Dundee United 2019/2020

[Granny Danger]

Just now, Accent-Unknown said:

And got *clap clap* f**k all else!

that doesn't really fit does it?

I disagree, I think we’ve got decent players but we’re not playing a formation that exploits their strengths.

It’s like last season all over again.

I had to watch this on ArabZone so am limited to seeing what they show but it looked like Shankland was isolated for much of the game the same way Safranko used to be.

 

[Accent-Unknown]

1 minute ago, Granny Danger said:

I disagree, I think we’ve got decent players but we’re not playing a formation that exploits their strengths.

It’s like last season all over again.

I had to watch this on ArabZone so am limited to seeing what they show but it looked like Shankland was isolated for much of the game the same way Safranko used to be.

 

I was over exaggerating for the joke. I think our squad is good enough to win the league but it's just getting more and more frustrating to watch us play well under what we're capable of. I also think some players are being given too much leeway considering what they're producing.

[Granny Danger]

6 minutes ago, Accent-Unknown said:

I was over exaggerating for the joke. I think our squad is good enough to win the league but it's just getting more and more frustrating to watch us play well under what we're capable of. I also think some players are being given too much leeway considering what they're producing.

Like Pawlett and, err, Pawlett?

Get him out of the team and get back to 4-4-2 with Appere and Shankland up front.

 

[Szamo's_Ammo]

Morton at home next.

How did they get on today? 

[Granny Danger]

3 minutes ago, Szamo's_Ammo said:

Morton at home next.

How did they get on today? 

They beat some diddie wee team.

[Szamo's_Ammo]

2 minutes ago, Granny Danger said:

They beat some diddie wee team.

Some result for them against a team with one of the best strike forces outside of Celtic and Sevco.

Edited September 21, 2019 by Szamo's_Ammo

[captainkev]

50 minutes ago, Szamo's_Ammo said:

Some result for them against a team with one of the best strike forces outside of Celtic and Sevco.

And 4 of the top 10 midfielders in the league.

[Derry Alli]

1 minute ago, captainkev said:

And 4 of the top 10 midfielders in the league.

Apparently 5 now, signed Dorrans. 

[chazas_]

We’re desperately missing a central midfielder who can take the ball off the defenders and make things happen. King must be really poor if he can’t get a look ahead of Stanton.

[stumigoo]

9 hours ago, chazas_ said:

We’re desperately missing a central midfielder who can take the ball off the defenders and make things happen. King must be really poor if he can’t get a look ahead of Stanton.

The King signing has been a waste so far and from what I have seen of him I would be hesitant to give him any real game time (Neilson seems of a similar opinion). Maybe he will come good but he is miles behind Butcher, Stanton and Harkes IMO. I would almost be of the opinion that younger guys like Mochrie could be used ahead of him. Might be a bit harsh but I think he is a bit of a squad filler and not much more (although we did give him a three year contract!)

[arab_joe]

On 27/08/2019 at 10:57, arab_joe said:

The end of last season saw an over-reaction to us losing to St Mirren (the calls for Neilson to be sacked after 28 league games were, in my eyes, embarrassing); and the start of this season has seen an over-reaction to 3 wins (we have played well, but the season is a lot, lot longer than 3 games).

We really need to stop over-reacting to all of these results... from some of the online commentary, you'd think we were on the brink of back-to-back relegations; the reality is that we lost to a really strong Ayr side and are sat with 15 points after 6 games.  Even the most optimistic of Arabs would have bitten your hand off to be in that position before the first game of the season.

19 hours ago, Granny Danger said:

We’ve got Lawrence Shankland, we’ve got Lawrence Shankland...

Lawrence Shankland yesterday reminded me of Kris Boyd of about 10 years ago - no service for 88 minutes; completely anonymous; and yet single-handedly won the game with two brilliant touches.  Great to see.

5 hours ago, stumigoo said:

The King signing has been a waste so far and from what I have seen of him I would be hesitant to give him any real game time (Neilson seems of a similar opinion). Maybe he will come good but he is miles behind Butcher, Stanton and Harkes IMO. I would almost be of the opinion that younger guys like Mochrie could be used ahead of him. Might be a bit harsh but I think he is a bit of a squad filler and not much more (although we did give him a three year contract!)

One area that we were particularly poor yesterday was distribution from the back - if Butcher is staying at centre back then there must be an opportunity for King to play in the middle of the park soon. Stanton, Harkes and Pawlett are all going to need rotation.

[invergowrie arab]

7 minutes ago, arab_joe said:

We really need to stop over-reacting to all of these results... from some of the online commentary, you'd think we were on the brink of back-to-back relegations; 

I suppose people have different criteria for defining success.

[Aladdin]

The King signing has been a waste so far and from what I have seen of him I would be hesitant to give him any real game time (Neilson seems of a similar opinion). Maybe he will come good but he is miles behind Butcher, Stanton and Harkes IMO. I would almost be of the opinion that younger guys like Mochrie could be used ahead of him. Might be a bit harsh but I think he is a bit of a squad filler and not much more (although we did give him a three year contract!)

The king signing is a strange one - Neilson must have known what he was all about and must have been keen on him to give him a 3 year contract.

Anyway, next game I would go back to a 442, McMillan wide right, Sporle wide left and Appere up top with Shankland.

[ArabFC]

2 hours ago, arab_joe said:

We really need to stop over-reacting to all of these results...

It's not the results. We won yesterday. 5 wins out of 6 games is goddamn beautiful, but still I have little faith in the manager.

I'm no formation-Nazi, I don't believe the only way to play the game is 442, but if you have the resources we have, approaching a game against a team with the resources Arbroath have, isn't just frustrating, its bloody embarrassing.

 

Edited September 22, 2019 by ArabFC
meh

[Granny Danger]

8 minutes ago, ArabFC said:

It's not the results. We won yesterday. 5 wins out of 6 games is goddamn beautiful, but still I have little faith in the manager.

I'm no formation-Nazi, I don't believe the only way to play the game is 442, but if you have the resources we have, approaching a game against a team with the resources Arbroath have, isn't just frustrating, its bloody embarrassing.

 

I’ve seen 5 of the 6 league games; 3 live, 1 on TV and 1 online.  I didn’t see the Ayr game.

The only game where we truly looked like champions was against ICT.   The derby was great and enjoyable but was strange and only ended 6-2 because Dundee were awful.

The formation and tactics of that 4-1 game should be the blueprint for every other game this season.  We should be dictating the style of play not letting the opposition do so.

 

[invergowrie arab]

The performances matter.

You get away with something like yesterday once in a blue moon. 

We look like we have some good players and hopefully thats enough as Neilson is a one trick pony who seems unwilling or unable to learn from victory or defeat.

To show i can learn ill admit i have been screaming for Harkes to get a run in the team and hes guff. Maybe harsh but hes where is being asked to operate.  I think he would play best in behind 2 strikers. 

Replace Smith with Harkes in the above paragraph and read again.

[dregs 83]

I’ve seen 5 of the 6 league games; 3 live, 1 on TV and 1 online.  I didn’t see the Ayr game.
The only game where we truly looked like champions was against ICT.   The derby was great and enjoyable but was strange and only ended 6-2 because Dundee were awful.
The formation and tactics of that 4-1 game should be the blueprint for every other game this season.  We should be dictating the style of play not letting the opposition do so.
 

We were very good against Dunfermline and could quite easily have won that game by 3 or 4.

We were also great in the second half against thistle.

As far as I’m concerned scoring 2 goals in the last 2 minutes to win a game where you’ve played crap is exactly what champions look like.

We’re not going to play well every game or half of football, look at Man City against Norwich last week.

I have reservations about Neilson, and his favoured system and tendencies to play players out of position does piss me off, but I think the levels of criticism are way over the top.

We’ve won 8 of the last 10 league games, but beyond that there seems to have been real progress in terms of the togetherness and attitude of not just the first team but the wider squad.

We were a total shambles when he took over, and the whole club was in total disarray. Look at the way players like McMullan and Robson have come on, and young players like Banks and Appere. Fitness is better, more goals are being scored and fewer conceded, and were able to fight back from losing positions, he’s been in charge less than a year!


I’m totally aware he’s not perfect- but none of our managers ever have been, and at our level we aint going to get one who is.

The speed at which negativity re-appears is beginning to get tiresome.

[Granny Danger]

28 minutes ago, dregs 83 said:

We were very good against Dunfermline and could quite easily have won that game by 3 or 4.

We were also great in the second half against thistle.

As far as I’m concerned scoring 2 goals in the last 2 minutes to win a game where you’ve played crap is exactly what champions look like.

We’re not going to play well every game or half of football, look at Man City against Norwich last week.

I have reservations about Neilson, and his favoured system and tendencies to play players out of position does piss me off, but I think the levels of criticism are way over the top.

We’ve won 8 of the last 10 league games, but beyond that there seems to have been real progress in terms of the togetherness and attitude of not just the first team but the wider squad.

We were a total shambles when he took over, and the whole club was in total disarray. Look at the way players like McMullan and Robson have come on, and young players like Banks and Appere. Fitness is better, more goals are being scored and fewer conceded, and were able to fight back from losing positions, he’s been in charge less than a year!


I’m totally aware he’s not perfect- but none of our managers ever have been, and at our level we aint going to get one who is.

The speed at which negativity re-appears is beginning to get tiresome.

Maybe being in this division for three seasons does that to you.

Let me compare Neilson to a recent fans favourite, Nadir Ciftci.

Ciftci could have been a far better player if he had worked on a couple of simple things.  Sadly he didn’t and left Tannadice with exactly the same flaws he arrived with.

Neilson is the same.  Some very good attributes as a manager combined with a level of stubbornness, or maybe blind spots, that lets him down.

The play off finals last season epitomised that for me.  Fucked up the first leg through his negativity and insistence on playing a signing he had made.  This dictated the second leg and everything that followed.

[dregs 83]

Maybe being in this division for three seasons does that to you.
Let me compare Neilson to a recent fans favourite, Nadir Ciftci.
Ciftci could have been a far better player if he had worked on a couple of simple things.  Sadly he didn’t and left Tannadice with exactly the same flaws he arrived with.
Neilson is the same.  Some very good attributes as a manager combined with a level of stubbornness, or maybe blind spots, that lets him down.
The play off finals last season epitomised that for me.  Fucked up the first leg through his negativity and insistence on playing a signing he had made.  This dictated the second leg and everything that followed.

I totally get that, and I agree.

But he is a damn sight better than anything we have had for years, and there seems to be a momentum, togetherness and level of general quality far superior to anything we have had since we’ve been down here.

I just don’t think the people prepared to call for his head or branding him a crap manager are being sensible or seeing the bigger picture.

[Granny Danger]

22 minutes ago, dregs 83 said:

I totally get that, and I agree.

But he is a damn sight better than anything we have had for years, and there seems to be a momentum, togetherness and level of general quality far superior to anything we have had since we’ve been down here.

I just don’t think the people prepared to call for his head or branding him a crap manager are being sensible or seeing the bigger picture.

I agree he’s the best manager we’ve had for an age.  I also think that any competent manager that’s had the financial backing that Neilson’s had should be achieving what’s he’s achieved.

The margins are fine.  Had we lost on Saturday as we could have (and as many reckon we should have) he would have been under pressure.

He needs to accept that Pawlett is not the player he thought he was and stop accommodating him.  It is that accommodation that is dictating the less effective formation.