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The Dundee United Thread 22/23


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Things will look a lot better if we win next week, it's just a pity that we almost certainly won't.

I worry Motherwell will sack Steven Hammell after today's result, as our only hope is that somehow someone ends up being even worse than we are. If they get a competent manager we are toast.

Maybe Asghar will sack Liam Fox to try and cover his own arse. A man can dream, anyway

 

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Elements of the Asghar interview were right. As I've argued, the managers who have left have left because of the reasons he noted in the interview, and it shouldn't be used as a stick to beat the club with.

But other parts of it were just way off the mark. We are extremely light up front, and that's made worse by Fox clearly not rating Anaku. 

I've got a bit of insight into the Lewis Neilson thing, and I noted he used his words very carefully when asked if United did things with the correct process. He said they did it as per their understanding of it. Those are not the same thing.

And while Fox may have been the easy choice, I fail to see how he was the outstanding candidate.

Which brings me to today's awful performance.

I tweeted a reply to someone at half time who had asked how Ayina played, which said

 

Quote

Quick, strong in the tackle but not good in the air. Lost most aerial 50/50s. Good in the ball but a bit rash. Can see him being taken off before he’s sent off

For me it was clear that if he continued down the path he was on, he'd get sent off. And he duly was.

But Fox didn't see it and that's unreal.

I thought Fox did pretty well for a month or two earlier in the season, but that's because he tried out a new tactic and it caught teams off balance. Sadly, it's no longer a new tactic and other managers - better managers - have sussed him out. And he can't seem to deviate from his own script.

When you are a goal down in a cup game and have most of the play, why not make changes? What is there to lose? But as always, he just stuck with it. Three like for like changes - including the Anaku one with was far too late in the game - and no move to alter things like set piece taker (Middleton never beat the first man all day).

He is out of his depth.

So do you sack him? That certainly seems to be the obvious answer, but if Asghar truly believes that he has something about him and wants to keep him, then give him some support. Pay an experienced manager who is likely sitting at home unemployed or is in semi retirement to come in and help him. A failed lower league manager, a player coach and Dave fucking Bowman, who has never achieved anything other than to lower his golf handicap while on our payroll are not the people to help.

For what that would cost, the risks are far outweighed by the benefits.

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I've no appetite to change the manager again this season, but what little hope I had in Fox is rapidly dwindling. Today's 1st sub was the closest he's come in weeks to a positive change mid-game and he doesn't deserve any real credit for that; he was only fixing the obvious mistake of starting Niskanen in the first place.

I thought Ayina at least looked alright for the most part today. His two bookings were rash and stupid, but that's an accepted risk with younger players. It's not like there was nothing Fox could have done to prevent the latter from happening. We were already a goal down and there was also another centre-half on the bench - who also happens to be a decentish threat at set-pieces. All he had to do was make a near like for like change to ensure that a young player on his debut didn't end it early with a silly red card and leave us further up against it.

Furthermore, did Fox seriously expect anything to happen when he took off Middleton in the 89th minute? He'd been clearly breathing out his arse for at least 10 minutes before that, and his replacement was Anaku whose had bugger all game time since the world cup ended. There's clearly no plan or thought going on there other than "Oops, I've still got a subbie to use here."

ETA: Or basically whatSGMilne said.

Edited by captainkev
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2 hours ago, SGMilne said:

I've got a bit of insight into the Lewis Neilson thing, and I noted he used his words very carefully when asked if United did things with the correct process. He said they did it as per their understanding of it. Those are not the same thing.

Well, quite. Being ill-informed is not an excuse.

How do you stay in a job when you let £250k walk out of the door due to incompetence.

Edited by ArabFC
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That’s Motherwell sacked Hammell, if we don’t act now and do the same with Fox I think we’re fucked.

 

Today was embarrassingly poor.  Fletcher the only one who gives a shit and can play, Behich probably pass marks too.  The rest are either shit or don’t give a shit, in many cases both.

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Today was a fucking disgrace on the park and fans looking for fights off it.

Beaten by a dreadful team. I want to say the club is at rock bottom but worryingly we might not be.

Fox, once again, did f**k all. One like for like sub and then throwing on another forward with 90 seconds to go.

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Today was awful. No need to go into it too deep as others have covered it all very well.

If Ogren is still interested (not sure he is) and the money is there (not sure it is) sacking Fox and bringing in an experienced pair of hands (yet more money) seems a necessity.

Interesting that the two teams that sacked their managers early in the campaign, and then appointed from within, are rock bottom of the league and were both knocked out the cup today.

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9 minutes ago, Steven W said:

Interesting that the two teams that sacked their managers early in the campaign, and then appointed from within, are rock bottom of the league and were both knocked out the cup today.

Good point, and these two clubs both gained European football then made an arse of themselves with that too. Perhaps it indicates Scottish football is quite devoid of talent, most sides apart from Celtic have grudges with their boards and managements presently. United and 'Well appointed from within too.

One of our many managers over the past few years talked about 'fine lines'  (was it Raymondo?), and given the quality in the league of late, United seem to be giving themselves an extra handicap with their unimaginative managerial choice, as did Motherwell.

Motherwell may be about to put that right, United should take note.

There comes a point when managers are obviously going to be given the P45, yet most clubs leave it very late to do so. Every fan knows it's going to happen, it's not 'if' but 'when'.

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We should be looking for our third manager in 8 months but we wont cos that fat c**t wont admit his mistakes

 

Some laugh following United, never a dull moment

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26 minutes ago, Sarto Mutiny said:

Motherwell have acted. We probably won't. 

They also acted during the transfer window. We didn’t.

 

It’s almost like they’ve noticed that spending a couple of hundred grand now makes far more sense than potentially losing a couple of million by getting relegated. 

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11 minutes ago, skinny arab said:

So we’ve been emptied from both cups from Killie and sit bottom of the league following a recent defeat to them, if that’s not enough for the club to act then we deserve championship football next season 

Agree, shows how far we’ve fallen when there appears to be no talk even of Fox getting the boot.  To put up such a weak showing in both cup competitions against a very poor side is just disgraceful.  Losing 4 in a row also unacceptable.  Go now you uninspiring, out of your depth, tactically inept, clueless twat.

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