Manager ‘honoured’ to be given the chance to lead next season

Football clubs should always look forward but every now and again, it doesn’t hurt to look back.

Dundee United fans will forever fondly look back on Saturday the 15th of May and their Scottish Cup triumph but there was some darker moments in the season.

Who can forget that bleak night at Ibrox when United were trounced 7-1 at Ibrox and Peter Houston felt out of his depth in managing the club. There was a feeling that perhaps his role as assistant to Craig Levein saw him too close to the players, making it difficult to become the main man at the club.

It wasn’t a fun night for the Tangerines but some of the Arabs can probably look back and laugh now.

If someone had told you that night that United would go all the way to Hampden victory, knocking Rangers out along the way, they would have been considered certifiable.

It just goes to show that football can throw surprises at you at any time.

Peter Houston has been offered the permanent managers job at Tannadice and it appears that Peter Houston is all set to accept. And why not, the manager has picked up a piece of silverware and is one round away from making the Europa League group stages.

There is still a lot of doubt about the financial security for United but the events of the past week will have made it a big easier to get players in or keep players on board.

This has been immediately borne out by the fact that United have announced Scott Robertson and Keith Watson have signed contract extensions with the club. There will be bids this summer for some of United’s Hampden heroes and it is probably inevitable that United will lose one or two players.

Then again, any youngster or rising player with a sense of ambition will view United as a great place to play football and perhaps move onto even bigger and better things. This may sound a bit callous but if United can get some hungry and exciting talent on board, the club can be all set for a period of entertaining times…and hopefully an extended European vacation!

What players do you think Peter Houston will be keen to keep a hold of?

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Play-off round draw on August 6th

Winning the Scottish Cup is reason alone to celebrate but another reason for partying for those of a United persuasion is the European involvement that comes with it. Dundee United secured third place in the league so their European spot was secured but the 3-0 win sees them enter the Europa League at the Play-off round.

The draw for the Europa League qualifying round takes place on Friday the 6th of August.

There are 24 teams directly entering the Europa League at this stage and some of other clubs joining Dundee United include Manchester City, Aston Villa, Napoli, PSV Eindhoven, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund.

United will be hoping to progress to the group stages but a match against one of these teams would be brilliant for the club.

The other teams in the Europa League play-off come from the previous Europa League qualifying round, with 24 sides progressing from there and 15 teams dropping in from the Champions League qualifiers.

United will no doubt be hoping for one of the teams that have progressed from the Europa League route but even one of these ties could be a tricky proposition for United.

That is something for United’s backroom staff and fans to worry about after summer…not for now!

Congratulations to Dundee United – Scottish Cup winners 2009/10

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United win good for the Lanarkshire boys

The goals from David Goodwillie and Craig Conway were not only enough to ensure Dundee United fans were getting their hands up, the Steelmen from Motherwell were also getting pretty excited about things. Last weekend, a United loss was enough to turf Motherwell out of fourth place and out of the initial European qualifying spots.

However, a United triumph in the Cup was enough to open up a further Europa League spot so Motherwell are back in the mix for the group stages.

Motherwell enter the second qualifying round, where they and 52 other clubs enter directly. They will be involved with 27 winners from the 1st round stage.

Some of the teams entering at the same round as Motherwell include Rapid Vienna, Banik Ostrava and Bangor City. As Rapid proved in the season just concluded, they are capable of pushing Scottish teams to the limit and held Celtic to two draws.

And who says the cheats of Vienna lacked bottle?

The draw for Motherwell’s round takes place on the 21st of June and the Fir Park club will be back in action on the 15th of July. Bear in mind the World Cup final takes place on the 11th of July. This is how soon the next season is swinging into action and for Fir Park fans, it wont be long until they get on the road again.

It has been a fantastic time for Motherwell since Craig Brown took charge and the Europa League place was ample reward for the Well.

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Third qualifying round draw on July 16th

Dundee United fans were undoubtedly delighted with their Hampden triumph but Hibs fans would have been cheering each Arab goal. This is because United winning the Cup sees Hibs enter the Europa League qualifying round at the third round stage.

Hibs were due to enter the 2nd round of the Europa League qualifying rounds but the Tangerine triumph sees them enter at the next round and their first European match is scheduled to take place on the 29th of July.

The draw for the Europa League takes place on Friday the 16th of July.

There are 30 teams directly entering the Europa League at this stage and some of other clubs joining Hibs include Liverpool, Getafe, Juventus, Sporting Lisbon and CSKA Moscow.

Hibs will no doubt be hoping to progress as far as possible so meeting one of these teams may not help that but a match against one of these teams would be tremendous for the Easter Road club.

The other teams in the Europa League third round come from the previous Europa League qualifying round, with 40 clubs dropping in from there. Scottish football will be hoping that Hibs are joined by Motherwell, who have been given a European place thanks to Dundee United’s Cup win.

This should give Hibs a longer pre-season break and a better chance of making the Europa League stages and John Hughes’ team deserve it thanks to their early season form.

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Put your hands up for the Cup!

The 3-0 triumph over Ross County brought a fantastic end to Dundee United’s season and their centenary year!

United were clear favourites going into the match versus Ross County but you can’t take anything for granted even though most United fans would have been confident going into the game. Then again, United haven’t had the best of luck in the Scottish Cup over the years.

The final was Dundee United’s sixth game in the Scottish Cup this season and their fourth in Glasgow. Surviving these four trips to the city that considers itself to be the home of Scottish football means that United deserved their day in the sun.

United’s run kicked off in Glasgow with a trip to Maryhill to take on Partick Thistle. There was a slight controversy with the opening goal as Thistle players felt Casalinuvo punched the ball into the net for the opening goal of the game. Victory was assured when David Goodwillie struck in the 90th minute to place United into the next round. Fellow SPL rivals St Johnstone were the hosts for that match.

Yet again David Goodwillie was the cup hero for United as his goal on the stroke of half-time separated the two sides.

Again, the opposition had complaints about the opening goal of the game but St Johnstone boss Derek McInnes was gracious enough to admit that United were the better side on the day. This win sent United to Ibrox to face the Scottish Cup holders.

United’s opposition may have had grievances about refereeing decisions so far in the cup but Dundee United know what to expect when they face Rangers. A handful of honest mistakes that usually help the Glasgow club over the line. United took the lead at Ibrox through Andis Shala but were behind at half-time thanks to two Kris Boyd penalties.

To say they were both of the soft variety would be an insult to melted marzipan and when Rangers went 3-1 ahead at the start of the second half, it appeared all over for the Arabs. The third goal was painful as it came from ex-Dundee man Nacho Novo but it was the spur for the United comeback.

An own-goal from Steven Whittaker gave United a lifeline and the tie was levelled when Mihael Kovacevic headed home with ten minutes to go, ensuring a Tannadice replay was required.

United again had cause to complain about the ref as a good penalty shout was denied after a Kyle Lafferty handball and David Goodwillie was denied the chance to score in every round when his effort was chopped off. The tie was won in the final minute when David Robertson beat Rangers keeper Alan McGregor to the ball and his touched knocked the holders out and out the Arabs through to the semis.

United possibly never got the praise they deserved for this triumph as the Scottish Sporting press was too busy focusing on the St Mirren 4 v Celtic 0 score-line from Paisley.

Dundee United went into their semi-final knowing that Ross County were in the final after their shock win over Celtic and this helped United to focus. The Arabs were in complete control against Raith Rovers and that man Goodwillie opened the scoring before the half-hour mark. Andy Webster made it two before the hour and the Arabs were booking their return trip to Hampden.

As you’ll all know by now, the second half of the Scottish Cup final saw United notch three goals, with that man Goodwillie scoring again and Craig Conway getting two to seal the win.

It may only have been Dundee United’s second Cup win in 9 Scottish Cup finals but that can be forgotten for now. Live in the moment and celebrate the winning of the old famous trophy!

Goals For: 12

Top goal-scorer: David Goodwillie 4

Goals against: 3

Goals against from open play: 1

Partick Thistle 0 – Dundee United 2

Ross County 0 – Dundee United 3

Congratulations to Dundee United – Scottish Cup winners 2009/10

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The Tangerine Dream comes true

Three second half goals give Dundee United their second Scottish Cup triumph and sent every Arab into rapture!

Dundee United were by far the better team and ended the first half strongly. You never know how teams will react to the half-time break but you felt if United were able to keep their momentum, the Cup final would be theirs.

Ross County upped their game at the start of the second 45 but a poor decision by the Ross County keeper Michael McGovern turned the match firmly in the Tangerines favour. The keeper came to the edge of his box and elected to head the ball clear as opposed to stepping back and grabbing it.

A failure to put height on his header saw the ball drop temptingly for David Goodwillie and the striker kept his composure and directed the ball goalwards. A despairing defensive lunge was not enough to prevent the ball bouncing into the back of the net and United had the lead.

Goodwillie picked up a booking for his celebration where he lifted his shirt to show a message…although FOR YOU NA NA is hardly offensive. We’re sure the player wasn’t too bothered about his yellow.

From here on, you fancied United to take County on the break and that’s the way it panned as the Craig Conway Show took centre stage at Hampden Park.

Goals on the 75th and 85th minute mark secured the Cup and allowed United fans to breathe easily and enjoy the closing period. United have had some late heartache in Hampden finals from a leading position so the psychological effect of the 75th minute strike would have been huge for the Arabs.

Congratulations Dundee United – Scottish Cup winners of 2009/10

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All part of the Cup final excitement

As neither Celtic or Rangers are in the Scottish Cup final, we’ve decided to ignore the final and are taking a big summer break – enjoy your summer everyone!

No, of course not, a final without the big two is the perfect finish for so many football fans in Scotland and we’re starting our build-up to Saturday’s game now. However, in our usual style…and because everyone else is looking at the same things, we’ll do it a little bit differently.

We’ve already looked at Dundee United, so now it’s the turn of Ross County and their ‘musical’ fans.

As you’d expect, everyone involved with Ross County are massively excited about the track and there are a few songs to choose from.

First up is the official track, ‘We’re On Our Way’ by Torridon. The best thing about this track is that the proceeds from it are going to The Highland Disability Sports Football Team, so good luck to them for that.

Here is a wee snippet of the song:

You will know this song is based around a track by The Proclaimers, which means if Ross County win the cup, this will be the first time a Hibees anthem will be heard in celebration after a Scottish Cup final. Well, in 109 years at least…

There are other songs being flighted but the Ross County fans but to be honest, the next one we heard was a complete dirge and put us off searching for more. We’ll leave it at that and not embarrass or upset the people behind that song but it’s terrible.

The thing is, these songs aren’t the ones that are sung by the fans in celebration so if the day goes the way of Ross County, you wont be hearing them anywhere apart from maybe over the PA. The Hampden terraces would be rocking with the songs of the fans instead.

Either way, lets hope that all the Ross County fans coming down to Glasgow enjoy their big day and maybe it can act as a springboard for next season!

Are you up for the Cup on Saturday?

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Pre Cup final Glasgow gig to set the atmosphere

As neither Celtic or Rangers are in the Scottish Cup final, we’ve decided to ignore the final and are taking a big summer break – enjoy your summer everyone!

No, of course not, a final without the big two is the perfect finish for so many football fans in Scotland and we’re starting our build-up to Saturday’s game now. However, in our usual style…and because everyone else is looking at the same things, we’ll do it a little bit differently.

First up, Dundee United.

We have already talked about United’s Cup final song but if any United fans are looking to get musically in the mood before Hampden, The Shed appears the place to be! United fans usually say this but in this instance, The Shed refers to a Glasgow (Shawlands) nightclub which is hosting a gig by The Cundeez.

The boys do a neat version of ‘If The Shed Are United’ but being honest, the original, isn’t one of our favourite tracks, too plastic punk for our liking. However, this track by The Cundeez, is absolutely cracking!

The boys from the band got in touch with us last week to point out that one of our United cup final t-shirts had a similarity to one of their designs! We agreed with that statement but to be honest, we weren’t aware of their design and we all agreed that its such an iconic design, it’s not a really case of ripping anyone off!

Well, we maybe ripped of Peter Blake or Jasper Johns but they ripped off the RAF, who had ripped off the French Air Force and so the circle keeps flowing!

If you want to check The Cundeez out, their facebook page can be found here.

Are you up for the Cup on Saturday?

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Blatant plug but distribution advice as well

Scottish Cup final fever is starting to build with the grand final just ten days away. Dundee United have just one league match to play on Sunday and then both teams will be fully focused on the Hampden final. Sadly Ross County were unable to jet off for a summer break on Wednesday due to a return of the volcanic ash but the club will still be fully prepared for the game.

The fans are also putting the final touches to their preparations and for many, this involves a new top for the special day.

There are plenty of options available but we’d like to think we can offer something for both sets of fans.

We have a t-shirt store, you’ve seen the adverts, it pays for the hosting of the site, its not going to enable any of us to retire…but we may get an extra pint out of it.

We create the designs for the t-shirts and a company called Spreadshirt does the rest, including the distribution to your door. Obviously, if you are ordering a t-shirt for the final, you want it to be at your door at the very latest, early morning of the 15th but preferably sooner.

We’d just like to say that we have nothing to do with the delivery of the t-shirts. If you do order one, we really hope it comes before your big day but if it doesn’t, we can only apologise and refer you to Spreadshirt.

Anyways, enough of that negative talk, you should still have a day or two to get your Hampden bound t-shirt ordered, so why not have a look at what we have on offer!

Our Houston – We Don’t Have A Problem t-shirt to show you back the chief Arab!

Our Dundee United on target for Hampden 2010 tshirt

It would be a Tangerine Dream for United to lift the cup

Much like the famous reference to Raith Rovers, will you be dancing in the streets of Ross after a cup final win?

Are Ross County on target for Hampden glory and Europe?

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Professional performance is all it takes

After yesterdays shocking performance from Celtic, Dundee United were offered the perfect wake-up call before their semi-final clash with Raith Rovers. Sure, the side from Kirkcaldy started well but as son as United grabbed the opening goal, there looked to be just the one winner.

Looking at Scottish football at this moment in time, you have to say this is fair enough. After a troublesome teething period, Peter Houston has continued the good work established by current Scottish boss Craig Levein. In fact, if you listen to Levein, Houston’s team has excelled the team Levein put together.

Well, not yet Craig. However, if the winning team on May 15th is wearing Tangerine then yes, fair enough, it’s hats off to Houston.

Of course, there could be a double celebration for United because there is every opportunity they will be in the Champions League qualifiers next season. A five point gap between themselves and second placed Celtic is no insurmountable task.

Celtic’s problems speak for themselves and with 6 games of the season to go, United will consider themselves right in the mix for the second place. Celtic still have to go to Tannadice and Rangers need to travel to Dundee United twice.

In most seasons, this would see United doing well to pick up two points but on this occasion, 7 to 9 points are not out of the question. Okay, on a game by game basis the outcome may not be positive for United but there is no need for United to feel inferior going into these games.

After all, both Celtic and Rangers have tasted defeat at Tannadice already this season and it could well happen.

Dundee United’s fixture list until the end of the season runs like this:

Rangers (H)
Motherwell (A)
Celtic (H)
Rangers (H)
Hearts (A)
Hibs (H)

Ross County – Scottish Cup Final (Hampden Park)

Second place will be special for Dundee United but lifting the Scottish Cup will be what fans really want. With Cup final hoodoo team Celtic out of the way, a professional and consistent performance from United at Hampden should cap off a tremendous year for the Arabs.

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