Spittal for a tenner or something daft). Once you appoint a manager, you need to assume he (and his team) know(s) more about football than you do, or you'd be as well doing the job yourself, wouldn't you?



Naebody	Feb 17 2016, 01:38 PM Post #70
Twat Posts: 5,210 Group: Members Member #20 Joined: September 13, 2010	zico Feb 17 2016, 01:15 PM Fact one Most of the support have no faith in ST I doubt that. A majority of wallopers on messageboards, possibly. Thompson's a liar and a petty, stubborn egotist, but in the world of football club ownership he's certainly in the upper percentile in terms of competence. If fans have no faith in him, that says more about the fans than him. Quote: Fact two Questionable although the sales of GMS and stretch were they aren't the reason we are where we are now Who's suggested otherwise? Quote: Fact three Hanging the manager out to dry over a contract he put in front of him.. The percentage of transfer fee thing? I'd blame Arabtrust for that. And the ven diagram of messageboard wallopers and Arabtrust members seems to have a fair bit of overlap. Quote: Fact four Approx 2 million quid in quoted transfer fees seems to have disappeared from the accounts No it hasn't. Stop that now. Transfer fees are paid in installments, are taxed, and tend to be between a quarter and a fifth less than the press-quoted value even at the headline. Nothing's disappeared. This line of argument is tilting at windmills (as well as being hugely libelous). Quote: Fact five ST has no shame What should he feel shame about? Quote: Fact Six backing the managers is good but every transfer needs to be queried. By whom? Quote: Fact Seven we aren't relegated yet, Send for Ivan Golac!!!!! .... to make sure of it?



Barca87	Feb 17 2016, 01:52 PM Post #71
Gordon Chisholm Posts: 824 Group: Members Member #17 Joined: September 13, 2010	Whether the support have faith in Thompson is of no relevance whatsoever. To be honest his job is not to secure the support of the fans, in the economic environment Scottish football works in, his job, ultimately, is to ensure we still have a football club to go see and then moan about it. It helps if he has picked a reasonably good manager, and so far Thompson has an evens record on that. But the bottom line is keep a full time club functioning in an environment where nobody is making any money bar Celtic. He's doing that.



Naebody	Feb 17 2016, 02:25 PM Post #72
Twat Posts: 5,210 Group: Members Member #20 Joined: September 13, 2010	Since we're here, I guess it's worth going through the reasons why we're relegated. We replaced Cierzniak with Szromnik. We replaced Fojut with Donaldson. We replaced Morris with Durnan. We replaced GMS with Rodney Sneijder. We replaced Robertson with Dixon. We replaced Armstrong with Telfer. We replaced Ciftci with Bodul. We replaced Brian Graham with Muirhead, Anier, et al. That's why we're relegated. It's because every single replacement was worse than the player they replaced. McNamara was hopeless at scouting. The secondary reason we're relegated is that Mixu chose to get his replacements in quick, even though the transfer window was closed. I can see his reasons for doing this, but it was in retrospect the wrong strategy. It didn't arrest the slide, it just gave us a half-fit, barely motivated team of strangers and a keeper who had to sit in the stands for three months. So, he f*cked up. But it feels a little unfair to judge Mixu's ability to manage in ordinary circumstances based on his failure to rescue us from extraordinary ones. Incidentally, if I were Kilmarnock, I'd be weighing up the pros and cons of immediate administration. There aren't many seasons when a 15 point deduction won't get you relegated.



zico	Feb 17 2016, 03:01 PM Post #73
Ivan Golac Posts: 1,127 Group: Members Member #60 Joined: December 26, 2011	So you are saying we haven't replaced GMS since sneijder went home?



Naebody	Feb 17 2016, 03:04 PM Post #74
Twat Posts: 5,210 Group: Members Member #20 Joined: September 13, 2010	zico Feb 17 2016, 03:01 PM So you are saying we haven't replaced GMS since sneijder went home? Yes, I'm saying that. Do you disagree?



Conan the Destroyer	Feb 17 2016, 03:11 PM Post #75
I prefer it when we're pish Posts: 3,265 Group: Members Member #6 Joined: September 10, 2010	zico Feb 17 2016, 03:01 PM So you are saying we haven't replaced GMS since sneijder went home? Are you saying we have?


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