Dundee United

We asked for your views on Dundee United's derby collapse at Dens Park on Sunday.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Shaun: Jim Goodwin says there's a fragility in the team but it's OK because he's identified it now. We're 30 games in and everyone else identified it months ago. Time to go, Jim.

Bruce: Excellent performance up until additional time. Don't understand why the players can't see it out. Don't think that was the manager's fault.

Dave: I don't like blaming individual players, but Ross Graham is exclusively responsible for the loss of two points. I can forgive the header [for the own goal] but not the challenge that gave Dundee the perfect opportunity to fire in the cross. You could sense what was coming.

George: As soon as Dundee's first went in I feared we would lose another. The defence, Graham in particular, panic and lose concentration as soon as we lose a goal. Don't know what Jim can do as I think it only appears during games. We need to keep together, get through this season, and recruit to ensure this doesn't continue into next season. Don't lose sight of all the good things Jim has done, he deserves the chance to put this difficult season behind him.

Kieran: That's our season done. One of only a few games where Goodwin is blameless for the result. For 93 minutes it's the most dominant display that United have conjured all season. Could have easily been four up on another day but yet again stupid and naive decision-making in defence from our so-called 'captain' gifts Dundee the point that feels like a win for them and a massive defeat for us.

Ian: Terrible but typical United. Game management? Us fans deserve much better but the team deserves exactly what it has - a nothing season. Terribly disappointing... again

Sportscene pundit Scott Allan says there is no way Dundee United should have dropped points against rivals Dundee on Sunday.

United were cruising - 2-0 up in the 93rd minute, before conceding twice at the death to draw.

Captain Ross Graham scored an own goal with almost the last kick of the game and Allan thinks he was put off by the presence of opposition goalkeeper Jon McCracken.

"Football comes down to moments," Allan said. "These two moments, United just don't defend well enough.

"Ross Graham did well throughout the game, but I think he got spooked by Jon McCracken and it ends up in the top corner.

"That's a game that United should never have lost. It was so dominant, especially in the second half."

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Image source, SNS

Jerome Prior - Livingston

Five saves at Easter Road are unlikely to save Livingston's season, but they brought a clean sheet and a point nonetheless.

Warren O'Hora - Hibernian

Another solid showing from the centre-back and a clean sheet.

Kieran Tierney - Celtic

His character and class continues to help keep Celtic fighting for a league and cup double.

Michael Schjonning-Larsen - Kilmarnock

A huge goal against Hearts from the Estonian international to earn his Kilmarnock side a massive three points in their fight against relegation, and throw a massive spanner in the works of the Hearts title tilt.

Luca Stephenson - Dundee United

A brilliant, brave back-post header looked like it would give Dundee United all three points in the derby, but it wasn't to be.

Alex Gogic - St Mirren

If any player ever deserved the classic football hard man head bandage it's Alex Gogic. But the Cyprus international goes the extra mile.

With blood erupting from his head after a clash with a team-mate, there was no bandage required. Instead it took staples to stem the flow, topped off by a massive dollop of Vaseline. What a warrior.

He must be the most old-school player in the Premiership, and we love him for it. Great defensively against Rangers.

Nico Raskin - Rangers

Full of energy in the hurly-burly of midfield in poor conditions in Paisley. He delivered the assist for the vital goal.

Tuur Rommens - Rangers

Got high up the field to decisive effect as he sealed a big three points for Rangers.

Yang Hyun-Jun - Celtic

Two goals in a huge game to sink Motherwell. That is now six goals since Christmas for the South Korean international.

Barney Stewart - Falkirk

The young striker is brimming with belief after graduating to Premiership football. 16 goals now in all competitions for the 21-year-old - albeit half of them while on loan at Championship Dunfermline. Four goals in his last 3 games, huge potential.

Findlay Curtis - Kilmarnock

Has brought a bit of X-factor to the Kilmarnock attack. Looks like a player who can ignite things for the Rugby Park side as they fight to get out of the play-off spot.

Image source, BBC Sport

Dundee United midfielder Craig Sibbald is set to return to Falkirk next season when his contract at Tannadice expires (Daily Record)., external

Draw number 13 of the season - and it must be the most frustrating by a distance after conceding twice in stoppage time in a derby.

Dundee United were very good for most of the game but were undone by late defensive lapses from set-pieces.

Read the match report.

Let off some steam with your views.

Image source, SNS

Jim Goodwin tells BBC Scotland: "The way we finished the game pretty much sums up the season for us. It's the reason why we find ourselves in the bottom half of the table.

"Defensively, we've just not been good enough, all campaign. In those moments when we get put under a bit of pressure, too many times we've crumbled.

"I need to be careful with the words I chose. We're all in this together, but the players know what my thoughts are.

"I cannot remember going from feeling so positive to feeling lower than a snake's belly.

"I thought it was one of our best performances of the season, one of the most one-sided Dundee derbies I can remember. I probably would have been disappointed to only finish 2-0, given the opportunities that we had.

"Even at 2-0 we should have enough experience and enough leadership on the park to manage the game better to see it through.

"I'm the manager. It's my responsibility to get it right. As a club, we recognise the mistakes that we've made. I need to make sure we do something about it in the summer."

Image source, SNS

Defender Iurie Iovu insists Dundee United will be taking "extra energy" into Sunday's derby against Dundee.

Jim Goodwin's side are two points above their city rivals in the Premiership table as they prepare for Sunday's match at Dens Park.

United were beaten at Tannadice the last time these sides met at the start of the year but were 2-0 winners at Dens back in August.

And Iovu and his teammates are relishing the chance to play in another derby.

"We are very excited to play against Dundee," he told club media.

"It's always a really intense game. It's important for us to win and to make the gap between ourselves and them bigger. We are well prepared, we'll give everything and hopefully win."

United have won just one of their last five Premiership outings and while they still have a slim chance of making the top six, those dreams could be ended today if Falkirk beat Aberdeen.

"Every game is important," Iovu added.

"We keep our focus game by game and try to take three points every week. I'm very excited for Sunday - the rivalry is incredible and it's a match which sums up the beauty of football.

"In football, you have the opportunity to bounce back as fast as possible because we play every week and we need to try to go with a positive mindset. We can't affect what happened in the previous game now or the form of our opposition.

"On derby day, you have extra energy, the atmosphere is amazing and it's important to react the different situations you have to deal with on the day."

Image source, SNS

Dundee boss Steven Pressley expects to have Callum Jones back in contention while Billy Koumetio has a chance of returning after a knee injury. Clark Robertson (thigh) is still out.

Dundee United pair Amar Fatah and Iurie Iovu are available after suspension, but Craig Sibbald (hamstring), Isaac Pappoe (knee) and Bert Esselink are set to miss out again.

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, SNS

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has been speaking to the media before Sunday's derby away to Dundee in the Premiership.

Here are the main points:

• Goodwin has relished having a free midweek: "We've been able to get a bit of energy and freshness into the squad."

• After having to play nine games in five weeks, due to rearranged fixtures, Goodwin feels "things could have been managed better by the league".

• And while the United boss admits that "sounds like excuses", the break has been "worthwhile" for his side.

• United are two points ahead of their city rivals in the table and the manager is hopeful "we can extend that gap at the weekend".

• While United only have the faintest of top-six hopes, Goodwin says "we've still got an outside chance" and will "keep fighting".

• The United boss isn't "overly pleased with sitting seventh" and insists the club "want to be a consistent top-six team and we believe we have the infrastructure and the fanbase to do that".

• On the derby occasion, Goodwin stresses "we all know what this fixture means to the supporters" but he warns it is a "different" Dundee side to the one they beat at Dens in August.

• He knows "it will be a battle, it will be 100 miles per hour at times" but insists United are "ready for it".

• While Goodwin expects "a blood and thunder game", he says "nobody in football wants to see the kind of scenes we saw last weekend" when the Old Firm derby was marred by fan disorder.

• After Dundee boss Steven Pressley admitted he doesn't enjoy derby fixtures, the United boss says: "I love being involved in these big games... you've got to look forward to these types of games."

• After their Scottish Cup exit to Falkirk last week, Goodwin's side "want to restore a bit of pride" and "the best way to do that is go and win your next game".

• The 44-year-old feels "these games are ultimately decided by the team that does the basics better". He has "no concerns about creating chances" but is looking for his side to have "a solid base defensively".

• There are no new injuries for United.

Dundee United are closing in on the signing of Newcastle Jets winger Lachlan Rose (The Courier - behind paywall, external)

Friday's Scottish gossip

Image source, SNS

• After their 1-0 win in January, Dundee could secure back-to-back top-flight victories over Dundee United for the first time since November 2004 under Jim Duffy.

• The past four Dundee derbies in the Scottish Premiership have been won by the away side (including United in their past two visits); this is as many away wins as the previous 25 top-flight meetings beforehand (10 home wins, 11 draws, 4 away wins).

• Exactly half of United's Premiership goals this season have come from non-penalty set-plays (18/36) – the highest ratio of any side. Conversely, Dundee have only conceded 19.6% of their league goals from non-penalty set-pieces (9/46), a division-low ratio.

• After only losing two of their opening 10 away league matches of the season (W2 D6), United have since lost three of their past four on the road (W1).

• Dundee have only lost one of their past six home games in the Premiership (W3 D2), a 1-0 defeat to leaders Hearts in January.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

At the start of this month Jim Goodwin celebrated three years in charge of Dundee United.

His time at the helm has been a rollercoaster with plenty of ups - last season being a case in point - and a few lows.

However, this campaign has felt like United are treading water.

The club overachieved by finishing fourth in their top-flight return last term, heightening expectations as a result.

While scaling those heights again was always going to be difficult, United's top-six hopes are effectively over and fans are feeling deflated.

Last Friday's Scottish Cup quarter-final defeat at Falkirk added to that mood.

This weekend's derby with Dundee at Dens Park is a big one from a United point of view – and not just because bragging rights are up for grabs.

A win over their biggest rivals always lifts the spirits and would also put a little daylight between themselves and the Dark Blues, who are currently just two points behind.

But a defeat would put Dundee above United in the table and compound feeling of frustration among the Tangerines support, as well as nudging up the pressure on Goodwin.

Ronny Costello
Fan writer

Hard to dress this up as anything other than a massive missed opportunity.

A Scottish Cup semi-final was on offer and Falkirk away was always going to be tough, but the real frustration is United largely beat themselves.

Coming out half-asleep in a quarter-final and again waiting until conceding or the second half to remember how to play is a pattern that has defined this season.

To the players' credit, Julius Eskesen's goal gave us a lifeline and for a spell Falkirk looked rattled. But the second moment never came and our chance of a semi-final spot just fizzled out.

And that's the story of the season. The league fizzled. The cup fizzled. The whole campaign is quietly drifting away before the clocks have even changed.

So what is left? Pride, really.

Try to be the best of the bottom six and win the derbies that remain. That is where we are now.

This weekend it's a walk up the road to Dens Park and that alone makes it enormous. Win it and the mood shifts quickly but Dundee are in form and if we start the same way we did on Friday night it will not end well.

The season is running out of reasons to get excited. Sunday is one of the few that remain and United cannot afford to waste it the same way they wasted Friday.

Ronny Costello can be found at the Dode Fox Podcast, external

Former Dundee and Dundee United defender Lee Wilkie believes the pressure will only increase on United manager Jim Goodwin should Dundee win Sunday's city derby. (Courier - subscription required), external

Tuesday's Scottish gossip

We asked for your views after Dundee United's Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Falkirk.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Jamie: Season. Over. Another awful first half where Jim Goodwin could not get his tactics right. Another game of three at the back clearly not working, just look at Ross Graham and Vicko Sevelj for Falkirk's second goal. Neither player knows who is defending the Falkirk goalscorer. Zac Sapsford scores worldies but misses sitters. Won't get a chance like this again with so many top teams going out.

George: A game that sums up the season. We start badly, don't play 90 minutes and lose simple goals. The midfield preferred to go sideways or backwards and there's no penetration into the opposition half. The forwards are starved of service and therefore frustrated, dropping deep to try and get into the game. Too negative in our approach which needs to change if we want to salvage our season.

Laura: Tough result but considering the circumstances we battled hard. We are the youngest team in the league and it was always going to be tough to replicate last season. Lack of flexibility over fixture congestion didn't help us. Jim has brought stability and is working hard to rebuild a new team after years of managerial changes. Let's win the derbies and enjoy Johnny Russell's homecoming.

Ross: The players make the same mistakes week in, week out so I don't feel bad about repeating the same criticisms. Totally outplayed by a team with an identity, a style, a passion and positivity - everything United lack this season. Can't defend and just sit back deep, get to the halfway line and run out of ideas. We simply don't seem to understand the word press. Tough watch, at times terrible. Squad, tactics, training, or manager? Sadly it could be all those things and it's not working.

Steve: I've never been of the opinion that Goodwin must go but his time is up. Compared to other clubs who we'll be playing against after the split, he's had a lot of money to spend. Unfortunately a lot of those buys are now showing they're not up to playing in the top division. He also insists on playing a back three which doesn't work. Even when he changes who plays in his defence week by week.

Brian: Even if the fans are wrong and the manager is right, United need a reboot. If we continue with the same set-up and tactics, and lack of confidence, we will be down and out by the end of the season.

First-half headers from Barney Stewart and Finn Yeats sent Falkirk into the Scottish Cup semi-finals and ended Dundee United's hopes of reaching Hampden.

Read the full report here

Have your say here

Image source, SNS

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin tells BBC Scotland: "We're all bitterly disappointed to go out of the competition at this stage.

"I don't want to be making any excuses but we've had nine games in five weeks and we could have done without the St Mirren game three days before a Firday night game. Add to that we've had key players suspended but it's a really disappointing outcome but you ca't afford to start like we did.

"We wont allow the season to peter out. We have a big job to close the gap on Falkirk but we'll not give up on that.

"We'll recover from tonight but we have a big game coming up next week, a local derby that's important to our supporters.

"The fans have every right to be disappointed. It's three years I've been here and we've had relative success and they want the team to be in the top six.

"We're very disappointed in our league position and the fans have every right to voice their disappointment."

Image source, SNS

Former Dundee United defender Ryan McGowan says Jim Goodwin's side stand two Scottish Cup wins from a successful season.

The Tannadice men, whose top-six hopes are all but over amid a disappointing Premiership campaign, travel to face Falkirk tonight - live on BBC Scotland - for a place in the cup semis.

"They have a really strong team, a team that you should be wary of, a team that is almost set up for a cup competition," Livingston centre-back McGowan told the BBC's Scottish football podcast.

"If you're looking at it from Jim Goodwin's position, two wins and you're in a cup final and all of a sudden your season looks totally different.

"So he'll be hoping it all just seems to click together. If you look at Aberdeen last season, you can just sometimes get into a groove that they can do really well in a cup competition and have bit between their teeth.

"Falkirk, as much as they'll probably be favourites at home, I think they have to be very, very careful of Dundee United and the players they possess."