For several seasons now Arabs have had to suffer the agony of watching a once fantastic team slip into a deep decline. Indeed, some younger Arabs will only know a poor United side involved in annual relegation battles. The elders amongst us will remember a side that when you went to watch them you expected a gutsy, battling and skilful performance. We never feared the likes of (and no disrespect to) Partick Thistle, Dunfermline… well, pretty much any non-Old Firm team, and we even gave the OF a few tankings too.
These last few seasons have seen a side poor in skill, lacking in ambition and motivation, and guilty, it has to be said, of making a consistently high number of basic footballing errors on the park. Bad passing, bad defending, bad everything!
On the several occasions I’ve watched United recently, I honestly thought that in some areas of the park I could have done better myself and I’m 35 and not played a serious game of soccer for 10 years – and when I see a pass 20 metres wide of its target, or our defence left floundering by less-than-brilliant attacking, I wonder how it is that the some of the players in Tangerine ever got to be professionals in the first place. Harsh I know, but we really have been truly awful for a very long time.
Over the last season or two the one thing I personally thought would change the situation at United would be a change in management and in management style. Out with the textbook method of (trying to) play, and in with a manager/staff who would get the players really playing football. In my opinion, psychology plays a massive part in getting a team working. You can practice free kicks and set pieces and be the fittest team on earth, but if you go into a game and can’t be ersed then you’re going to struggle, and I think this is where United have been getting it wrong. No point in being the fittest team ever to get relegated.
With the accession of Ian McCall into the manager’s job I think United will improve both as a team on the park and in attitude. He has brought in several players that he wanted, namely Alan Archibald and Scott Paterson from Thistle and Barry Robson from ICT. Mark Kerr from Falkirk and Derek McInnes from WBA are also possibles, and there are more players on IM’s wants list and he has also been willing to let numerous players go, wise in such financially difficult times. McCall will get the team playing, and we will improve, no question about that.
I’ve not mentioned Eddie Thompson yet, but it’s fair to say he’s put his money where his mouth is. Cash for signings/wages seems to be abundant, and Mr T is even, by way of his Morning Noon and Night shopping empire, sponsoring the team this season! ET is a true fan of United for over 40 years. He has, after years of negotiations bought the club and installed himself as chairman. He’s shelled out a large lump of readies (Eddie’s readies? Catchy slogan of the week?) in obtaining the services of his desired manager, and let that manager ‘get on with it’. For his long years of loyalty and recent investment in the club I would dearly like to see United do well over the next few seasons, maybe even win something – not out of the question either. Last season we reached the quarters of the Scottish and the semis of the League Cup, and with a team not at it’s best. And let’s face it – if the Dees can get to a cup final (and lose) anyone can!
So for the new season we have new players, a new manager, a new chairman and a new sponsor. If we had a new ground we’d be a new club. All well and good, and I must say that I’m mightily pleased that there have been major changes at Tannadice. What I want most of all though, and no doubt so does ET, IM and every Arab, is a team that plays skilfully and with spirit, that knows how to attack, that knows how to defend (especially in the last few minutes!!!) – a side that can win games. We have the players, the fans and the staff – I can’t wait for those friendlies to start!