Pull My Strings

I can only comment on the game I watched, mate. I'm aware that Airdrie scored a load of goals last season so maybe yesterday was an outlier.

Och mate, don't get me wrong, I haven't suggested at any point that Airdrie or Dunfermline are bad teams (or at least that wasn't my intention). Simply offering an alternative view to those gushing about the style of play. As a fan of an opposing team, I found it strange that Airdrie didn't look to be trying to get back into game, and didn't look to have a Plan B when Plan A was so obviously not working. If the intention was to go away with a one goal defeat then it almost worked but that seems like a strange objective when there was a chance to open up and try to snatch a point or three. To Airdrie's credit - and I think I made this point yesterday - they did manage to kill the game. United sussed that the only danger came from overpressing high up the park and so were content to sit back and let the clock run down whilst Airdrie went backwards and sideways. We then weren't able to raise the tempo when the ball was given back. It didn't make for much of a spectacle but it's job done, clean sheet, three points. I'm not sure there's a great deal of distance between us in terms of interpreting how the game went - Airdrie kept the ball well but not in dangerous areas and didn't threaten; United sat back for much of the second half and that was tactically the right play, if also incredibly dull.

Tbf, the every other United fan commenting positively on here is quite a small sample size and those guys are mostly just being nice or have mistaken playing incredibly slowly for playing nice football. They and the numerous offended Airdrie and Dunfermline fans are entitled to your opinions though and I respect those opinions. It's an aesthetic judgement and if that's what rock your boat then that's fine. Fwiw, I don't see anyone currently predicting Airdrie to get relegated, other than some posters on here who are clearly on the wind up.

That's smashing, bud. I appreciate your respect, as paper thin as it may be. I trust you'll equally appreciate my opinion that two teams with such negative styles of play may struggle to do anything worthwhile at a higher level. Sounds like you both had a rare old time in the Seasides though. So that's nice.

I'm not sure what the booing was about. Part, at least from where I was sitting, seemed to be booing Airdrie for the awful, negative, boring play.

I was thinking just how negative a game would be between Airdrie and Dunfermline. One constantly passing the ball side to side in their own half whilst the other refuses to send anyone forward to put any sort of press on. The mega anschluss.

I mean, they've got an unusual style of play for this level and they certainly stuck to their game plan. I think we just differ in whether we think its creditable, interesting or worthwhile. I can see Airdrie getting lots of nil nil draws as they suck the tempo and atmosphere out of a game but they're so easy to defend against I just can't see them winning enough games to be challenging for the play offs.

Ach well, each to their own.

You could call it getting men behind the ball but the Airdrie strategy is so basic - side to side, backwards, side-to-side, hope the opposition gets frustrated and overpress then a long ball forward. It's doesn't take a tactical genius to say, "let them get on with it, they aren't going anywhere ". I can see how it might work when your team are ahead but when you're already behind it just kills the game.

Airdrie weren't the worst team I've seen this season but they were by far the slowest and most boring. We were promised a team which would play out from the back and attack but in truth we got a team which just passed back and forward among the centre halves and keeper before launching it long into the channels (mostly straight to Walton or out of the park). For a team which was behind for all bar the first four minutes, the lack of urgency was terrible. You could call it patient but that implies a plan of action; this was just pointless side to side passing, going nowhere. To their credit, they managed to draw any tempo out of the game and United rather succumbed to the general torpor in the second half, which didn't make for much of a spectacle. United, of course, were already ahead so they were only wasting their own time. Noticeable that they upped the tempo after going two down. Too little, too late. The idiotic second goal was just desserts for all the fannying about by the keeper throughout the game. Technically competent tiki taka is bad enough but this sort of shite will be the death of football.

Sure, I'd rather we had better cover for Moult too but there's a distance between "I'd rather" and "we're fucked".

Smith yes, Jakubiak no. Well, we're only fucked if we're relying on Moult to score all the goals. Which I don't think we are.

You guys ken that the window doesn't close until tonight? Anyway, I reckon Smith has probably signed or agreed to sign already. Free agent so doesn't need to be done today. I've seen references to his legs having gone but he played 39 times for Hearts last season, starting and finishing most games. It's possible that he's fallen off a cliff since then but I wouldn't assume that's the case. Another striker would be good but I presume that Watt's the back-up option should Moult be missing and there's plenty of guys can cover for the position Watt's currently playing.

He's apparently well regarded but he's never played for the first team and I can't recall him ever making the bench.

Not for me. Decent squad option but not a target man. We need someone to cover for and compete with Moult rather than a partner, imo.

Yeah, the kids will be concessions.

I'm not sure how excited I can get about the scandalous ticket prices. Everything is now ridiculously expensive and it's just the way of the world, sadly. Relative to inflation elsewhere in the economy the price of tickets hasn't gone up by an unusual amount. Of course you can argue that the starting price was too high already (it was) and that football is a luxury which some consumers (forgive me) might choose to forego, in a way which they might not be able to when compared with other expenses (which is probably true as well). But, when my weekly food shop has gone up by £20 - £30 and my fuel costs by £10 - £15, it seems a bit overblown to be getting upset about about an extra couple of quid getting into a game of football.

You should probably check the Council website as there are new parking restrictions around Tannadice on match days and they're being enforced quite rigorously. There's plenty of on street parking just don't get too close to the ground.

It stops being a very outside chance when you take your foot off the gas and start messing about with a winning team. Mochrie came on at the end to replace Glass. When was the last time Glass got 89 minutes for United? I'm not sure it's ever happened before. Cudjoe played the whole game. Meekison, Fotheringham and Macleod all got decent minutes. Let's say Goodwin makes wholesale changes after 65 minutes and as result Ayr start to get a foothold in the game and grab a goal. You've gone from a comfortable win to hanging on all for the sake of giving a few more minutes to some guys. It's a ridiculous idea, frankly.

That one's probably better suited to the old BBC 6-0-6 message boards.

Yeah, I was a bit apprehensive seeing Glass starting in a position which needs a bit more defensive discipline but I thought he was excellent in building play and also around the opposition box. Best full game that I think he's had for United, albeit against a poor team. If he can sort out the defensive weaknesses, such as they are or were, then he could be a real asset. You don't get many guys who can strike the ball as well as he does from the edge of the box.

Seaside leagues are Div 1 and 2, no?

Possession means nothing. It was one way traffic from start to finish and probably should have been more than three. Difficult to judge how good or bad teams are at this stage of the season but I'd say United were quite good and Ayr are pish.

As what?

Think I'd be tempted to go with Denholm at right back. For all that he was bullied against both Spartans and Thistle at centre half, he does look like a very tidy player with a good range of passing. Maybe too much of an ask to throw him into midfield alongside Meekison, when Meekison is also not great defensively. Alternatively, maybe Grimshaw and Denholm in the middle with Bisland at right back?