It’s genuinely hard to be too critical of Dundee United this season.
Could one or two results have been better? Of course they could. Same goes for performances.
But in the main, most of what United have done has been pretty good.
Three points off the top of the table with a game in hand is not a bad place to be as the January transfer window opens.
Yes, it can be a tricky window in which to get good, long-term business done.
But given the quality Jim Goodwin has at his disposal already, he’s really only looking for one or two to come in and give the squad a wee boost.
They don’t need to be “the right age” or have resale potential or anything like that.
Can they come in and make a difference between now and May? If the answer is “yes” that’s all that matters.
I’m hopeful there might be one in the door by the time Friday’s trip to Inverness comes around.
Either way, in the aftermath of that defeat to Morton at the weekend, I suspect the United players could be in for a tough night in the Highland capital.
After all, Duncan Ferguson will be poring over the footage of that United performance for clues as to how his team could hurt their guests.
He might just find one in Morton’s physical approach.
For me, Dougie Imrie’s team came into that game with a mindset of trying to rough Dundee United up a bit.
On the day, they had some success.
If you look at the chances Morton created, they tended to come from direct balls on top of the United defence.
It continued the whole match – and yes there were refereeing decisions that went against United that Jim Goodwin was rightly upset about, but I can’t help but think Morton’s direct-ball-to-physical-striker approach could have been dealt with better and the avenue closed off earlier in the match.
If someone in tangerine had gone through a couple of those direct balls early in the match, left nothing for the striker, I think that changes the game.
Big Dunc, as a big, physical striker himself, will certainly have spotted that.
The positive is, however, that United haven’t usually been found wanting on the physical side when it’s been called for this season.
And I believe Jim Goodwin will make sure that if Inverness try their luck the same way Morton did, the response will be emphatic – no way through.
United have shown themselves capable of dictating games this season. Another strong showing on Friday would be just the ticket to put the pressure back on Raith Rovers.
After that, it’s about getting the crowd behind them and, hopefully with a couple of new boys in the side, racking up the wins.
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