“Absolutely rubbish.” If anything, Mixu Paatelainen was being kind to his players by confining that assessment to just last weeks capitulation in Parkhead. Dundee Utd have been absolutely rubbish for quite some time now.
It is often the way that a change of manager can lead to, if nothing else, a “dead cat bounce”, where players who have spent weeks or months tuning out a manager they no longer believe in, and pull out all the stops to impress the new man. Dundee Utd players did the opposite and must have left the new boss wondering why he even bothered returning to Tayside.
But whether it’s a belated dead cat or actual signs of revival, Saturday was much more pleasant viewing for the Arabs. It wasn’t a fantastic performance by any means, but United were solid at the back, industrious in midfield, and looked like a team that could have enough about them to climb a few places before the end of the season. It could be said that that is the least you should expect from a team involved in the closet thing to a “must win” match you’ll find in October, but that would be to underestimate how bad this side have been this season.
United would do well to take inspiration from their visitors on Saturday. Last autumn it was Ross County who looked dead certs for the drop. They appointed a manager who may not have been the obvious or fashionable choice, but who has fitted perfectly in the club. Jim McIntyre deserves a lot of credit for the way he turned things around in the second half of last season, but it is perhaps even more impressive the way they have carried that momentum into this season.
As thrilling as that scenario would be for United fans, I’m sure at this point they’d be happy with eleventh place come May. IM
Sow makes the most of central role
When one thinks about it, Osman Sow should probably have had a bigger impact this season than he has done. Six foot four but with a decent turn of pace and the cliched 'good touch for a big man', he is the sort of forward that genuinely terrifies centre-backs. Last season he bludgeoned his way through Championship defences in the first half of the campaign, before a combination of injuries and Robbie Neilson's penchance for playing him wide led to a drop off in his goals tally. His total of 19 in 41 games for the Jambos is not too shabby, but this guy was deemed good enough to spend 2013-14 on the books of English Premier League Crystal Palace.
Fitness hasn't been an issue for the Swede in this campaign, but with Juanma generally leading the line, Sow has once more been punted out to the touchline. One can see the logic - he can tuck inside and join the Spaniard, creating space for an overlapping full-back - but given his clear ability, and Hearts' plethora of talented wide players, there's a feeling of round pegs in square holes about it all.
But with Jamie Walker absent, Sow got to play far more centrally against Partick Thistle. Two goals and an assist later, one wonders why Hearts don't use him and Juanma in tandem more often; the two linked up together like they'd been playing this system all season. Having two natural wide players on the pitch, in Danny Swanson and the outstanding Sam Nicholson, didn't do any harm to the side's balance either.
Of course, playing this lineup every week means no place in the team for the returning Walker, or Billy King, but that's the sort of problem every manager would like to have. It's Accies at home next, and if I were Jesus or Lucas, I wouldn't fancy playing against this twin spearhead at Tynecastle. LS
Celtic put Aberdeen back in their place
"THE NORTHERN LIGHTS OF OLD ABERDEEN SWITCHED OFF SINCE 1985"
The huge banner at Celtic Park that greeted Aberdeen supporters on Saturday emphasised the massive turnaround in the club's fortunes since the pair last met at Pittodrie. Then, Paul Quinn's late winner had us believing that the Dons could really put an end to 30 years of hurt. Now, Celtic's 3-1 win effectively ended their title challenge before Dandies could even get home for a good night's guising.
Trick or treat? Adam Rooney tricked us into thinking Aberdeen had opened the scoring, only to be narrowly ruled offside. Celtic's opening goal, though, was a treat. Last week, Lawrie extoled the virtues of young left back Kieran Tierney in this very blog, and he duly delivered a delicious cross that split the two centre halves and was greedily guzzled up by Leigh Griffiths. If I was being ungenerous, I would argue that goal should also have been disallowed as it was clearly turned in by a thumb...
There was monstrous defending in the second half, as Ash 'The Evil Dead' Taylor killed Aberdeen's dwindling hopes by scything down Kris Commons on the edge of the box. Griffiths converted from the penalty spot, and James Forrest scored a third goal soon after that to leave the Dons dead and buried with half an hour still to play. It could have turned into a real horror show after that, but Celtic never pressed their advantage further and instead it was Rooney who finished the scoring with a header from a a Jonny Hayes free kick. How different the afternoon may have played out had he converted a previous header from a Hayes cross to take a first half lead...
The baton of official Premiership title challengers would pass later that afternoon to Hearts - less a case of accepting a seemless changeover as it was of picking the baton out of the muck as the previous runner lay convulsing on the floor. Terrors will visit upon Aberdeen again next weekend. If the Dons lose again, Dandies might just go straight home, hide under their duvets and not venture outside again until someone switches the lights back on...MI
Yogi uncertainty isn't helping ICT
ICT's winless run ended with a point against Dundee, despite the home side playing most of the second half with ten men. David Raven was
sent off after he conceded a penalty by bumping into Mark Stewart and Rory Loy easily
scored from the resultant spot kick. On review David Raven's red card seemed harsh as
there appeared to be supporting defenders offering cover, but this was nothing compared to the penalty from which they drew level, when Ryan Christie tumbled
under what seemed to be minimal contact from Kevin Holt. (Holt called out Christie as a diver in today's papers - an outrageous allegation that we can neither confirm nor deny! Ed). Remarkably, the home side should have won it, but Liam Polworth shanked a late effort wide with the goal at
his mercy.
Inverness look a shadow of the side that finished third last season, or which dismantled
Aberdeen only a month ago. Whilst runs of defeats are part and parcel of a diddy team's season, the lethargic performances in the previous three games against Kilmarnock, St Johnstone and Ross
County gave cause for concern.
Rumours persist Dundee
United's recent approach to speak to John Hughes, which was rebuffed by the club, has upset the apple cart with Hughes allegedly keen to hear what United had to say. When Ryan Christie was sold to Celtic, Yogi made it
clear that if a player is offered an
opportunity to better themselves the club won’t stand in their way; he may well feel aggrieved that the same courtesy was not extended to him. The Caley Thistle boss is apparently mulling over
a new deal, but ongoing budget constraints, and the fact that his family remain in the central belt, could mean that his future may lie away from the Highlands.
Of course this is all conjecture but the fact remains
that Caley Thistle are in a tricky situation. A
number of key players are out of contract in the summer and will be entitled to
discuss terms with other clubs in a couple of months. It's likely that those players will want to know who their boss will be before committing their future to
the club. If Yogi is going to stay, ICT need him to sign on the dotted line soon; if he's going to leave, maybe it's best for all parties that that decision is made quickly too. AS
"The manager has definitely given the forward players the freedom to try to impress and express themselves. That's obviously music to my ears as a forward. I want to get on the ball and make things happen and score goals, so for us forward players it's brilliant. He's just told us to go out and enjoy ourselves."
Matchwinner Louis Moult's praise for Mark McGhee should be taken with a pinch of salt; the Englishman only featured from the bench at Rugby Park, and I bet it has occurred to him that lavishly lauding his new boss won't do his prospects of a starting spot any harm. It should also be noted that predecessor Ian Baraclough occasionally used the striker in a wide role, and got his fingers burned as Moult consistently failed to do his defensive duty.
Still, it's not all bulls**t. Marvin Johnson in particular looked like someone had taken his shackles off, repeatedly roasting Mark O'Hara on the Kilmarnock right. If only his final ball was as impressive as his pace, he'd be a heck of a player.
And therein remains Motherwell's big issue - their attacking players are all woefully inconsistent. Where Johnson impressed, Lionel Ainsworth struggled. The starting front pair of Scott McDonald and Theo Robinson were mediocre, whereas subs Moult and Wes Fletcher made a big impact. But on another day these outcomes could all have been completely different. McGhee needs to work out how to get some of these guys to play well for two consecutive matches if he's to haul Motherwell up the table. LS
A cracker at Hamilton...not that you'd know it
It was some game at New Douglas Park...not that Sportscene cared, as the Beeb's atrocious highlights show crammed all six goals into about a minute and a half whilst giving far more coverage to Falkirk v St. Mirren.
What we did see was some terrific finishing from the Perth Saints. No Steven MacLean (under doctor's orders not to play on plastic)? No problem. Up stepped Graham Cummins; the former Exeter striker has spent most of the season doing the running for his veteran strike partner, but in his absence he took centre stage and delivered two goals...the second of which was a finish that far greater players would have been proud of. Michael O'Halloran also got on the scoresheet - for all the adulation that the young attacker has received in recent weeks, that strike from 20 yards was his first league goal since February.
What we didn't see was a string of wonderful saves from visiting goalkeeper Alan Mannus, acknowledged by many St. Johnstone fans to be the man of the match in a game that they won 4-2. Sadly, we'll never get to see those stops, because the people involved with Sportscene are, frankly, a disgrace. LS
Martin Ingram (MI) is our Aberdeen Correspondent. Legend has it that he is the tallest man in the Red Army. He writes regularly for Aberdeen fanzine The Red Final.
Iain Meredith (IM) is technically a Rangers fan, but these days he tends to support them ironically. He only agreed to help with this blog because now he can tell his wife that he's "only watching the game to help a friend out".
Lawrie Spence (LS) has ranted and spouted his ill-informed opinions on Narey's Toepoker since September 2007. He has a life outside this blog. Honestly.
Andrew Sutherland (AS) occasionally writes for When Saturday Comes. He would never miss an ICT match unless he was offered a date with the lead singer of CHVRCHES...who he would then take to said ICT match.
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