Dundee United’s January recruitment failures were shown up loud and clear on Saturday at Livingston.
Fans were rightly furious with their club after the winter window shut because they could see the Tangerines squad was in trouble.
Sadly that trouble has come to a head at the very worst possible time for United.
Time is running out, Wednesday at home to Kilmarnock is must-win. Nothing else will do.
But there remain big, big questions over key parts of the squad.
Goalkeeper
It seems like everybody but the people in charge at Tannadice could see the issues plainly.
Goalkeeper Mark Birighitti has not been convincing all season.
I have no real idea what he’s doing with that opening goal at Livi.
Loick Ayina had things under control, no real issue. He was about to hook it clear up the pitch or smash it into row Z and start again.
But the goalkeeper appearing out of nowhere has caused all sorts of problems.
One of them has to deal with it and once he’s out there, for me, it’s the goalie who has to do it.
Instead he waits and Bruce Anderson is too nippy and clever to allow that to happen.
Once again, United shoot themselves in the foot.
A goalkeeper should be giving the players in front of him confidence that if they don’t deal with something, then he will.
January
I don’t like throwing the blame at an individual player, though. There is plenty more wrong in the squad.
However, the failure to at least bring in some competition for Birighitti is a huge one for me.
No slight on Jack Newman, he’s a young goalie trying to find his way.
But bring in someone really determined to take the No 1 jersey and there’s no doubt Birighitti ups his game, that’s just the way things work.
However, the club let Carljohan Eriksson leave and didn’t replace him.
What’s more, the Steven Fletcher nightmare became reality.
I think United have been very lucky he’s lasted this long without picking up an injury.
And as soon as he does, they are relying on a 17-year-old lad to lead the line.
Unfair on youngsters
Again, no slight on Rory MacLeod or Miller Thomson who came on. Both very talented youngsters but they should not be getting thrown into this situation.
It is absolutely unfair on players of that age to have this level of pressure thrust upon their shoulders.
The experienced players in that United squad should be the ones stepping up but there doesn’t seem much of that right now either.
Aziz Behich also let the side down with a needless red card.
Again, completely unfair on the young lads.
But that’s the situation United have got themselves into with their failures in squad building.
They are lucky they still have survival in their own hands.
But they must remember Kilmarnock and Ross County are in a bad position too – it’s up to United to put them under pressure.
Only a win will do that.
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