Jump to content

The Dundee United Thread 22/23


Recommended Posts

So... top six. Got to count that as a successful season. Finish 5th and we're back in European fitba (almost certainly).

Can't really ask for more can we - coming off the back of last season?

But, we're still shite. 

So shite in fact, the manager watches this shite, turns round to his bench, surveys more shite and thinks, shite, just leave the shite as it is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Mark Connolly said:

Teams we don't have to play again this season: Hibernian, Livingston, Aberdeen, St Mirren, St Johnstone, Dundee

  Hide contents

lips-are-sealed-picard.gif

 

I hope I’m not tempting fate by saying I’m rather be facing County and Motherwell than Aberdeen and Hibs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Mark Connolly said:

Teams we don't have to play again this season: Hibernian, Livingston, Aberdeen, St Mirren, St Johnstone, Dundee

  Hide contents

lips-are-sealed-picard.gif

 

Teams we unfortunately do need to play now: Celtic, The Rangers.

775498301_ka6M66Z58QEcXadCd4(1).gif.0b72a503f3efa50df671f745a214986f.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Head's up, this is eventually going to digress into a mini-McNulty rant, so feel to stop reading here if you're already sick fed up with discussing him.

I don't know if I'm really out of step with everyone else here because, to be honest, I feel remarkably unfussed about getting into the top six. After the opening Aberdeen game I thought we were heading for big trouble this season, so it's certainly been better than I feared. Nevertheless, it still feels so very underwhelming.

It seems to me that Dundee and St. Johnstone being woeful has kept a lot of fairly poor teams (ourselves included) away from the relegation battle and in contention for mid-table/top half instead. Ross County effectively gave everyone a ten game head start and still sneaked* into the top six.

Apart from a good spell from mid-September through to early November it's been either dull or dire to watch. Defensively we've been good for the most part, although it's slipped a bit lately. Graham, Freeman and K. Smith (before his move) all getting plenty of game time at the back has been pleasing. There's a definite improvement on last season where there was far too much reliance on Benji playing a blinder to keep bailing us out. 

Our attacking play however has been the big problem. It's particularly dispiriting to already know that one atypically good half against a St. Mirren team whose arse has collapsed ensures that Clark and McNulty will be starting for the rest of the season.

While it's not fair to lay responsibility for our attacking issues entirely on McNulty, there's no avoiding that he has persistently missed good chances. Today's howler wasn't even the worst. Shankland did far better with much poorer service last season. Even when he looked most frustrated, there was still always the hope he'd pull off something remarkable like the half-way line goal. I'm so far passed having even a glimmer of hope with McNulty.

He's scored two league goals this season, one of them a penalty. That's the same number as a right back who missed months with injury, and a young centre-half who started the season out on loan. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but it really is pathetic.

 

*ETA, it's probably unfair to even say they sneaked in given that they secured it on the same match day as us and are only a point behind.

Edited by captainkev
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Persisting with Mcnulty until the end was criminal from Courts. The game really opened up after their equaliser and a couple of the young lads, with fresh legs and somewhat of an ability to control a football, could only have improved us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, captainkev said:

Head's up, this is eventually going to digress into a mini-McNulty rant, so feel to stop reading here if you're already sick fed up with discussing him.

I don't know if I'm really out of step with everyone else here because, to be honest, I feel remarkably unfussed about getting into the top six. After the opening Aberdeen game I thought we were heading for big trouble this season, so it's certainly been better than I feared. Nevertheless, it still feels so very underwhelming.

It seems to me that Dundee and St. Johnstone being woeful has kept a lot of fairly poor teams (ourselves included) away from the relegation battle and in contention for mid-table/top half instead. Ross County effectively gave everyone a ten game head start and still sneaked into the top six.

Apart from a good spell from mid-September through to early November it's been either dull or dire to watch. Defensively we've been good for the most part, although it's slipped a bit lately. Graham, Freeman and K. Smith (before his move) all getting plenty of game time at the back has been pleasing. There's a definite improvement on last season where there was far too much reliance on Benji playing a blinder to keep bailing us out. 

Our attacking play however has been the big problem. It's particularly dispiriting to already know that one atypically good half against a St. Mirren team whose arse has collapsed ensures that Clark and McNulty will be starting for the rest of the season.

While it's not fair to lay responsibility for our attacking issues entirely on McNulty, there's no avoiding that he has persistently missed good chances. Today's howler wasn't even the worst. Shankland did far better with much poorer service last season. Even when he looked most frustrated, there was still always the hope he'd pull off something remarkable like the half-way line goal. I'm so far passed having even a glimmer of hope with McNulty.

He's scored two league goals this season, one of them a penalty. That's the same number as a right back who missed months with injury, and a young centre-half who started the season out on loan. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but it really is pathetic.

I’m delighted to get into the top six for all sort of reasons including the financial ones.  However I feel cheated in that I cannot take more enjoyment out it.

None of us is a professional but we cannot all be wrong about McNulty and Courts’ stubbornness.  I can’t help but think how much better we would be with a more prolific striker in that role.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, Granny Danger said:

I’m delighted to get into the top six for all sort of reasons including the financial ones.  However I feel cheated in that I cannot take more enjoyment out it.

None of us is a professional but we cannot all be wrong about McNulty and Courts’ stubbornness.  I can’t help but think how much better we would be with a more prolific striker in that role.

 

I think his stubbornness in persisting with McNulty is that he wants a guy to play that role (leading the line, trying to run in behind to stretch defences) and there's just no one else to play that role. The fact that McNulty is making a pig's ear of it seems to be a secondary consideration. The way the United social media accounts are hyping him up is worrying though. Difficult to see the team making any sort of meaningful progress without fixing that position.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Pull My Strings said:

I think his stubbornness in persisting with McNulty is that he wants a guy to play that role (leading the line, trying to run in behind to stretch defences) and there's just no one else to play that role. The fact that McNulty is making a pig's ear of it seems to be a secondary consideration. The way the United social media accounts are hyping him up is worrying though. Difficult to see the team making any sort of meaningful progress without fixing that position.

 

I'm hoping the social media stuff is to try to convince other clubs he's an extremely marketable asset

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Mark Connolly said:

I'm hoping the social media stuff is to try to convince other clubs he's an extremely marketable asset

He's not even our player though. Why should we give a f**k where he ends up? Maybe he could team up with Mellon again in the English Fourth Division. Mickey loves guys who run around a lot without touching the football.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Pull My Strings said:

I think his stubbornness in persisting with McNulty is that he wants a guy to play that role (leading the line, trying to run in behind to stretch defences) and there's just no one else to play that role. The fact that McNulty is making a pig's ear of it seems to be a secondary consideration. The way the United social media accounts are hyping him up is worrying though. Difficult to see the team making any sort of meaningful progress without fixing that position.

 

 

8 minutes ago, Mark Connolly said:

I'm hoping the social media stuff is to try to convince other clubs he's an extremely marketable asset

Probably part of the deal with Reading that we play him a certain amount of games and as a favour to him put him in the window. 

I'm seriously worried we sign him permanently, especially if it's any where near the contribution to his wages United are supposed to be paying Reading. 

Imagine we could get Levitt in permanently but instead decide to put the money on wages for McNulty. 

 

Just gave myself the boke thinking that. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Pull My Strings said:

I think his stubbornness in persisting with McNulty is that he wants a guy to play that role (leading the line, trying to run in behind to stretch defences) and there's just no one else to play that role. The fact that McNulty is making a pig's ear of it seems to be a secondary consideration. The way the United social media accounts are hyping him up is worrying though. Difficult to see the team making any sort of meaningful progress without fixing that position.

 

You may be right but we could do worse than trying Watt in that role with one of the young lads replacing him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Granny Danger said:

You may be right but we could do worse than trying Watt in that role with one of the young lads replacing him.

Aye, or just drop this obsession with having a guy running in behind. If it's not on, or we don't have a guy who can do it effectively, then try something else.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Pull My Strings said:

Aye, or just drop this obsession with having a guy running in behind. If it's not on, or we don't have a guy who can do it effectively, then try something else.  

I genuinely think there is more chance of a personnel change than a tactics change.

Personnel change likelihood - 2%

Tactics change likelihood - 1.5%
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...