Dundee United

Paul McNicoll
Fan writer

Common belief says you should never wake a sleepwalker. Apparently that also applies to Dundee United, because very few in this squad seem brave enough to give this team the almighty shake it so desperately needs.

Honestly, at this point, I'd happily risk the folklore curses and yank the lot of them out of their trance if it stops us sleep-stumbling into the relegation zone.

Because right now? Our form isn't below par, it's completely off the chart. We started the season dreaming of European nights, picturing ourselves jetting off to glamorous places like Vienna, again.

Instead, we're on course for a romantic Friday evening in Dunfermline, eating sub-standard steak bridies and pondering where it all went wrong. We're terrible. Painfully, spectacularly, award-winningly terrible… at present.

And here's the thing that really melts my brain - we have played well at times. Briefly. Fleetingly. So few and far between and rare that I'm unsure if I actually saw it.

Recently, though? It's been a circus. We have goalkeepers that inspire as much confidence as a three-legged chair, defenders who seem allergic to the ball, a midfield that has essentially become 'Panutche Camara and his baffled assistants', and forwards who don't create nearly enough danger for opposition defences.

You don't need a Uefa coaching badge to see where this is heading. Any team with this many issues isn't climbing the table, it's tripping down it.

And the summer transfer window? Oh, we were buzzing. We thought we'd pulled off a recruitment masterclass. We were praising the club like they'd reinvented the wheel.

Now those same players have 'settled in' and we look less like a team and more like a group project where nobody wants to do the work.

Half of them don't even look like they fancy the fight, which is kind of essential in Scottish football, where the weather alone tries to two-foot you every weekend.

It's all a bit grim, to put it mildly. But hey, Santa hasn't shown up yet. There's time. If the big man could kindly leave a competent goalkeeper under the tree, and maybe a defender with a pulse, we might still salvage something.

As things stand, though, top six feels about as realistic as United heading to America next June to compete in the World Cup.

Paul McNicoll can be found at the Dode Fox Podcast, external

St Mirren's 2-0 win over Dundee United was "a perfect example" of what currently separates the two sides, according to former Aberdeen, Rangers and St Johnstone full-back Richard Foster.

The hosts' opener came from "poor defending at the back post" and the second came from a goalkeeping error.

"You don't really see that often from St Mirren," Foster told BBC Scotland's Sportscene.

He suggested centre-half Bert Esselink was at fault as St Mirren midfielder Conor McMenamin met a cross at the back post to head powerfully past goalkeeper Dave Richards.

"You are expecting your defender to at least challenge for the ball," Foster said.

The second came from what "should be a relatively simple save" from Richards, who has replaced Yevhen Kucherenko in goal after the Ukrainian's own recent errors.

At the other end, striker Zac Sapsford fired against Shamal George when through one-on-one with the goalkeeper then sent a powerful free-kick against the crossbar.

"That was the story of the game," Foster said. "When it's not your day, it's not your day.

"St Mirren took the chances that they created, albeit with help from the goalkeeping and defending, and Dundee United never."

Sportscene host Stephen Thompson added: "It's six without a win. They are finding it difficult to replicate that form they had last season and a lot of it is down to the defending. They look fragile. They are gifting goals to teams."

Watch highlights of St Mirren's 2-0 win against Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership.

We asked for your views on Dundee United 2-0 defeat against St Mirren.

Here's what some of you said:

Ross: Bad run, bad luck, or just bad. It's hard to work out this United team. Exciting at times, hardworking in certain areas but the sad truth is this kind of performance is becoming a habit. Mentality, mindset, call it what you want, it's not working.

The defence is full of collective and individual errors. The midfield is lacking creativity and the attack works hard but gets poor service and misses the killer touch on too many occasions. We sit deep as a default. We cannot control a game even after spells where we dominate. The guy behind me at Paisley said: "this is actually embarrassing." It was but please let's not boo players at the end. They came over to applaud the support, not themselves. They are falling short but pretty sure they know that.

Jenny: Jim Goodwin should have the next few matches to turn it round. If he doesn't it's time for United to look elsewhere. Almost any other manager in the Premiership could do more with some of the players he has. It seems in a team that's throwing away goals that we have a very capable centre half in the shape of Sam Cleall-Harding who isn't even being considered. Same story with Owen Stirton upfront. Goodwin should use his full squad and not just the ones he signed to turn a catastrophic season into a half decent one.

Kieran: Goodwin is on borrowed time now and games coming up are not getting easier with a home double header against Celtic and high flying Motherwell. St Mirren didn't need to do anything special to get their goals, our season so far has a whiff of deja vu from 2022.

Colum: We need to concentrate more on our own game instead of what we think the opposition can do to us. We can be an exciting team to watch, but a nightmare in defence.

Philip: Goodwin has to go now before we get dragged into a relegation battle. No width, no pace. A striker with nice touches but offers nothing inside the box. Ryan Strain is not a wing back, as always goes backwards near attacks byline. I think Will Ferry has gone backwards or carrying an injury. Goodwin out.

Gary: Pathetic. You cannot be this inconsistent week in week out. The system Goodwin is sticking to doesn't work either. The three at the back needs changing to a solid back four. Strain offered absolutely nothing. Ferry tried but produced very little. The midfield were beaten to everything and had zero effect on the game. Nikolaj Moller is big but his link up play needs work. Players constantly getting put in and out of the team doesn't help the situation. Players need game time and to get to know and trust the players they're playing alongside. 4-4-2 or 4-3-3. But ditch this obsession with the back three. It doesn't work and leaves the midfield overwhelmed. Wouldn't give any player more than four out of 10 on this showing.

Goals from Connor McMenamin and Keanu Baccus earned St Mirren a victory over Dundee United as Jim Goodwin's side continue their winless run.

Read the full match report here.

Have your say on the game via this link.

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Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin: "I think the game turned on those two key moments [the goals]. It summed up the afternoon and summed up the last few weeks for us in terms of not defending the box well enough.

"It summed up the afternoon for us. St Mirren were better in those ugly moments. I thought in the second half, we had great opportunities.

"We're going through a really difficult period at the moment. The only way out of it is for us to stick together, keep working hard and hopefully we'll be able to come out the other side of it.

"I don't think that St Mirren were the better team today; I thought we had more dangerous attacks. In the last 10 minutes, we're committing that many bodies forward, and we got caught on the counter attack a couple of times.

"We're on a tough run, we're not shying away from that. We deserve all the criticism that comes our way. We've had too many draws and a defeat today.

"There's no other way to get out of it other than working hard on the training pitch and sticking together."

Image source, SNS

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin urges forward Zac Sapsford to force his way into Australia's World Cup squad. (Daily Record), external

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St Mirren midfielder Liam Donnelly is struggling with a knee injury and Declan John and Killian Phillips will be be assessed.

Captain Mark O'Hara is still sidelined with a foot issue that could cost him a place in next week's Premier Sports Cup final.

Dundee United midfielder Isaac Pappoe (knee) and goalkeeper Yevhen Kucherenko (calf) remain out.

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• St Mirren have lost four of their past five Scottish Premiership games against Dundee United (W1), as many as their previous 13 (W4 D5 L4).

• Dundee United have won three of their past four top-flight visits to St Mirren (L1), as many as their previous 13 (W3 D9 L1).

• St Mirren are winless in eight Scottish Premiership games (D2 L6) – their longest run in the competition since December 2021 (12), when they were managed by current United boss Jim Goodwin.

• Dundee United are without a win in five league games (D3 L2). They last went longer without victory within a single season in the Scottish Premiership in April 2023 (11), which included Jim Goodwin's first four league fixtures in charge. They have never gone six without a win within a single season in the division under Goodwin.

• Dundee United's Scottish Premiership games this season have featured the most shots (409), with the Tannadice men having 175 shots and facing 234 in their 14 matches. They have also had the most goals in their games (44), scoring 21 and conceding 23.

Sportscene pundits Scott Allan and Neil McCann discuss the two big penalty decisions in the 2-2 draw between Rangers and Dundee United at Tannadice.

We asked for your thoughts after Rangers' late penalty snatched a point against Dundee United.

Here's what some of you said:

Eddie: Robbed! Absolutely robbed! No VAR check on a clear handball that was right in front of the ref and no more than 10 seconds checking on another ridiculous penalty against us. What's the actual point of teams like ours turning up? We Absolutely deserved to win that game, don't know which game their manager was watching.

Rayan: We were robbed, never a penalty. If anything it should have been our free-kick.

Gary: Regardless of whether you agree with Rangers' penalty, we should have been awarded one of our own. We need to demand that the VAR audio is released, it was a disgraceful decision

Paul: Disgusting! No penalty for a handball and a penalty given two minutes after the allocated time. I'm done with Scottish football.

Stephen: Well what can we say about that result? United denied a clear penalty then Rangers get a penalty to snatch a draw in the eighth minute of six minutes of injury time. United denied a well earned win in dubious circumstances. That's two VAR checks in a week for penalties that have gone against us, four points dropped largely because of VAR.

Watch the highlights as Rangers score a 98th-minute penalty to rescue a 2-2 draw at Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership.

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Olympiakos have been linked with a move for Dundee United target Galymazhan Kenzhebek, the Kazakhstan winger who is out of contract with Yelimay Semey at the end of the year, and the Greek league leaders would be able to outbid the Tannadice club should they pursue their interest. (Daily Record), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Nedim Bajrami's 98th-minute penalty salvaged a point for Rangers as they snatched a Scottish Premiership draw in controversial circumstances against Dundee United.

Read the full match report here.

Let us know your thoughts here.

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Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin told BBC Scotland: "The overall performance was excellent. Defensively, we were really solid, producing big blocks in big moments. My goalkeeper [Dave Richards] was absolutely outstanding, made three or four big saves.

"We were really dangerous on the counter attack, we played some really good football and got into dangerous areas. Scored a couple of brilliant goals.

"To drop points like we did, so late on... If Will Ferry gets to that ball just a fraction of a second earlier, then [referee] David Dickinson blows the whistle, the game is over, and we get a valuable three points.

"That's five draws in the last eight games and that's not good enough for us to achieve what we want to achieve.

"We've performed well in these big games and we have to bring the same mindset to other games.

He describes the late penalty as "a coming together", saying: "I can see why it's given. The Rangers player just about got there half a second before Will [Ferry]. If that happened at the other end, I'd be screaming for it myself."

On the Rangers handball, he adds: "It would have been nice to get it [a penalty] but I'd be disappointed if my defender got punished in that situation."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

The name Panutche Camara may not have been one that most Dundee United fans were overly familiar with prior to his summer switch to Tannadice.

The 28-year-old made the move to Tayside from Crawley Town – and he has certainly made his mark for the Tangerines.

Assured, composed and a tireless worker, the Guinea-Bissau international has been an eye catching addition in the heart of the United midfield. Camara set a high standard early on for United and he has generally maintained it over the opening months the campaign.

The midfielder has created 12 chances from open play this term, the joint highest of any United player, and has created three big chances, a number no teammate has bettered.

Defensively, his tackle success rate of 75% is up there with the highest in the United team. Camara has also won possession 97 times, far more than any of his teammates.

Manager Jim Goodwin could certainly do with that consistency of performance rubbing off on the rest of his teammates amid what is turning out to be a real rollercoaster season for his side.

It is fair to say that not all of Goodwin's summer recruits have built on their early season promise and the United boss could do with a few more of them following Camara's example.

If they do, then a campaign which promised a lot could yet deliver plenty, but if they don't it could turn in to a real slog over the coming months.

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• Dundee United are winless in their last 11 league meetings with Rangers (D3 L8) since a 1-0 victory in August 2021.

• Rangers have won each of their last three league visits to Dundee United, last winning more in a row in August 2003 (run of five).

• Dundee United have kept just one clean sheet in their last nine home league games (W3 D1 L5), doing so in a 2-0 win over Aberdeen in September.

• Rangers remain unbeaten in their last 17 away league games (W8 D9), their longest run since May 2021, when they went 21 without losing on the road – a run which was ended by Dundee United in August 2021.

• Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin remains winless in 16 Scottish Premiership games against Rangers as a manager (D2 L14) – the only side he has faced more than twice in the competition without yet winning.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Dave Richards is hoping "it's my time to kick on" after making his first Dundee United appearance of the season on Saturday.

The 31-year-old goalkeeper replaced the injured Yevhen Kucherenko for a 1-1 draw at Kilmarnock.

Richards saved Bruce Anderson's spot-kick but the home striker got to the loose ball first to score from the rebound.

"I absolutely loved it," said Richards, who is set to face Rangers on Wednesday.

"I've been working hard for months. I've always had that ingrained in me since I was young.

"It's the nature of the goalie. Only one of you can play, so when it's not your turn, when you're not playing, you've got to be sharp, ready, just in case.

"I've been champing at the bit. So, fingers crossed, keep going, head down, work hard and carry on."

Richards moved to Tannadice in the summer of 2024 but managed just two Premiership appearances last term. In the prior campaign, he did not play at all during a loan stint at St Johnstone.

"Wherever I've gone, we've always had a strong goalie group and we like to push each other," he explained.

"I'm there to push whoever's playing and then vice versa if I'm playing. At St Johnstone, Dimitar Mitov, who's at Aberdeen now, was brilliant and so I just kept banging on the door but he just kept on raising his standards.

"Same last year with Jack Walton, he was brilliant as well. Now it's my time to kick on.

"I feel fresh. I'm ready for anything. You can play every day if you want, I'm there ready to go."

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Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin expects to have an unchanged squad available, with goalkeeper Yevhen Kucherenko (calf) and Isaac Pappoe (knee) still out.

Rangers winger Oliver Antman is out for eight weeks with an abductor problem. Joe Rothwell returns while Youssef Chermiti will be assessed.

Rangers remain without John Souttar and Derek Cornelius with muscle injuries but Mikey Moore (muscle), Rabbi Matondo (knee) and Kieran Dowell (foot) are closing in on comebacks.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Jim Goodwin has been speaking to the media before Dundee United host Rangers in the Premiership on Wednesday evening.

Here are the key lines from the Tannadice boss:

• United have contacted the Scottish FA regarding the penalty award for Kilmarnock's opener in the 1-1 draw last weekend but have had no response yet.

• Goodwin adds: "We've had a few of these decisions now go against us and they've been quite significant. At Easter Road we got an apology the following week for the penalty that was awarded at a really important part of the game. Had that penalty [at Rugby Park] not been given then we probably would have gone on and won the game so if you just take those two instances, that's arguably four points we should have that makes a huge difference come the end of the season."

• On facing Danny Rohl for the first time, Goodwin says the German has a "more pragmatic" and direct approach than predecessor Russell Martin but United "take good confidence" from the 2-2 draw at Ibrox in mid-October.

• He adds: "It's a very similar group of players that we're going to be facing and we know that we can cause them problems. We have to try and do that tomorrow night."

• After four games without victory United are "desperate" to return to winning ways and must show "bravery" on the ball while also defending with discipline.

• Despite Rangers' struggles this season, Goodwin says they have "some very, very good players and we have to show them the respect they're due".

• With United sitting eighth after one win in eight games, Goodwin says "we're not being too hard on ourselves at the moment" and adds after the second round of matches around new year is when there will be a "fairer reflection" of how the season will pan out.

• Goolkeeper Yevhen Kucherenko will be out for three or four weeks with a calf strain. And on "patient" Dave Richards, who replaced the Ukrainian last Saturday, Goodwin says: "He's a really valuable member of the squad and he's got the gloves now, so it's up to him to make sure he holds on to them."

• Ross Graham, Ryan Strain and Max Watters all came through their comeback starts last weekend with no ill effects and United have no fresh injuries.

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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To be fair to Rangers, they remain unbeaten in 17 away league games stretching into the end of last season as they travel to face Dundee United on Wednesday night.

However, Sunday's goalless draw at home to Falkirk highlighted that plenty of work is still to be done for the Ibrox side since Russell Martin was replaced with Danny Rohl as head coach.

It was a 1-1 draw away to the Bairns in October that put paid to Martin's short reign and that was followed by a 2-2 draw with United at Ibrox while managerless Rangers decided who should be his successor.

Rohl had won four Premiership games in a row until the Bairns came calling, but overall they have won just two of their past six outings as the German has been hampered by the same shortcomings in his squad as his predecessor.

Rangers have still only suffered one league defeat all season, but it is draws that are hampering them and they cannot afford to fall more than the seven points they are behind Celtic and nine off Hearts.

After their own 1-1 draw away to Kilmarnock on Saturday, United have themselves now shared the points on six of their 13 Premiership outings, including that visit to Ibrox.

However, since then, Jim Goodwin's eighth-placed side have won once - their only victory in eight outings - and have gone four games without one.

Rangers are unbeaten in 11 meetings with United since a 1-0 defeat at Tannadice in August 2021.

The Ibrox side, though, are struggling to score goals and Goodwin will hope that gives his team a chance of improving on just one clean sheet in their past seven home games.

Read all the midweek Premiership picks