News that Jim Goodwin is keeping player contract talks at bay and that Mark Ogren will back strengthening the team in January, should it be required, is positive for Dundee United fans.
The Tangerines owner needs to ensure promotion to make any future sale of the club as attractive as possible, while the manager needs players whose minds are firmly fixed on the task in hand on the pitch.
I’m sure that nods and winks will have been exchanged – and heavy hints dropped for top performing players that they’ll be looked after – but distractions that might derail the success story unfolding at Tannadice should be avoided like the plague.
United’s season is going exceedingly well and no diversions are needed on their journey back to the Premiership.
The fans have stuck by United superbly well and are backing the club in great numbers home and away.
They’ll continue to back everyone who’s giving maximum effort and concentration to the job in hand – but the reverse will be true for anyone who rocks the boat when things are so positive.
I wrote here in 2017 about the changing nature of club ownership and the multi-club model, wondering what was to stop Dundee FC linking with others to strengthen their brand.
Now suggestions of a link between Burnley and the Dark Blues have emerged.
I’m in favour of anything that strengthens our clubs, but caution is advisable.
Celtic were once linked with creating a new club or a stake in an existing one in Boston or Philadelphia, for their Irish diaspora.
They haven’t done so, which might suggest that, while such ideas sound good, they’re not as straightforward in practice.
Football is finding the old adage: ‘If you sup with the devil you better have a long spoon,’ is true.
In this case, the devil is VAR and football has sold its soul and is going to hell in a handcart because of it.
The introduction of Video Assistant Referees was meant to be the panacea to cure the ills of bad refereeing.
All it has done is amplify bad decision making – and compound it.
The extra, expensive layer of bureaucracy would be fine if it was working, but the ridiculous failure of the VAR team at Pittodrie in midweek to even notice that a blatant penalty should have been awarded to the Dons summed up the disaster which VAR is inflicting on the game.
"They got it wrong once again"
Aberdeen manager Barry Robson gives his post match reaction including that penalty shout 🗣️#UECL pic.twitter.com/P10Ix3DR2J
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 26, 2023
It’s robbed us of all spontaneity when a goal is scored as players and fans alike celebrate, only to immediately crease their faces into a frown waiting nervously to see if the goal is given.
We now see offside decisions being judged with the kind of mathematical precision that Pythagoras would have baulked at.
We got here because we were unable to accept that referees get things wrong in a fast flowing environment on calls that are ultimately subjective.
Now we’ve simply added another layer of subjectivity to the proceedings and we’re ruining the game with it.
It’s too late now with so much invested in the technology, but personally I’d scrap it tomorrow.
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