| Welcome to The Arab League, one of the longest established Dundee United Football forums, with many members from the old ArabFC forum. New members are always welcomed, so to join the debate, just sign up - registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join The Arab League! If you're already a member please log in: |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
| vs Hearts; 20/02, 3pm | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 17 2016, 02:04 PM (1,524 Views) | |
| Tom_Boland | Feb 21 2016, 09:36 AM Post #16 |
Ivan Golac
  ![]](http://z5.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)
|
TBH I'm rather speechless about the result. If you'd said to me last weekend, that we'd get beaten by the Well, but beat the Hertz, I'd have laughed in your face Definitely the better team 1st half. The stats confirm this. Great header in by Demel. Nearies. Rankins off the post. Ofere and Demel headers saved by Alexander. 2nd half we weren't so hot, and there were times when it looked like Hertz had an invisible 11th player on the pitch. Dowsers bouncer over the bar had us all pulling our hair out. However Patons 25 yarder which followed a passback from Anier I think, is well worth watching. The only bad points. Trying to play offside which gave them the equalizer. A number of times Fraser lost the ball trying to imitate Ronaldo. Demel going doon after 54 mins, and Pongo goin doon after 60. Anier being daft and kicking out giving Clancy the Clown a reason for a 2nd yellow. Though I dinna think he deseved the 1st yellow. Clancy the Clown let everything go in the 1st half, but threw the cards like confetti after the 2nd yellow for McGhee. No helped by Hertz men dropping like fleas like they did the last time. Think all fancy a go at the physio with pony tall. .MOTM for me Rankin. |
 |
 
|
| litljortindan2 | Feb 21 2016, 10:32 AM Post #17 |
|
Ian McCall
|
Good lay off by Anier. Good deliveries by Fraser. A couple of poor passes from the keeper and one from Donaldson. Some sublime wing play from Rankin. |
|
|
|
| radger | Feb 21 2016, 03:59 PM Post #18 |
Craig Brewster
|
What a match that was, talk about the good the bad and the ugly! So yeah, saw the line up and was very happy. We changed the midfield 3, bringing in Fraser at the top of it, with Demel going alongside Paton and Ranks moving out wide to replace Dixon. We also changed both the strikers, giving us a chance to see Ofere and Pongolle and what they could offer, while Durnan replaced Dillon at the back. That was the questionable one in my mind. Anyway the first half was 100 times better than against Motherwell. The whole team played well, we had the bulk of the play and the chances, with their only effort of note coming from a brain fart from our defence (more on that later). We also managed to get the goal we deserved just before half time, so going in at the break, we're playing well, we've gone a goal and a man up, everything looking good! Then the second half started, and it just looked like it was all going wrong. We were punished as we gave the ball away then just didn't defend their attack, lead wiped out. Then we lost Demel (for me our best player up to that point) and minutes later we lost Pongolle and all the momentum we had was gone. And we toiled for the next part, really struggled to do much at all. But credit where it's due we worked hard and gradually managed to get on top again and Paton gets us back in front with a great strike. Yesssss Good work done, how quick until we shoot ourselves in the foot again? Donaldson had picked up an injury just before that and could barely run, but we'd used all our subs by that point. Then Anier gets himself an absolutely stupid second yellow, while at the same time Dixon is ordered to off to get a cut treated. In the space of a couple of minutes we've gone from 11 v 10 to having 8 and a half players with about 20 minutes of stoppage time to add. And man the panic set in! Hearts got a couple of crosses into our box and the whole stadium had their fists stuffed into their mouths in fear. A few kick it anywhere's later somehow we've ended up with the win we deserved. Wooooo! The defence played fairly well, but I feel there's always an error waiting to happen. Donaldson competes well and is happy enough coming forward and dribbles the ball well (not in silly situations), when it comes to kicking/passing the ball though he's poor. Limitation on his part but he's playing well enough for me. Gunning still comes across a massive fud, and I really didn't like him almost squaring up to Donaldson when we lost the goal, likewise his reaction when Spittal missed his header against Motherwell (can catch a glimpse of it on the highlights) was also really poor. That said there was a lot of instruction from him, so he showed some leadership and responsibility, which was needed and shouldn't be ignored. Still makes mistakes here and there though. Durnan I really don't have much (any) confidence in. Guilty too often of losing the ball in bad areas to lose the ball and it happened a couple of times yesterday, but that aside it was a pass marks performance. In the middle we did well. Good performances from Demel and Paton and in front of them Fraser put in a good hardworking shift. Couple of times he lost possession dribbling the ball which got some angry reactions, I can live with that though as his play when he gets the ball is positive. Also links up well with Spittal and they can work the ball well to find or create openings. I like Rankin out wide, and he did well again out there, was a bit upset to see him coming into the middle and Dixon coming on when Demel went off. Loved seeing Ranks telling all the players to switch on as we nervously conceded a corner in stoppage time, think I could see the veins popping out from under his tangerine top! Pongolle looks a good player, but I can't see him being able to play much, a half at a time seems like the most you'll get from him. Every few weeks or so. Same concern to a lesser extent with Demel. He appears to be fit enough though, just injury prone. Ofere I can confrim is a big battering ram forward. Similar to Murray he isn't a great player, but also similar to Murray he has an attribute which is enough for him to be able to contribute something of value. Big and strong, aerial threat and knows how to use his body to hold off defenders. Anier can breathe a massive sigh of relief that we got that win, he would've absolutely hounded as the villain of the piece had we not held on. And rightfully so! He comes back into the fray, get's his opportunity and it was (quote Jock Brown) sheer folly. The first yellow was definitely harsh (booked for persistant fouling- 3 fouls, none of them bad), but kicking out at a nothing incident (hearts boy was seeing the ball out for a throw in) and dropping us right back in it was plain ridiculous. I had fun shouting "Go Henry" every time the ball went within 20 yards of him, and he worked hard when he came on while not seeing a lot of the ball, but seriously keep him away from the team. If that was his chance then he blew it. Oh and it was nice of Souttar to blow that gaping chance in stoppage time, I always did like him 
|
|
|
|
| Setenza | Feb 22 2016, 12:25 AM Post #19 |
Knitting with only one needle
|
I think Donaldson ball winning has made a difference since getting back into the team in helping to make us less vulnerable. Obviously the odd mistake, but think he's doing well, and takes the pressure off a lot. Also anything that means Gunning gets less of the ball, the better. Hard to know if Gunning's aggression towards other players helps or hinders them. But Dillon's guidance didn't seem to be achieving much. |
|
|
|
| Barca87 | Feb 22 2016, 08:35 AM Post #20 |
Gordon Chisholm
|
Excellent use of quality Jock Brownism - that was an act of sheer folly! |
|
|
|
| TheDean | Feb 22 2016, 11:33 PM Post #21 |
|
ALLEGEDLY CALICO
|
Still not convinced about Donaldson. gunning rightly tore a strip off him for ball watching at their goal from a nothing Hail Mary type lob from Souttarbauer . |
|
|
|
| Barca87 | Feb 23 2016, 10:17 AM Post #22 |
|
Gordon Chisholm
|
But hadn't Durnan played everyone onside by being about 5 yards behind the defensive line? Hopeless all round. |
|
|
|
| Morvant's Finest | Feb 23 2016, 12:13 PM Post #23 |
Tommy McLean
|
That's a good point about Durnan's positioning Barca, that wasn't immediately obvious on the angle shown on the highlights. BTW I think most would agree Donaldson's done pretty well since he's come back (and he's still very inexperienced for a CH), though he did manage to make 3 individual errors in the one goal (2 misplaced passes in quick succession, then the 'hand in the air playing offside' attempt), which is some going. Hopefully he's got those errors out of his system in the one game! |
|
|
|
|
|
| « Previous Topic · Any Football · Next Topic » |
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
4:47 PM Jul 13