The Dundee United Thread 22/23

[RossBFaeDundee]

2 hours ago, ArabianKnight said:

McGrath will be a useful addition too and I'm praying the club get that one over the line as him and Harkes would link together well. 

lol!

[Thenorthernlight]

1 hour ago, HarleyQuinn said:

Aberdeen, Hibs and Dundee Utd fans all claiming/appearing confident that their respective club have signed Jamie McGrath. Fully expect him to sign for an English league 1 side.

Sunderland 

[Leith Green]

2 hours ago, HarleyQuinn said:

Aberdeen, Hibs and Dundee Utd fans all claiming/appearing confident that their respective club have signed Jamie McGrath. Fully expect him to sign for an English league 1 side.

We missed out on him in the last window due to Mathies ineptitude, there is no chance he is signing now. 

IMO he is offski South.

[Alert Mongoose]

Nathan Austin rumoured in January.

[Junior_Arab]

5 hours ago, RossBFaeDundee said:

lol!

I know! Imagine getting excited over a prospective signing only for it to fall through and for the player in question to sign for one of your rivals instead… 

Spoiler

[arab_joe]

18 hours ago, ArabFC said:

I think it was closer to 700k, but regardless, a signing we made 23 years ago (stop crying) is hardly indicative of what we do today.

I'd be interested to hear of who others think we should sign instead of Watt? Let's stick with the provisos that they have to be Scottish in this instance, a forward (obviously) and available for little to nothing.

Arab Archive has 500k, but yes, perhaps it is time for me to get over Alex Mathie (and indeed the other two expensive duds I mentioned, Collin Samuel and Lee Miller) - and celebrate the recent and exceptional signings of club legends Mark McNulty and Max Biamou.  

What could possibly go wrong if we pay way over the odds for Tony Watt?!  

14 hours ago, YassinMoutaouakil said:

How much would you be prepared to pay for Watt in January? Could really make the difference in this relegation battle.

Our Chairman appears to be spending money at an alarming and reckless rate - so it would not surprise me at all if we paid a decent chunk to get him in during the January window. 

If his form continues as it has from the past 4 months, he'll be worth every penny - if he reverts to the Tony Watt of the previous 7 years then, in 23 years time, losers on P&B like myself will be discussing what a colossal mess we made of this signing...

14 hours ago, ArabianKnight said:

Depressing slide now.

Incredible that we are somehow still 7th in the table.

1 win in last 10 is horrendous - but I don't see a huge amount that Courts is doing wrong.

7 hours ago, Alert Mongoose said:

Nathan Austin rumoured in January.

I would be a lot more enthusiastic about this signing than that of Tony Watt - younger, more potential, and undoubtedly far less expensive transfer fee and wages.  A far smaller risk, in my eyes, and at some point the club has to realise that Ogren isn't going to splurge forever...

Edit: just realised Nathan Austin is 27 - so most of the above can be scratched.  But he will at least be cheaper.

Edited December 27, 2021 by arab_joe
Edit: to amend (some of the) rubbish I had typed.

[hk blues]

2 hours ago, arab_joe said:

1 win in last 10 is horrendous - but I don't see a huge amount that Courts is doing wrong.

I hope for your sakes somebody does then.

Of course, I don't really.

[Derry Alli]

Few rumours of Fuchs being on the move next week. Clubs noted are Celtic, Hibs and Wigan. 

[Mark Connolly]

6 hours ago, Mr. Alli said:

Few rumours of Fuchs being on the move next week. Clubs noted are Celtic, Hibs and Wigan. 

Absolutely no surprise there tbh.

[Granny Danger]

We’ve gone from over performing earlier in the season to being pretty awful for the last number of games.  Can’t help but think that six points from the next two league games is necessary to stop the rot.

A top six finish is still possible but a bottom six, whilst avoiding getting dragged into a relegation dogfight, would be acceptable.

[ArabFC]

10 hours ago, Mr. Alli said:

Few rumours of Fuchs being on the move next week. Clubs noted are Celtic, Hibs and Wigan. 

I know everyone loves Fuchs and so do I, but he'd be no more than a benchwarmer at Celtic. He is brilliant at tenaciously winning the ball and he's ok on the ball, but ok is about it.

He could get a bigger paycheque elsewhere, no doubt, but I don't think his level is all that much higher than where he's at.

[mishtergrolsch]

2 hours ago, Granny Danger said:

We’ve gone from over performing earlier in the season to being pretty awful for the last number of games.  Can’t help but think that six points from the next two league games is necessary to stop the rot.

A top six finish is still possible but a bottom six, whilst avoiding getting dragged into a relegation dogfight, would be acceptable.

Was it not stated by the club that top 6 was the goal this season?

Anything less would be a failure, especially considering the changing of manager, the crowing about how brilliant the young lads are and the investment in the squad for this season.

[Junior_Arab]

Just now, mishtergrolsch said:

Was it not stated by the club that top 6 was the goal this season?

Anything less would be a failure, especially considering the changing of manager, the crowing about how brilliant the young lads are and the investment in the squad for this season.

And the “style of play” argument has kind of dropped off a cliff lately too - way less possession than our opponents in most games, very few shots / decent chances, and of course even less goals. 

[Ludo*1]

1 minute ago, Junior_Arab said:

And the “style of play” argument has kind of dropped off a cliff lately too - way less possession than our opponents in most games, very few shots / decent chances, and of course even less goals. 

Do you not have the exact same record as you did last season right down to the goal difference?

[mishtergrolsch]

6 minutes ago, ArabFC said:

I know everyone loves Fuchs and so do I, but he'd be no more than a benchwarmer at Celtic. He is brilliant at tenaciously winning the ball and he's ok on the ball, but ok is about it.

He could get a bigger paycheque elsewhere, no doubt, but I don't think his level is all that much higher than where he's at.

I could see him going off to someone in League 1 for a good few bob extra. Agree when you say his football ability isn't much higher than where he's at at the moment - his use of the ball isn't good enough for the likes of Celtic or a mid to top end English Championship team to be anything other than backup.

But he won't give a f**k and will be off to the highest bidder and thats exactly what I'd do in his position. Good luck to the guy.

[mishtergrolsch]

3 minutes ago, Junior_Arab said:

And the “style of play” argument has kind of dropped off a cliff lately too - way less possession than our opponents in most games, very few shots / decent chances, and of course even less goals. 

Yip. Ive not watched every second of every game this season but what I have seen recently is as bad as Mellons Murderball but with even less creativity and no Shankland to bail us out.

The defence is much better with the Mulgrew and Edwards pairing and Freeman has been a big upgrade on Smith imo. Other than that, its pretty slim pickings now the honeymoon period is over.

 

4 minutes ago, Ludo*1 said:

Do you not have the exact same record as you did last season right down to the goal difference?

Think it was almost identical before the Hibs game and is now worse off. Which isn't particularly good when you consider how much we're spending to slowly creep backwards.

I hope its a dip in form and after injuries, Covid cases etc ease off we pick up. I did hope Tam had shut my pus and still hope he will shut it again but pinning the hopes on and spunking big money on a very risky Tony Watt may backfire tremendously.

[Dundee Hibernian]

20 minutes ago, ArabFC said:

I know everyone loves Fuchs and so do I, but he'd be no more than a benchwarmer at Celtic. He is brilliant at tenaciously winning the ball and he's ok on the ball, but ok is about it.

He could get a bigger paycheque elsewhere, no doubt, but I don't think his level is all that much higher than where he's at.

Fuchs has a daft button in his head where he thinks he can wrestle through groups of opposition players rather than lay off the simple ball at times.

18 minutes ago, mishtergrolsch said:

Was it not stated by the club that top 6 was the goal this season?

Anything less would be a failure, especially considering the changing of manager, the crowing about how brilliant the young lads are and the investment in the squad for this season.

Top 6 is a definite goal this season, TA thought we should have been top 6 last season given the resources spent. 

11 minutes ago, mishtergrolsch said:

I could see him going off to someone in League 1 for a good few bob extra. Agree when you say his football ability isn't much higher than where he's at at the moment - his use of the ball isn't good enough for the likes of Celtic or a mid to top end English Championship team to be anything other than backup.

But he won't give a f**k and will be off to the highest bidder and thats exactly what I'd do in his position. Good luck to the guy.

It's a short career, and Scotland's best league isn't really up to much, but as you indicate, cash is king.

I was one of the few content to see Courts being given a chance, now I'm doubting that judgement following certain decisions and selections recently, notwithstanding the limits that have been placed on Tam due to injuries and Covid restrictions. As examples, the extremely late use of substitutes in the Livingston match, the odd tactics against Motherwell throughout, some players (Clark) being untouchable while others (Niskanen, Glass) getting far less minutes.

[Ray Patterson]

1 hour ago, Dundee Hibernian said:

Fuchs has a daft button in his head where he thinks he can wrestle through groups of opposition players rather than lay off the simple ball at times.

Top 6 is a definite goal this season, TA thought we should have been top 6 last season given the resources spent. 

It's a short career, and Scotland's best league isn't really up to much, but as you indicate, cash is king.

I was one of the few content to see Courts being given a chance, now I'm doubting that judgement following certain decisions and selections recently, notwithstanding the limits that have been placed on Tam due to injuries and Covid restrictions. As examples, the extremely late use of substitutes in the Livingston match, the odd tactics against Motherwell throughout, some players (Clark) being untouchable while others (Niskanen, Glass) getting far less minutes.

For every Livi game you'll get a Hibs game where United used all three subs and then went down to ten men with no Centre Backs for the final 15 minutes.

[RossBFaeDundee]

6 hours ago, Ludo*1 said:

Do you not have the exact same record as you did last season right down to the goal difference?

Holy shit.

2020-21, 20 games in:

2021-22, 20 games in:

Remarkable. Two places further down as well, as the league has improved overall from last season. Idk if that means anything in terms of the team improving or regressing, but it's certainly strange to look at.

[mishtergrolsch]

45 minutes ago, RossBFaeDundee said:

Holy shit.

2020-21, 20 games in:

2021-22, 20 games in:

Remarkable. Two places further down as well, as the league has improved overall from last season. Idk if that means anything in terms of the team improving or regressing, but it's certainly strange to look at.

I think it highlights that our team is even more expensive than last season and we're absolutey worse off. Two places worse off with the same tally is not where the club set out to be. 

Long way to go but Tam and Tony need to get the finger out, pronto.