Football can be a painful game sometimes but Dundee United’s defeat to Rangers in the 2008 League Cup final was particularly gut-wrenching.
United’s dream of winning the trophy for chairman Eddie Thompson was snatched away in the cruellest of fashions as Walter Smith’s Rangers side won on penalties.
A successful businessman thanks to the Morning, Noon & Night convenience store chain he founded, he ploughed much of his money into the club he supported.
Thompson became the club’s first-ever majority shareholder in 2002 and was a favourite with the fans, who responded to his obvious passion for Dundee United.
Thompson appointed himself chairman and set about changing the club’s fortunes after eight years spent largely in the doldrums since winning the Scottish Cup in 1994.
Levein was the right man for Thompson
Alex Smith, Paul Hegarty, Ian McCall, Gordon Chisholm, then Craig Brewster, failed to bring managerial success before Thompson found the right man in Craig Levein.
“In my mind there is no doubt that, at last, I have found the right man,” he said.
“That is not a slur on any of the other people I have worked with because at the time every one of those appointments was regarded as a good one.”
Through all this time, Thompson was receiving treatment for prostate cancer that had seeped into his bones at the end of 2006.
He was immediately put on radiotherapy on a daily basis at Ninewells Hospital.
Thompson went through a rollercoaster of emotions during the latter stages of his illness when United started a thrill-a-minute League Cup campaign in August 2007.
The 1979 and 1980 winners defeated Ross County, Falkirk and Hamilton to reach the semi-final where they defeated Aberdeen 4-1 at Tynecastle in February 2008.
Thompson stood in the stand, tears running down his face, applauding with the fans.
Craig Levein had a lump in his throat afterwards as he conceded that there was no guarantee of his chairman making it to the final against Rangers on March 16 2008.
In the event, the tycoon made it to Hampden, where 17,000 Dundee United fans – aware that his days were numbered – donned “One Eddie Thompson” T-shirts.
He was supposed to be in the Royal Box but instead took a seat in the stand and was there half an hour before kick-off because he wanted to soak up the atmosphere.
Here was a man with no time for airs or graces.
Thompson was a fan, first and foremost.
He promised to parade the trophy
For his part, he said he was touched by the sack-loads of good luck messages and promised to make an appearance on the pitch if Lee Wilkie lifted the famous trophy.
“If it happens I’ll probably make a fool of myself, but everyone here at the club is part of the team and once the players have had time to show the cup off themselves, I see no reason why I shouldn’t be with them,” he said.
“I’m a fan, I’ve been one since I came here in 1964 and that has never changed.
“If the final whistle goes and we have won the cup, my first thought will be that United have done it, not me.
“I know the manager used me in his team-talk for the semi-final against Aberdeen and I think that gave the players an edge, I’d certainly like to think so.
“If it gave them an edge for the final, if anything did, I’d say ‘do it again’, but it is about Dundee United winning, not just me.”
The 120 minutes which followed would become known as the Eddie Thompson final.
Dundee Utd: Zaluska, Kovacevic, Kenneth, Wilkie, Kalvenes, Buaben, Flood, Kerr, Gomis, Hunt, De Vries.
Subs: McLean, Dods, Dillon, Robertson, Conway.
Rangers: McGregor, Broadfoot, Cuellar, Weir, Papac, Hemdani, Dailly, Burke, Ferguson, Davis, McCulloch.
Subs: Alexander, Whittaker, Thomson, Darcheville, Boyd.
Walter Smith’s Rangers side came into the final on a high following their midweek aggregate win over Werder Bremen in the last 16 of the Uefa Cup.
Craig Levein, leading a team out at Hampden for the first time, made four changes after his side’s midweek goalless draw at Celtic, including the return of Noel Hunt.
Levein said before the game that the players were determined to lift the trophy for Thompson, who watched the final in the stand alongside his manager.
Lukasz Zaluska produced the first save on 18 minutes when Lee McCulloch dummied Kirk Broadfoot’s cross and the United keeper parried Barry Ferguson’s shot.
Hunt scored the opening goal on 33 minutes, at the second attempt, when he flicked the ball into the net after goalkeeper Allan McGregor initially saved his close-range strike.
The last 14 finals had been won by the team who scored first.
Would this be Eddie Thompson’s day?
United almost doubled their advantage a minute from half-time when Papac knocked the ball through McGregor’s legs but Carlos Cuellar blasted it clear from the line.
Darcheville came on for Hemdani at the start of the second half as Rangers searched for an equaliser.
A second United goal might have broken Rangers and Cuellar appeared to pull back Christian Kalvenes and haul him to the ground on 53 minutes in the box.
Referee Kenny Clark waved play on.
Darcheville was denied an equaliser when Zaluska blocked the Frenchman’s shot with his heel to deflect the ball wide for a corner.
United were leading 1-0 with five minutes to go after a long period of Rangers pressure when a short Mark Kerr pass back let in substitute Kris Boyd to level.
Rangers were now favourites to win the final in extra-time.
United didn’t read the script and Mark De Vries put Levein’s men back in front on 95 minutes when he drilled past McGregor from the right-hand side of the box.
Boyd equalised for a second time on 113 minutes when United failed to clear their lines and he headed home at the back post from a Steve Davis cross.
Cue penalties, silverware and tears all round.
David Robertson, Craig Conway and Lee Wilkie missed penalties in the shoot-out for United with Rangers’ Darcheville and McCulloch also seeing their spot-kicks saved.
Boyd then kept his nerve to score the decisive spot-kick.
The Tangerines on the whole deserved to win and were, almost to a man, in tears after being applauded off the park by Thompson and 17,000 United supporters.
Thompson spoke of his heartbreak but he praised the players and supporters and said they had made him extremely proud following a day of high drama at Hampden.
“They were magnificent and made me very proud to be a United supporter,” he said.
“They couldn’t have given us any more backing and it is just a shame they have gone home disappointed.
“Despite being outnumbered, they more than made up for that in voice.”
Thompson walked in to the dressing room at full-time and told Levein and his devastated players that, as far as he was concerned, they were winners.
He said: “We are all heartbroken at losing a cup final in such a cruel way and I went into the dressing room afterwards to console the players.
“We all hugged and there were a few tears. Everyone was very emotional.
“We are disappointed to have lost today, yes, but you have to remember it was only 15 months ago that Craig Levein came in when we were fighting relegation.
“He kept us up and now we have got to a cup final and are also challenging for a European place, so look how far we have come in such a short space of time.”
“I feel like I’ve been 50 rounds with Muhammad Ali,” Levein said afterwards.
“What a cruel way to lose. I want to be positive about the performance, but I feel so sick for everyone associated with the club.
“We played probably our best game of the season against a very good side.
“I’m so gutted.”
Eddie Thompson died aged 67
Thompson died on October 15 2008 and the football world came together in grief during his funeral service at St Mary’s Episcopal Church in Broughty Ferry.
More than 300 invited guests attended the funeral service while hundreds of fans in black and tangerine listened to the service on loudspeakers.
Craig Levein’s voice cracked as he paid an emotional tribute to his former chairman and the strength of character he displayed in his long-running battle against cancer.
Levein described how Thompson would regale visitors with stories about United, including one couple who were given a three-hour lecture after wandering into Tannadice to ask for directions to their hotel.
He said: “When I think of how he would come back in agony after receiving some treatment and instead of going home coming in to work – he’s a far better man than me, I’ll tell you that.
“He could make a decision – a lot of them wrong – but he had such conviction that he would convince you that whatever decision he made was 100% right.
“If he was a football player he would be the first name on the team sheet every single week.”
United players Lee Wilkie, Garry Kenneth, Sean Dillon, Darren Dods, Jon Daly and Danny Grainger carried Thompson’s coffin out of the church and into the bright October sunshine against the strains of Neil Diamond’s song Beautiful Sunday.
The fans outside again burst into applause, which continued as the invited guests left for the private burial service with Thompson’s hearse covered in fans’ scarves and strips.
One banner being held up as they drove off summed up how adored he was by the fellow United supporters he stood alongside at Hampden on March 16 2008.
“Goodbye, Eddie, Mr Dundee United.
“United in Grief, United in pride, United forever”.
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