Dundee United v Airdrieonians

[KD1711]

1 hour ago, Pull My Strings said:

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.

[diamond_for_life]

I was initially very accepting of the patient approach as the way I saw it we are 1-0 down away to the likely champions who clearly have a budget that dwarfs ours and have conceded only once so far in the league. Realism was if we didn’t do anything daft and gave a huge push last 10 mins who knows and a draw would have been a fantastic result really. I did run out of patience though in the last 10 with our lack of urgency and I think Todorov only came on in 85th minute. A few times I have noticed there’s not enough players around Todorov gambling on him winning a header. We aren’t a tall physical side as Dundee Utd easily showed at their attacking set plays and I love our philosophy of playing but we need to mix it up better when Todorov is on. Get the wingers gambling on him flicking the ball on. 

The only thing that frustrates me is the use of our wingers at times. They have pace to burn O’Connor and McGregor but we often find them getting short passes and they have their back to goal. We know their strength is not taking players on. I think we need to utilise balls in behind more often where I believe we will see them at their best. O’Connor’s penalty he won against County and McGregors 1 on 1 yesterday the prime example. Harder yesterday with Dundee Utd sitting deeper and not pressing I fully get that. 

Still walked away very pleased and even although only 4 games in to the league campaign I feel we are capable of taking points off of any team in the league. Doing it is another thing but at this moment in time I don’t fear about relegation and I’m a pessimistic big shit. 

[diamond_for_life]

As for Pull My Strings you are right in a sense that we were far more patient than usual in our build up play. That was as simply because Dundee Utd sat deep second half and played on the break. You’re also criticising the 2 teams that have given you the harder games of the 4 played. Shite times wont go crazy in attack and let you carve them open for an easy 3 or 4 goal romp every week ain’t it. 

Most games we have played this season we have had some touch and go moments with the potential of losing goals at the back with our style of play and teams closing us down with a higher press (a tactic I’m all too happy with despite the odd shit yourself moment from us). What it did do was create space though for us in the middle of the park to exploit. Yesterday United were happy to give us 2/3 of the park and never pressed. They remained solid and resolute and that takes huge concentration and patience not to go charging in and break your formation. I dare say a strong tactic that Goodwin will drum in to his teams and one that will see you potentially concede very little throughout the season. Dunfermline were a defensive masterclass last season and I see you guys doing the same. 

I don’t want Dundee Utd fans taking this the wrong way as I think their tactics were spot on and they still created plenty chances and got the job done with little issue.  I Just expected us to have our back against the wall yesterday having hee haw possession and having to defend deep. Yesterday I thought we would see very little of the ball and it felt beforehand like a cup tie in terms of club stature rather than a league game where we were up against a giant (in Scottish football terms). Maybe my fault for not knowing your style of play (if indeed it’s like that most weeks) but I think it will have been a frustrating one for yous yesterday despite the win. 

What it did do again is show what we’ve missed for years and I am glad we have yous in the league for big games like that. Terrible for you guys but was so much more happy it was yous and Partick last year and not County and say a St Johnstone. 

Edited to add i absolutely loved Tannadice and how compact it feels. Haven’t been for years and actually much preferred being behind the goals. 

Edited September 3, 2023 by diamond_for_life

[Mybitchunderprotest]

13 hours ago, Pull My Strings said:

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. 

A midfield lacking in McCabe, Frizzell and to a lesser extent Telfer compounded with losing the dynamism in the middle of McMaster after 4 minutes and our play would have to change slightly.  Come to the next return match in Airdrie and see if you still have the same opinion.

11 hours ago, Pull My Strings said:

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. 

https://www.airdriefc.com/dtv22-23/230211

 

Top link on that page is the highlights of one of these negative matches.

10 hours ago, Dundee Hibernian said:

My biggest disappointment today was A-I-R  D-R-I  Erdray Erdray not playing in their diamond jerseys.  

Ref wouldn't permit either black socks, understandable, or red socks, less understandable, due to a clash with United's tangerine and black socks so we had to wear the third kit. 

 

With all that orange and purple on show all that was missing were the flutes seeing as there was a drum already there.

[Granny Danger]

This thread was better earlier when we were talking about over priced comestibles and segueing into musicals.

[Pull My Strings]

12 minutes ago, diamond_for_life said:

As for Pull My Strings you are right in a sense that we were far more patient than usual in our build up play. That was as simply because Dundee Utd sat deep second half and played on the break. You’re also criticising the 2 teams that have given you the harder games of the 4 played. Shite times wont go crazy in attack and let you carve them open for an easy 3 or 4 goal romp every week ain’t it. 

Most games we have played this season we have had some touch and go moments with the potential of losing goals at the back with our style of play and teams closing us down with a higher press (a tactic I’m all too happy with despite the odd shit yourself moment from us). What it did do was create space though for us in the middle of the park to exploit. Yesterday United were happy to give us 2/3 of the park and never pressed. They remained solid and resolute and that takes huge concentration and patience not to go charging in and break your formation. I dare say a strong tactic that Goodwin will drum in to his teams and one that will see you potentially concede very little throughout the season. Dunfermline were a defensive masterclass last season and I see you guys doing the same. 

I don’t want Dundee Utd fans taking this the wrong way as I think their tactics were spot on and they still created plenty chances and got the job done with little issue.  I Just expected us to have our back against the wall yesterday having hee haw possession and having to defend deep. Yesterday I thought we would see very little of the ball and it felt beforehand like a cup tie in terms of club stature rather than a league game where we were up against a giant (in Scottish football terms). Maybe my fault for not knowing your style of play (if indeed it’s like that most weeks) but I think it will have been a frustrating one for yous yesterday despite the win. 

What it did do again is show what we’ve missed for years and I am glad we have yous in the league for big games like that. Terrible for you guys but was so much more happy it was yous and Partick last year and not County and say a St Johnstone. 

Edited to add i absolutely loved Tannadice and how compact it feels. Haven’t been for years and actually much preferred being behind the goals. 

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. 

[Pull My Strings]

24 minutes ago, Mybitchunderprotest said:

A midfield lacking in McCabe, Frizzell and to a lesser extent Telfer compounded with losing the dynamism in the middle of McMaster after 4 minutes and our play would have to change slightly.  Come to the next return match in Airdrie and see if you still have the same opinion.

 

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.

 

[Mybitchunderprotest]

10 minutes ago, Pull My Strings said:

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. 

So essentially United had a major say in the game being dull? Not that I agree it was dull, maybe I'm just used to us retaining possession for lengthy periods of play before trying to find an opening albeit fairly unsuccessfully on the opening front yesterday.

With 18 and 19 year old midfielders making their debut yesterday I'm not disheartened about the result as I'm sure they'll improve as the season goes on.

[cb_diamond]

Just now, Granny Danger said:

This thread was better earlier when we were talking about over priced comestibles and segueing into musicals.

Don't forget absolutely raging "totally not raging" Dumfries residents.

[Rhys McCabe Hype Train]

14 hours ago, Pull My Strings said:

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. 

Thanks for that, Pep.

[Fletchers Saucy Manbun]

6 clean sheets out of 7 games.

Bookies should start paying out.

[Glenmavis Diamond]

6 hours ago, Pull My Strings said:

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.

 

Given that was apparently the first game in over 40 games that we've not scored in then yes, I'd say it was the outlier. I think a team playing our style who end up having 4 midfielders out at the same time will always be challenged to compete in the same way they usually would. Most teams would be the same. And it's easy to say change tactics but becoming a long ball team requires players who suit that style. We don't have many that do, since it's not how we want to play. Just unfortunate and hopefully next game at our ground, we can show a better performance and maybe score some goals. 

[kdyteejay]

On 03/09/2023 at 01:38, Diamonds02 said:

Interesting that you view Airdrie’s style of play as negative for trying to build from the back and not the home team camped in their own half for most of the game

Not sure how much of the game you think we had but in that minuscule amount we scored twice and hit the woodwork 3 times. All this done with both our best 2 midfielders injured. The game could have, and should have been over before halftime.

[Mybitchunderprotest]

2 hours ago, kdyteejay said:

Not sure how much of the game you think we had but in that minuscule amount we scored twice and hit the woodwork 3 times. All this done with both our best 2 midfielders injured. The game could have, and should have been over before halftime.

Scored your first when our midfielder, and possibly our most influential player in recent weeks, was off the pitch injured. After which you were happy to sit back and for our part we were unable to break that defence down other really than the clearance in front of the goal line in the second half. By the time we get to the stage where our keeper is playing from the centre circle it's actually amazing you didn't get the second before you did.

[AirdrieFanTV]

 

[???]

did anyone receive a parking ticket at this game and appeal it? if so, did you get a response?

 

I appealed mines and not heard a thing, hoping no news is good news.