In this week’s festive Talking Football, The Courier sports writers analyse whether Dundee United fans should be glad or worried after a poor performance wasn’t punished at Ayr, Dundee’s mission impossible at Celtic Park and a Danny Swanson-less St Johnstone.
Miracle on 34th Street (or Somerset Park). Dundee United somehow managed to beat Ayr United despite suffering a severe dip in form. Is that a good sign?
Ian Roache: It certainly beats playing well and losing! Saturday was really encouraging for United because winning while playing so poorly will give them confidence going forward. There were real positives to take from the match, too, especially the performances of central defenders Mark Durnan and William Edjenguele.
Eric Nicolson: I’d certainly be inclined to let United away with not putting in a performance to match the result on this occasion. A drop-off from the high of the week before wasn’t a shock. You can bet that Ray McKinnon has let his players know that they dodged a bullet, though.
Neil Robertson: It is worth remembering that Ayr have already beaten Hibs this season at Easter Road so they are no mugs. Speak to any player or manager and they will testify to how difficult it can be to win at Somerset Park so McKinnon and his men will accept winning ugly on this occasion.
The Polar Express. The Tangerines’ unbeaten bandwagon rolls on. They haven’t lost in 12 matches now but how long can this run go on?
IR: Make no mistake, they will have to improve considerably if they are to beat Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park on Saturday but they are more than capable of doing that. I fancy them to stay unbeaten going into the new year. Their defence looks solid and their flair players can’t perform as badly as they did against Ayr, that’s for sure.
EN: The gap between the top two and the rest tells its own story. United (and Hibs) have to continue winning because any slip-up may take them weeks to make up for. That’s a long-winded way of saying I expect them to take care of Raith and still be unbeaten by the time they face Hibs again at the turn of the year.
NR: Raith will provide another stern test of United’s unbeaten run, especially at Stark’s Park. Rovers may have lost at St Mirren last Saturday but they were ring-rusty after being without a game for two weeks and they also had a stonewall penalty claim turned down. Kyle Benedictus will be back from suspension to bolster what has been a miserly defence so United will have to regain some form if they hope to win.
The Nightmare Before Christmas. Dundee now face a trip to Celtic Park then Hearts at home before the presents are unwrapped. Anything from Parkhead would be a bonus but what about when new Tynecastle boss Ian Cathro comes back to his hometown on the 21st?
IR: The Hoops are on fire just now and, to be honest, all other teams in the Premiership are capable of getting hammered by them. The Dark Blues have played well against Celtic in the past but this one looks beyond them. The pressure could be on Hearts and Cathro by the time they visit Dens so that one will be more intriguing.
EN: There have been times when one of our teams (Dundee included) have gone to Celtic Park and I’ve been reasonably confident of them getting a result. This isn’t one of them unfortunately. A solid performance, like the one at Dens when the sides met, and a narrow defeat would be acceptable. Hearts at home is game they should be targeting as one to get something from, though.
NR: The fact that one prominent bookie will give you odds of 25/1 – yes, 25/1 – on a Dundee win says it all really. It would be one of the biggest upsets in recent years if Dundee did beat the odds and the rampant Hoops but it is important that they go to the East End of Glasgow and produce a performance that will give them a boost ahead of the Hearts game.
Frozen. Surely big Marcus Haber should have shown more composure with THAT chance, agreed?
IR: Aye, that was a bad finish from the Canadian but County had more than their fair share of excellent chances too.
EN: Haber has qualities but he’s not a natural finisher. Overall, I would say so far he’s made as big an impact as Paul Hartley could have reasonably expected given where his fitness levels would have been when he signed.
NR: After controlling the ball on his chest and with the goal at his mercy, Haber looked certain to score. He didn’t but to be fair to him, Haber and his strike partner Craig Wighton had been feeding off scraps all afternoon. Dundee need to find a way to provide more ammunition for the front two.
Gremlins. Talking of Cathro, that wasn’t the best of starts for the Dundonian at Ibrox, was it?
IR: The defending from Hearts at both of the goals looked dodgy but away to Rangers was never going to be an easy start for him. Any criticism after one match is just nonsense.
EN: I don’t think many people are rushing to make snap judgments after one match. Mind you, he’ll be given less of a honeymoon than most by the cynics who think he’s been appointed above his capabilities. There will be more focus on him than any other manager in the Premiership.
NR: Like any manager, he will be judged on results but jumping to conclusions after just one match, especially at Ibrox, is plain daft. However, Cathro will know himself that with his appointment having divided opinion so sharply, his critics will be readying their knives the longer the Jambos go without a win under his stewardship.
Home Alone. Danny Swanson sat out St Johnstone’s fine goalless draw with Aberdeen so does that show they will be able to cope if they eventually lose the little playmaker.
IR: This was one of the results of last weekend and Saints looked like they were the better side, going by the TV highlights. They still need Swanson, though, and will welcome him back after injury with open arms.
EN: St Johnstone have never been a one-man team. Stevie May, Michael O’Halloran and a few others were supposed to leave a big hole, but didn’t. Should he leave, they’ll either replace him like for like or tweak their tactics. And, for what it’s worth, I think he’d be mad to go.
NR: Swanson has been a stand-out for St Johnstone any time I have seen them this season and it goes without saying it would be hugely disappointing for the club if he left. However, like Eric, I believe boss Tommy Wright would find a way to cope if he did opt for pastures new.
It’s A Wonderful Life. Stewart Petrie got off to a flying start as Montrose manager by beating Clyde 2-1. I take it we all wish him and the Gable Endies well?
IR: The 2-1 home win over a promotion-chasing team was tremendous and I couldn’t be happier for Petrie or the long-suffering Montrose supporters. Let’s hope the players can build on that result.
EN: Indeed. The bottom of League Two is fascinating. Edinburgh City’s form will have given a few chairmen sleepless nights. Petrie – and Dave Mackay at Stirling – have got to hit the ground running. It’s very high stakes.
NR: This was Montrose’s first win at home this season so Petrie will be thinking this manager malarkey is a piece of cake! Seriously, though, he has been in the game long enough to know that there is still a lot of hard work to be done to take the Gable Endies up the table and away from the danger zone. However, the victory was a solid platform for Petrie to build on.
