Stuart’s Dundee United Season Review 18/19

And so another season of Scottish football has drawn to a close, and – as has become the standard – with that has come another dose of bitter disappointment for Dundee United fans.

Yes, once again we’ve failed to achieve promotion through the playoffs and for the fourth consecutive year we will be competing in the second tier of Scottish football.

But because I’m now so used to Dundee United disappointing me, I think I’m already over any heartache from yesterday’s pitiful penalty shootout defeat to St. Mirren and instead am now looking ahead to a new season where this time, I’m confident that maybe…just maybe…we can go all the way and win the league outright.

As Robbie Neilson said in his post-match interviews yesterday, the signs are there that Dundee United are finally moving in the right direction and with the bulk of next season’s squad already in place – unlike previous years where every summer has seen a massive rebuild – I think Arabs have every right to expect that this time we’re in with a better chance.

And it’s not just about us either; by the looks of things some of the other Championship sides will be operating on smaller budgets than this season and have lost – or potentially will lose – some of their best players. Now sure, we don’t know how they will recruit, but it’s not a stretch to imagine that Ayr United will be a weaker side and the likes of Inverness CT might still lose some of their better players.

Unlike previous seasons, there’s also no other team well placed to go on a good run or prove a surprise package. There isn’t a team spending the relative big bucks like Ross County, nor is there a full-time team coming up from League One who are used to winning and who can carry that into a new season like Livingston or Ayr.

As for Dundee? Well I’m not just saying this because they are our rivals – unlike some Dundee fans I know I’m not consumed by hatred of the team from across the street – but I think they might struggle. It’s certainly not unusual for the relegated team from the Premiership to take more than one summer to get over the feeling of negativity that comes with demotion, and Dundee unquestionably deserved to go down.

Like I say, we don’t know how teams will recruit so it’s daft to make absolute predictions, but at the very least things look positive for United.

What of this season though? Here’s how I rate the players and staff who were part of Dundee United in 2018/19 and if they are still part of the club, I’ll say if I think we should keep them or punt them.

The Playing Squad

The Goalkeepers

Benjamin Siegrist: The big Swiss keeper has had a solid end to the season with a string of good displays in the playoffs, but he’s also a player with the potential to make one major blunder in every game. Even in the away leg of the playoff semi-final a daft mistake where he left the goal open was lucky not to be punished by Inverness. He’s also murder in a penalty shootout. I would say he’s worth retaining but we definitely need another goalkeeper signed to challenge him. Score: 6/10

Matej Rakovan: An absolute haddie of a goalkeeper. Did he ever have a good game? One might ask why he was ever given a start ahead of Siegrist, but then you’ve got to remember who was the manager at the time. Score: 2/10.

Ross Laidlaw: The only time I saw him play was in a 7-0 reserve team victory against Dundee. He’ll return to Hibs and I doubt there’s even the remotest chance of him coming back. Score: n/a

The Centre Backs

Mark Reynolds: Anyone who watched the playoff games will hold their hands up and say he is far from the best when it comes to distribution, but as a defender, he’s more than good enough for the Scottish Championship and has brought some stability to a back line that has been shaky for a long time. Though a three year deal might be a bit much, having him signed up for next season is huge for us. Score: 8/10.

Mark Connolly: A lot of people consider him a bombscare, and yes, he made a crucial error yesterday and probably should have been sent off too, but in the 15 games he played, we only conceded 11 goals. It would be churlish not to give him some credit for that. He’s formed a solid partnership with Reynolds and together I have confidence they will do a good job next season. That being said, if we can sign a better centre back as first choice alongside Reynolds then he’d be a capable reserve option on the bench. Score: 7/10

Rachid Bouhenna: Though the Moroccan has primarily appeared at centre back this season, I think the playoffs showed he’s perhaps better deployed in midfield. In defence, he’s had some dodgy moments and he sometimes wants more time on the ball there than he is allowed to have. I’d say that with one more year left to run on his contract he’s a player worth keeping for the Championship. Had we been promoted though, I don’t think he’d have coped with the step up in quality. Score: 6/10

William Edjenguele: I think the fairest way to describe big Edje is that he is a limited player who is good enough to play in the Championship but is not good enough to play in a team that covets winning the Championship. Having already left the club, the question of whether to keep him is moot, but I think it’s worth looking back to his performances against Queen of the South and Ross County last November where he was a star player and was largely responsible for the shutouts. At the same time, he was also part of the defence that shipped five goals to Ayr the same month. I wish him well, but his time was up. Score: 4/10

Frederic Frans: I thought he’d be a good signing, but he really hasn’t been. In fact, I’d go as far as to say he’s been our worst centre back of the season. Though he made the bench in the Playoff matches, he’s one player who I’d like to see us part ways with in the summer. Not only does he lack ability, but he also lacks heart, which goes some way to explain why he was bombed out of the side before his injury. Score: 3/10

The Fullbacks

Callum Booth: I quite like Booth; he’s a decent defender and is probably the closest thing United have to a complete fullback. By that I mean he can both defend and attack…to an extent. Going into next season, there is no question that if Dundee United want to improve, a new left back is most definitely required. I would keep him as a backup, but I certainly wouldn’t be heartbroken if he was to find a new club. Score: 6/10

Paul Watson: For a signing that largely underwhelmed the fanbase, Watson has done alright as a defender and has even chipped in with some goals from set pieces, but he’s not a natural right back in terms of speed or attacking prowess and that has shown across the season. I don’t doubt for a moment that he’s got a good attitude but it’s the same issue as Booth; United need to move on from players of his standard if they want to improve. Score: 6/10

Charlie Seaman: Seaman is the opposite of Watson in that I thought he was pretty decent in an attacking sense but wasn’t a good defender. He might prove to be reasonable in the future but not with us. Score: 5/10

Stewart Murdoch: I’m going to be nice about it and say the same thing here as I said about Edjenguele. Murdoch as a utility player is good enough for the Championship, but nowhere near good enough for a team who wants to win it. Another player who was probably a decent pro, but didn’t have a winning attitude. He won’t be missed. Score: 3/10.

Centre Midfield

Calum Butcher: There’s always a risk that Calum Butcher will be sent off at any moment in a game, but he’s exactly the sort of player I want in my team. He’s got ability, he takes no prisoners and he’s been a massive improvement on what came before him. A sure fire starter next season. Score: 7/10.

Ian Harkes: Harkes is a tidy player and has got a good engine, but I can’t help but think he lacks a cutting edge; there’s just something missing with him. In the playoff games, he did practically nothing, and even though you might argue the defenders bypassed him by hoofing the ball upfield,  I want a central midfielder – especially one who is expected to be creative – to take hold of the game more. He needs to bulk up in the summer and be coached to go in harder and be braver in taking chances. There’s a player there, but at this moment in time, I think we need a better central midfielder to start alongside Butcher. Score: 6/10

Sam Stanton: Stanton is the sort of player who will look good on a YouTube highlight reel. The reality is though that he goes missing for large portions of games and is neither strong enough to be a good defensive minded midfielder nor creative enough to be a starting attacking central midfielder. And he’s hopeless out wide. Again, he’s good enough to play in the Championship but not to win it. Time to go, Sam. Score: 4/10

Christophe Rabbitsch: Now let me preface this by saying that I don’t think Rabbitsch is an especially good player or a player I want us to keep, because he’s not, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a United player more unfairly maligned for his performances relative to the players around him than the young Austrian. On the ball, he was murder – it was like he’d never kicked a football in his life – but off it, he would at least hassle the opposition into making mistakes and also make positive runs to move our play forward. Early in the season I spoke to some Next Opposition Analysts and Scouts hired by other clubs in the league who honestly thought he was one of our best players at the time. But people see what they want to see, and at the time people – the sort of people who accuse anyone who disagrees with them as “knowing nothing about futba” – saw a broken down and barely mobile Fraser Fyvie and a flattering to deceive Sam Stanton as vastly superior. I don’t agree with that. Like I say, I’m not saying Rabbitsch was a player – and considering he’s still employed by the club I hope we manage to offload him ASAP – but I do think he was slightly better at what he was supposed to do than some people gave him credit for. Score: 4/10.

Morgaro Gomis: Rolled back the years vs Montrose and then…people realised he was playing against Montrose. He’s finished at any reasonable level. Score: 3/10.

Fraser Fyvie: It’s a real shame, but the reality is that Fraser Fyvie is also finished. Much was expected of him when he made his return to the side, but you could see his legs were gone and he was also hesitant to go into challenges for fear of hurting himself again. He got by on reputation for a little bit in the eyes of some, but he shouldn’t have. I don’t think he had one good game this season. Score: 2/10.

Adam Barton: Adam Barton is potentially one of the worst players to ever play for Dundee United. Yes, he’s the sort of player who would be decent if he wasn’t actually playing against anyone, because he had reasonable control of the ball, but there’s more to football than that. He was disinterested, he had absolutely no fight in him and – as we saw in the away draw against Alloa – if a team set out to bully him then he would collapse like a house of cards in a hurricane. Incredibly he’s still under contract, so let’s hope that’s resolved fast. Score: 1/10.

Attacking Midfield

Paul McMullan: Our most improved player of the season. He still lacks the ability to pass or cross the ball with that much accuracy but it looks to me like he’s been coached to stick to his strengths. When he has the ball at his feet and just runs with it, he’s a terrifying prospect for Championship clubs to play against. I look forward to seeing him play next season. Score: 8/10.

Jamie Robson: I stand by my long-held belief that Jamie Robson is an awful left back. He’s improved in that area of the park slightly, but you can see when he plays there that teams clearly target him as the weak link in the side. Jamie Robson as a left winger though is a player I have a hell of a lot of time for. Playing further up the field, Robson is a throwback to the sort of winger you don’t really see anymore. He sticks to the line, he runs with the ball, he puts in the cross and he rarely seems to run out of energy. If he can keep improving in that position then he’d be a worthy addition to the squad for 19/20. Score: 7/10 (but 3/10 if judged as a defender)

Peter Pawlett: A recurring knee injury is the likely cause for this, but I don’t think we’ve seen anywhere near the best that Pawlett has to offer. He’s shown glimpses of it, but too often he’s just disappeared from games. He’s a player who will be part of the squad for next season and if he can improve I’m sure he’ll stake a claim for a regular first team place, but I wouldn’t be happy going into the season with just him and the two guys above. Score: 6/10

Cammy Smith: There’s a part of me that thinks Cammy Smith was signed by Neilson before he realised he was going to sign Peter Pawlett. Ironically, I think Cammy Smith was also signed by Ray McKinnon before he realised he was going to sign Tony Andreu. There’s no question that Smith did well for St. Mirren, so we know he’s good enough for this division, but at United…he just doesn’t seem to do the job. To be fair he has been struggling with injury in recent months so he could be a different player after a pre-season, but I’d be surprised if he turns out to be a quality signing. If there’s a chance to part with him, we should. Score: 5/10.

Fraser Aird: There’s no doubting his talent to cross a ball or to deliver a mean set-piece but Aird does not have the work rate or desire to be a useful player to a team fighting at either end of the table, as shown by his lack of appearances on loan for Queen of the South. One to punt to a team like Morton. Score: 5/10.

Aidan Nesbitt: Nesbitt is the classic Cathro-esque player. He’s got ability with the ball at his feet, but he’s one of these vague ‘Number 10’ types who doesn’t seem to fit into anything other than a very specific system. Out wide he looked like a fish out of water. Considering how highly he was regarded as a kid at Celtic, the 22-year-old is running out of time to make his mark on the game. It won’t be with us anyway. Score: 3/10.

Matty Smith: Sorry, but he just doesn’t have it; he offers nothing. He gets tarred with the brush of being a ‘youngster’ and yet he’s less than a year younger than Paul McMullan. I don’t think he’ll make it at United or as a full time professional. Let’s get him punted. Score: 3/10.

Yannick Loemba: Ah Yannick; the man the majority raved about initially because he posed for selfies. Here’s the thing; Yannick Loemba is not a bad footballer, but he is also not even remotely suited to playing Scottish football. In his appearances, he wanted far more time on the ball than opposition teams would allow and then he became flustered and clearly got into his own head. Like Darko Bodul, Loemba is probably a human highlight reel in training, but on the pitch in the Championship he was comically bad. Let’s hope he moves on ASAP. Score: 3/10.

Billy King: Shite. Score. 2/10

Logan Chalmers: Have not seen enough of him to judge, but I sense a Matty Smith 2.0 in the making. Score: n/a

Strikers

Paval Safranko: Time for me to put on my tin hat. I don’t think Pavol Safranko is as good as some of our fans make out. He has talent and his work rate is commendable but there have been so many games this season where he has not turned up. Look at the Playoff final as an example of this. When he came on at Tannadice, we lost any attacking threat because McKenzie bullied him. Yesterday he started and when he played up front he didn’t make a dent. People make excuses for him and say “Yeah but he was pushed out wide so he shouldn’t be judged on that”. But I am judging Safranko more harshly because to keep him, we’d have to pay a six-figure fee. Is he worth that? No, he’s not. I look at games like the 1-2 defeat to Queen of the South where he spurned a handful of clear cut chances, and the subsequent impact that had on our season. A team that covets the Championship title needs a player who will score more than the 12 league goals he managed (equal 4th top scorer in the league with Zak Rudden and behind Dobbie, Shankland and Mckay). Furthermore, he’s scored fewer league goals this season than Scott McDonald did last and Andreu did the year before. If he was our player I’d say I was happy to keep him but that we’d need another striker to get more goals. When he’s not our player and his price tag is into six figures, then I’m sorry, we could get someone better for cheaper. They might just not have a catchy song to go with them. Score: 7/10

Nicky Clark: Clark has shown himself to be a good goal poacher, but I don’t think he’s been deployed in the right part of the pitch to take advantage of that. Often playing in the Number 10 position, I haven’t seen enough skill on the ball to warrant him being a first choice player for next season. That being said, as a striker coming off the bench or as part of a 4-4-2 I’d definitely keep him. Score: 6/10.

Osman Sow: It’s clear that Sow is a divisive figure. When opinions of footballers are so often based on how they present themselves on the pitch, it’s little wonder that some supporters don’t rate him. He looks disinterested and his running style is unusual to say the least. When there’s a player like Safranko running himself into the ground in front of our eyes, then Osman Sow’s hands on hips style does not look good. But I think there’s a player in there. Despite his unusual style of control, he often manages to trap it (eventually) and then pass it on to a teammate to progress play. He’s also got pace and a strong shot. But here’s the thing; I am basing my opinion on Sow’s performances to some degree on the hope/expectation he will improve after a full pre-season. Because of that – and because he is contracted to us next season already – I’m aware I’m being as lenient to him as I am being harsh on Safranko. If however what we’ve seen so far from Sow is the best we’ll ever get, then he’s not good enough. Score: 5/10.

Craig Curran: Imagine signing him on a three-year deal? Imagine another club then taking over that contract? Jesus. Is it any wonder Dundee were relegated? Score: 2/10.

The Staff

The Managers

Robbie Neilson: The problem with judging how good the manager is is that you want to compare him to Steve Clarke. At Kilmarnock, Clarke took over a side that looked doomed to a relegation battle and improved the same group of players to the point where they finished top six. That was exceptional. But not every manager is that good, and so people will constantly look to the potential of there being someone else out there who could do the job Clarke has done. Robbie Neilson is not perfect; his tactics can be negative and rigid and some of his signings have failed to deliver. Beyond that, he was unable to improve the squad Csaba Laszlo assembled without a costly rebuild. But while he may not have a spotless record, he is good. He has improved some players, he’s identified weaknesses and he seems to be a popular man around Tannadice. While he has failed to get us promoted this time, I have confidence he will do it next time. Score: 7/10.

Csaba Laszlo: The unfortunate thing about Csaba Laszlo is that he seemed like a really nice guy and the sort of person you’d want to do well. But let’s be honest; he was absolutely hopeless. He was tactically unaware, he signed some awful players to absurd contracts and he could not get his message across to the side. If we had started the season with any other manager, I think we’d have been promoted. Score: 2/10

The Chairmen

Mark Ogren: Thanks to his investment and the people he has put in charge of running the club, Dundee United are most definitely on the up. There’s a feel-good factor around the club and it’s down to him and his regime. I’m happy and confident for now under his leadership. Score: 9/10

Mike Martin: The one positive thing you can say about Mike Martin is that he at least identified some problems that the club had. Ultimately though he made a number of other costly mistakes, including the nice-in-theory-but-unworkable-in-reality 30 mile limit for players. The biggest mistake though was that he couldn’t see that Laszlo should have gone at the end of season 17/18. That one decision undoubtedly cost us the league. Score: 2/10

So with all of that said, who should still be in the squad next season, who do we need to punt who hasn’t already gone and what areas do we need to improve?

Keep: Benjamin Siegrist, Mark Reynolds, Mark Connolly, Rachid Bouhenna, Calum Butcher, Ian Harkes, Paul McMullan, Jamie Robson, Peter Pawlett, Nicky Clarke, Osman Sow (but if he’s not showing more by August, he should be moved on)

Look To Replace (But keep if need be): Callum Booth, Paul Watson, Cammy Smith

Move On: Frederic Frans, Sam Stanton, Christophe Rabbitsch, Adam Barton, Fraser Aird, Matty Smith, Yannick Loemba

Don’t Sign: Ross Laidlaw, Charlie Seaman, Pavol Safranko

As always, all opinions are welcome. Let me know if you agree or disagree.

Football Manager Scottish Research Vacancies

So it’s time once again to start researching teams for the new Football Manager release. I’ve been inundated with requests from people for more information of what’s involved, what’s expected of you and what you get in return.

Therefore I’ve decided to write-up a little guide so you can decide if you fit the bill for any of the vacant position.

What’s The Job And What Do I Get For It?

The job is to offer your specialist knowledge of the club you support.

In 2018, basic knowledge for players and clubs is available for anyone who wants to look. I can pretty easily get a list of first team players at every SPFL club in the country, and so what I need from you is deeper than that.

Football Manager is renowned for having the most accurate data going, so we need people who are regular attendees at a club’s matches. We need you to tell us how composed the left back at Elgin City is, whether the central midfielder at Brechin City is a tough tackling bruiser or a slight, fast guy with an eye for a pass or which kids in the u20s are destined for greater things. The only way you’ll know that is if you’re a fan of the club and have been regularly watching them throughout the last season. If you’re not a fan of the club who regular attends games, there’s no point in applying.

On the same note, we need guys who can look at the club information and say “Hey, that guy is missing from the Club legend list” or “You’ve not got the reserve stadium set correctly” and also keep us up to date with transfers, contract renewals and non playing staff like coaches/physios/u20s staff.

It’s not a particularly time-consuming job – a few hours between now and September – and the reward for it is a free copy of FM and your name in the credits. As such, while we often get people offering to start going to games so that they could research a club, it wouldn’t be right or fair to expect you to do that. Besides, as I said earlier, when rating players for FM’s release, it’ll be largely based on how players have done in the past year. If you haven’t even started going to see a team play, you won’t be able to offer insight.

What Else Is Required From Me?

Apart from knowing your stuff about your club, there are a few other skills/requirements you’ll need as a researcher for Football Manager.

1. Basic IT Knowledge: Put simply, you need to be able to perform simple IT tasks like downloading the files, installing the editors, opening word documents to read instructions and the ability to use the bespoke software we provide. This might sound like the sort of thing everyone can do, but you’d be surprised. To be blunt, if you can’t do stuff like this there’s no point in applying.
2. Either a PC or Windows Mirroring Software: The editors don’t work on Macs unless you have software for it that can replicate Windows. We’ve got one or two researchers who go that extra mile to use the editors on their Macs but if you’ve no idea how you would go about sorting that, then unfortunately the research may not be for you.
3. Facebook: We use a private Facebook group for research discussion. Most people have Facebook and it works well because I can keep up with who has actually seen any important announcements etc. If you are – for whatever reason – not on Facebook and have no intention of getting a Facebook account then alas this is not the role for you.
4. Knowledge of Football Manager: It’s an obvious one, but to be a researcher, it does help to know, have played and understand Football Manager.
5. Deadline Keeping Skills: Though the workload is small and the time investment does not amount to much, you’re still doing an important job and so deadline keeping skills are vitally important. We can’t use your work if you don’t hand it in on time.
6. A Mature And Objective Outlook: Everyone looks at their club with rose tinted spectacles, but you’ve got to be balanced in how you rate your players.

What Clubs Are Currently Available To Research?

Right now, we’re looking for researchers for the following clubs.

Albion Rovers
Berwick Rangers
Brechin City
Cowdenbeath
Edinburgh City
Elgin City
Peterhead
Queen’s Park
Ross County
Stranraer

If the club you support is not on that list it means there’s someone already researching the club, but things can change and you should look out for any future vacancies om twitter at @sgmilne.

How Do I Apply

If after all that you’re still interested in helping out, email me at officialfmscotland@gmail.com specifying which club you feel you could research and why.

Eleven Questions Dundee United Fans Should Ask Themselves

You could say that it’s been a fun week to be a Dundee United fan.

Of course, whether you agree with that depends on your defining fun as witnessing civil war breaking out among the different factions of supporters, defamatory blogs being published and then rightfully retracted and accusations flying all over the place.

The reasons for Dundee United’s slump have been written about time and time again. The facts are that we’ve run at a loss for a long time and in spite of selling players for relatively lucrative fees, we’ve wasted a lot of that on failed management teams and dreadful recruitment. We’re now at the point where we’ve been relegated and are trying to claw our way back up on a reduced budget while the chairman – who admits he’s made mistakes – is open to offers to offload the club.

Everyone knows this and everyone has had their say on it. We all want change. Unfortunately for as long as Stephen Thompson remains at the club they want to have their say on it over and over again.

But it’s boring. It’s just going round in circles to the point where most of us have switched off.

I’ve lost count of the amount of fellow Arabs who have told me they’ve had enough of it.

So I thought I’d jot down a few questions that we can all ask ourselves – about the state we are in and what might happen in the future – and maybe it will curb some of the blind rage that’s going about.

Question 1: Do you feel that the constant negativity and abuse directed at the club and those in charge of it…

1. Encourages potential new investors to come forward
2. Discourages them because they might think if they fall out of favour they’d be the subject of abuse and a lack or privacy
3. Makes no difference one way or the other

Question 2: The received wisdom surrounding the club’s finances from those who claim to be in the know is that the club has very little in the way of cash-flow. If we assume that to be the case, do you think the best way to solve this problem is to…

1. Sell a player who is far from a first choice pick in our weakest area of the squad for money similar to what Dundee received for their top scorer and then potentially use some of that cash to strengthen.
2. Keep Harry Souttar and sign more players with money that we’ve just accepted is not there?

Question 3: Do you think it’s reasonable to be angry at the club for both operating at such a damaging loss and then not adding to that problem by spending even more money?

1. Yes
2. No

Question 4: What do you think the role of a football chairman is?

1. To run the club in a financially sensible way and potentially perform less effectively in the league.
2. Throw all his or her own money at it and hope for the best.

Question 5: If your answer to Question 4 was Option 2, would you think the same thing if it was your money?

1. No
2. Yes (but really, no)

Question 6: Do you agree with the statement “The sort of person rich and savvy enough to have the sort of money to be able to buy Dundee United is probably too rich and savvy to want to throw their money away owning a football club”

1. Yes
2. No; what about Eddie Thompson?

Question 7: If your ideal candidate for a new chairman is an Eddie Thompson type who – and let’s not forget how much debt he got the club into trying to achieve this – will happily throw his personal fortune at the club in the hope of buying success, don’t you think he or she would have tried to buy the club already?

1. Yes
2. No

Question 8: Do you think that it’s healthy to get so angry about the running of a football club?

1. Yes
2. No

Question 9: From the point of view of a fan, did Dundee United being relegated have any effect on your day to day life?

1. Yes
2. No

Question 10: Really?

1. Absolutely, my life has been turned upside down.
2. No

Question 11: Have you read all these questions and come to the conclusion that I must be some kind of Stephen Thompson apologist/stooge?

1. No, I think you’ve raised some reasonable issues.
2. Yes, you’re a prick and your blog is pish. Why don’t you stick to watching Dr Who you shitebag.

If you chose Option 2, then I guess you can resume sharpening your pitchforks…

Why Ryan Gauld’s Proposed Transfer To Sporting Lisbon Is A Good Thing

So it looks as though Dundee United starlet Ryan Gauld is set to complete a move to Sporting Lisbon for a fee of around £3m with the potential for more in add-ons.

The news has captured the imagination of Scottish Football fans across social media, and as you might expect, the reaction has been interesting and diverse.

While most observers seem to agree that it’s a good move for both the player and the club, there are some interesting viewpoints out there.

One United fan suggested that we shouldn’t sell him, but instead loan him out to a lower division side in Scotland to get first team experience.

Plenty of Aberdeen fans have amusingly suggested that if Gauld is worth £3m then Peter Pawlett must be worth at least £5m. I somehow don’t think a bid of that much is forthcoming…

Then you’ve got Dundee fans saying he’s rubbish, that they can’t understand why he’s going for so much and – knowing as they do more about United’s financial security than Stephen Thompson himself – that all the money would go to servicing debt.

And one punter – whose allegiances remain a mystery – suggested that he felt Gauld would be making a massive mistake going to Portugal ahead of “The Premier League” (that could either be England, from where no bids have been received, or Scotland where he currently plays) and that he was “throwing his career away”.

Of course, a lot of that is nonsense. A player is worth either what a club is willing to pay for him or the opportunity cost of that player leaving the club. That’s it; there’s no magic formula to it.

United and Sporting have agreed a deal, and for me it’s not only a terrific piece of business for both clubs in terms of value, but it’s also fantastic for the player himself and for Dundee United’s reputation.

Some Arabs remain unconvinced, as they think if we held onto him for another season, we could get higher offers.

I would ask those fans to consider this…

As good as he is, Ryan Gauld has had a poor run of form since January. There have been a number of theories put forward for why that is, including his obvious growth spurt, his turning 18 and discovering alcohol (which I really hope isn’t true), overconfidence or jadedness. I’d say mostly his form dipped because teams seemed to set out to stop him playing. They bullied him and marked him out of games. The sort of performances we saw from Gauld in the run up to Christmas are not 100% likely to happen again because of that.

If I was Gauld – who has said in the past that he sees his future on the continent rather than in the UK – I’d be thinking “If I’m going to reach my potential, I need to play in a league where I’ll have more time and space on the ball and won’t be an instant target for other clubs”.

Meanwhile, if I was Stephen Thompson, I’d be thinking “I know this guy is a huge prospect, but if he plays the whole of next season the way he played the latter half of last season, he won’t even attract bids of £500k let alone £5m”

So the time is right for a move.

Like I say above, it’s great for United’s reputation too. The club sells itself as a place where players can learn their craft, play in the first team and then move on to a higher level. Say United decided to reject the bid; how bad would that look to Gauld and any other player thinking of moving to Tannadice?

To lose a player of Gauld’s ability will be sad for the fans, but there are plenty more fish in the sea. We’ve still got a front four including Nadir Ciftci, GMS, Stuart Armstrong and Ryan Dow, and coming up to challenge them are the likes of Charlie Telfer, Blair Spittal, Aidan Connolly, Scott Smith and Scott Fraser, so the future is still bright as far as I’m concerned.

I wish Ryan Gauld all the best, and hope for himself, the Scottish National team and Scottish Football – for if his move is a success it might encourage more teams to spend big bucks on our players –  that he fulfils his undoubted potential. He’s got a great chance to do it, and I hope he grabs it with both hands.

 

 

Scottish Cup Final 2014: The One That’ll Go Down As A Damp Squib

Well that was a damp squib, wasn’t it?

In the lead-up to the Scottish Cup Final between Dundee United and St. Johnstone, I just didn’t feel as tense or excited as I had in the days and weeks before the 2005, 2008 (League Cup) and 2010 finals. Personally, I think that’s because I’d witnessed us winning the cup in 2010 and therefore was shed of my “Scottish Cup Trophy Virginity” (that’s something that every Dundee fan currently living still has, and probably will have 1o0 years from now, but that’s another story) having not been to the Cup Final of 1994.

Either way, I just didn’t feel as pumped up about it as I should have been.

While in 2010 I couldn’t even touch my breakfast, in 2014, it went down fine and I even went to work for a couple of hours before heading through.

But even when I was there, the whole thing seemed flat.

The Cup Final Display: Looks great on TV but takes away from the atmosphere inside the ground (Picture Courtesy of Ritchie Patton)

Why?

Well you could argue it was because of the performance, but I don’t think that’s valid. Oh sure, the game itself was a disappointment for Dundee United fans, as a mixture of great tactics for St. Johnstone, poor performances from some United players and a huge slice of bad luck came together to ensure a deserved St. Johnstone win, but it wasn’t like the United end was bouncing up until victory was out of our reach; it had been like that the whole time.

The entire Cup Final Experience was crap this time.

And I’d put that down to a few reasons.

1. Cup Finals Should Be At Hampden

I’m not sure why Hampden Park comes under as much criticism as it does. I like it, and always have. I get that the layout of the stadium means that some seats offer crap views, and I also get that it’s located in a stupid part of the world. Of course the National Stadium should be in an easy to reach, central location rather than hidden away in Glasgow in an area with limited parking and no sign posts to show people how to get there, but it is where it is.

For me, Hampden means you’re going to a special event.

Getting to Hampden to watch your team means that they have achieved something (assuming they aren’t playing Queen’s Park of course).

So to have the final at Celtic Park – a stadium that you can go to watch your team play once or twice a season – didn’t feel quite so special.

Instead, it just felt like any other game.

Moreover, it meant there were less people in the centre of Glasgow. I parked in the Buchanan Galleries like I usually do, and walked to Central Station to get a train to the ground. Normally there are hundreds of fans milling about in club colours, excited for the big kickoff. Not on Saturday. On Saturday, I walked through the city centre as the only person wearing obvious club colours. Decked out in Tangerine – or Safety Orange to be precise – I looked and felt like a right dick.

It only got worse on the way back to the car too!

2. Terrible Event Planning

But even if you allow for the game to be at a different venue and the related issues, that doesn’t excuse the lack of build up and atmosphere in the ground on the day.

So who’s to blame for that?

I would say mainly the SFA.

As far as the SFA goes, whoever was in charge of the tannoy should have been playing some club related tunes in the build-up to kick off. Like every time I’ve been to Hampden for Finals or Semi-Finals, there should have been a rendition of Love is in the Air to get the United fans going, and some airtime for whatever song the St. Johnstone fans sing.

That gets people up for it; it gets them excited and in the mood, and it gets the people who are only there for the day – the non-fans who go to Cup Finals only – feeling part of an occasion. My strongest memory of the 2010 final was  the singing before the game; it was electric and it got the hairs on the back of your neck standing up.

But there was none of that. So the call to action was gone.

I had some words with a few Celtic fans on Twitter who were angry that I’d dared to suggest that there was a lack of atmosphere in Celtic Park, because there apparently always is on big games for them. But you’ve got to remember that before kick-off, they play the Celtic songs. People don’t just randomly start singing You’ll Never Walk Alone in unison.

Tunes play a big part in atmosphere; there’s just no doubt about it.

But even beyond that, there were other niggles too. Some fans couldn’t get in to the stadium for 45 minutes after they arrived because of turnstile issues, while the Main Stand only had one employee at times manning the concessions stand. That might seem trivial, but when people disappear for 25 minutes of a Cup Final because of the length of time it takes the staff to serve pies, then it’s going to dampen the mood.

3. The Display

Now this is a controversial one, but I think there’s merit in what I’m saying here.

Don’t get me wrong; I think the amount of work that went in to making that display on Cup Final Day – from the people who raised the money for it, to the guy who designed it to the dozens of helpers who went along on the Friday to painstakingly put each card by the correct seat – was top class. Everyone involved should be proud of their efforts.

But the thing is, if people are too busy holding up a piece of paper to generate an audible atmosphere right before kick-off, then it affects the occasion. And I think it did on Saturday.

It also doesn’t do anything for the fanbase, because they can’t actually see what the display looks like at the time, and with the best will in the world, if that is the difference between a player being motivated to play well or not, then that player needs to get a grip.

4. The Weather

It might seem a small thing, but a Cup Final on a day with crappy weather is not as good as one on a gloriously sunny day. I’ve been to enough of them to feel the difference.

Would It Have Been Different If We’d Won?

You might read this and think this is just sour grapes from a guy who went to Glasgow to see his team lose the Cup Final.

I can understand that, but I can assure you it’s not true.

I’ve got no problem with St. Johnstone winning the cup and am pleased for their fans. If it had been any other team – especially Aberdeen. Dundee or the Old Firm – I wouldn’t be happy at all, but I don’t mind our local rivals and think it’s good that they’ve won a major trophy for the first time.

Yes, I’d have been happier if United had won, but my sense of deflation was there long before we lost.

It just didn’t feel like a cup final, and reading what people have been saying online about it, I don’t think I’m alone in feeling that way.

So roll on next season and Hampden being back in play.

Hopefully we’ll be back there again, and we’ll leave victorious!

Five Ways To Potentially Improve The Scotland National Team

As the dust settles on another miserable failure of an International Week for Scotland, people are up in arms.

“I thought things would improve under Gordon Strachan!” was the cry from the average naive Scotland fan who had pinned all the blame for our previous performances on former manager, Craig Levein.

And while Levein could easily be blamed for some of his tactical and team selection decisions, we shouldn’t kid ourselves to think replacing him with someone else would suddenly make things a lot better; especially if he doesn’t actually change anything.

The last two games have felt worse than anything under Levein. Rather than it being the case that you felt individual decisions from the manager (like 4-6-0) might have cost us dearly, the performance level against Wales and Serbia was just appalling, and the blame for that must be shared between manager and players, as it should have been under Levein.

After the match, the inquest began, with the pundits on Radio Scotland asking if Scotland simply had rubbish players and questioning in all seriousness whether or not we are on a par with the likes of San Marino and Andorra.

Now maybe I’m an optimist but I think that is knee-jerk nonsense.

For a start, we are unfortunate to be in probably the strongest group overall, with our lowest seeded team being Wales, and while we have suffered the indignity of being the first team eliminated from qualifying, that has more to do with how far

Good player he may be, but Shaun Maloney just doesn’t do it for Scotland

ahead Belgium & Croatia are rather than how far behind we are. There are eight teams on equal or fewer points than us in the other groups.

That shouldn’t detract from what has been a terrible campaign though. Changes have to be made, and while there is certainly no quick fix solution to Scotland’s problems, I could identify five easy ways things might improve for us in the future.

1. Only Call Up Players Who Are Actually Playing For Their Club Sides

In the wake of the defeat to Serbia, Gordon Strachan mentioned that neither Steven Whittaker nor Charlie Adam had played much football for their club sides lately, and in a way used it as a bit of an excuse.

Sorry Gordon, you – like a number of your predecessors – should know that a footballer who isn’t match sharp goes into a game with a disadvantage. You called Whittaker up knowing he hadn’t played for a while, and you did it at the expense of plenty of other players who turn out for their clubs week in week out.

I’m aware that the incentive to play International Football isn’t as strong as it once was for players, but Strachan should make it clear to his troops that if they aren’t getting a game for their club side, they can’t expect to play for the National Team.

 2. Stop Calling Up Players Based On Who They Play For

This is a similar issue, but it’s been the case for near on 15 years that a player seems to only have to register for an English club to get a call-up.

Ricky Foster played in the SPL for 10 years and yet one month after moving to Bristol City he got the Scotland call-up. We all laughed, because he obviously wasn’t a better player in a month, but behind the laughter is a real problem.

The same thing happened with Paul Dixon. Following his move to Huddersfield he got the call-up and was man of the match on his debut. He was just as good while at Dundee United.

There’s a belief that playing in England suddenly means you are more worthy, and yet as many managers will claim, there are plenty of SPL players capable of doing well down there.

The Scotland manager shouldn’t be afraid of picking SPL players and giving them a chance. What they don’t seem to realise is that if they do, the player might end up getting a move to the Holy Land of Football as a result.

In form Griffiths should have been in the Scotland squad

3. Select Players Who Are On Form

I appreciate he has a charge hanging over his head, and I know he’s not the most popular figure, but Leigh Griffiths should have been in that last Scotland squad.

Call-ups for the international team should be made on merit, and merit comes in the form of how well a player has been performing recently.

Much like match sharpness, a footballer’s confidence can determine how well he plays. If he’s at the top of his game, it might be that he’s a better candidate that a supposed better player experiencing a bad run of form.

4. Judge Your Current Players By How Well They Are Performing For Scotland

In the wake of the Serbia game, Steven Naismith said that the players were all fighting for their Scotland futures.

I’d love to believe that was true, but I doubt it.

Take Shaun Maloney for example. We all know he’s a good player and has done well for Wigan, but when have you ever seen him play a particularly good game for Scotland? I know he’s scored one goal in near on 30 appearances for Scotland since 2005, but how many assists has he got? What does he actually contribute to the Scotland team?

And yet time and time again he gets the call ahead of players who might be less skilled overall, but could be more effective.

It’s not just Maloney either. The likes of James McArthur, Graeme Dorrans and Charlie Adam just don’t seem to ever do it in Dark Blue, while Alan Hutton and Kenny Miller haven’t performed for us for years.

Miller Time is at an end

Yet these guys are certainties for inclusion every time, and they get in at the expense of other players who might be effective.

5. Stop Trying To Fit Square Pegs Into Round Holes

All too often, the manager – whether it’s Levein, Burley or now Strachan – chooses to pick a system first and then try to fit his players into it.

That’s something I strongly disagree with.

By all means come up with a system, but once you’ve got that system, pick the right players for it. And sometimes that means leaving out one or two of your strongest 11.

Look at the set-up we had against Wales.

That midfield was appalling. They displayed no willingness to take the initiative, no fighting spirit (unless you count Robert Snodgrass’s lunging tackles as fight) and no work rate.

A team needs someone to take the bull by the horns. Scott Brown does it very well, but if he’s not there, you can’t just say “Ach well, James McArthur and Graeme Dorrans will do”, because all the evidence suggests that they won’t.

Let’s Move Forward

Some might say these ideas are too sensible for a football manager to consider, but I think they are a must for Scotland going forward.

The old way just doesn’t work.

Let’s try something different.

Agree or Disagree? Get Involved In the Debate!

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What Has Become Of The Great Scottish Centre Back?

In the wake of Scotland’s 2-1 defeat to Wales at Hampden last week, a number of questions have been raised about our national team and changes that could be made to improve it in the future.

While I wouldn’t put much of the blame on centre back pairing Gary Caldwell and Grant Hanley for the defeat – even though they were caught woefully short for Wales’ winning goal – the heart of the Scottish defence is seen by many as a problem.

Indeed, in the wake of that defeat, football fans and writers alike have been wondering what has become of the once mighty Scottish centre back?

In the 80s we had players of the calibre of Alex McLeish, Willie Miller, Paul Hegarty, David Narey and Alan Hansen challenging for the position, while the 90s saw the likes of Colin Hendry, Colin Calderwood, Richard Gough and Dave McPherson play at the heart of the defence during World Cups and European Championships.

Through the naughties, guys like Steven Pressley and David Weir would often play there for us, and while they weren’t exactly world beaters, I’m sure most Scottish fans would love to have them in their prime kicking about the squad these days.

Oh for a player of David Narey’s quality in the current Scotland squad

Because while the centre back position used to be a strong point for Scotland, it’s now the area where we lack the most depth by some distance.

Now, in 2013, our centre backs include Gary Caldwell, Grant Hanley, Danny Wilson, Andy Webster, Charlie Mulgrew and Christophe Berra.

Let’s be honest; these guys are not exactly world beaters. Gary Caldwell is probably the best of the bunch and an alarming number of fans want him dropped. Hanley and Wilson both have potential, but have only played a paltry 88 senior games between them at club level. Webster and Berra don’t fill anyone with confidence when they pull on the dark blue shirt, while Charlie Mulgrew is more a jack of all trades rather than a specialist centre back.

You could see Hanley and Wilson being our first choice pairing for the future if they get regular game time, but who else is there? Who can Scotland call upon in the future?

As the Head of Scottish Research for the Football Manager series of games, I have – I hope – a decent grasp on who is coming through for Scotland and who is available to us now that we might have overlooked (after all, Football Manager had Liam Bridcutt playing for Scotland well before Mark McGhee supposedly ‘discovered’ him) thanks to our extensive database.

The Current Candidates

According to our database, two of the top four centre backs with Scotland as a first or second nationality have sadly already chosen to play for other countries.

While I doubt we were ever in with a chance of landing Liverpool’s 6″5′ Uruguayan – Sebastian Coates – he was at one point eligible thanks to his Scottish father.

Conversely, we did have a shot at securing Reading centre back Alex Pearce, an English-born player with two Scottish parents. Sadly, despite playing for us at Under-19 and Under-21 level, he switched his allegiances to Ireland – who he

qualifies for through the grandparent rule – because he didn’t see a full international call-up from us to be forthcoming. That seems fairly short sighted by the SFA.

Beyond those two, if we wanted to bring in an experienced player tomorrow to bolster the squad, our options would be limited to…

Gordon Greer:

The former Kilmarnock player has enjoyed a relatively successful career in the lower leagues of England and has now shown his quality as the captain of Brighton & Hove Albion in the English Championship.

At 32, International Football may have passed Gordon Greer by

Some might say that at the age of 32 he’s not the sort of player we should be bringing in uncapped, but if he displays leadership skills and knows what direction to clear the ball in, he’s better than some options.

Martin Cranie

Having played for England from Under 17 to Under 21 level, Martin Cranie might not be a popular choice to play for Scotland among some fans, but once upon a time the former Southampton and Coventry player was called up to the Scotland

U-17 squad.

Now a regular at  Barnsley, the 6 foot centre back has started 28 games in the Championship this season.

Kirk Broad….Let’s not go there

Scott Boyd

An unfashionable choice playing in an unfashionable team he may be, but Scott Boyd has been a rock at the heart of a Ross County defence that has done astonishingly well in the SPL this season.

Boyd stands out  because there are so few Scottish alternatives playing in the SPL right now. Clubs like Dundee United, Caley Thistle, Motherwell, Kilmarnock and Celtic play non Scots in that position most of the time, while the likes of Russell Anderson of Aberdeen are too old, and Brian McLean & James McPake aren’t even considered good enough to regularly play for Northern Ireland.

Put it this way; if Garry Kenneth can get a call-up then anything’s possible.

Emilio MacEachen

Here’s a wildcard for you; Emilio MacEachen is a Uruguayan born player – just like Coates – who has moved to Serie A to play for Parma at the age of 20.

I recently had a meeting with an SFA Performance Scout who admitted that the level of scouting done by the SFA isn’t exactly top-notch at the best of times, so here’s a player they might not know about.

Admittedly I don’t know a huge amount about him either, but that’s not the point!

Players For The Future

Worryingly for Scotland, there don’t seem to be many young centre backs playing regular or even semi regular football for their clubs.

The current Under-21 side lines up with Kevin McHattie, Lewis Toshney or Fraser Kerr at the centre of defence, and while they have had exposure to first team football this season, McHattie has played almost exclusively at left back for Hearts, Toshney has only just made the transition to centre back for Dundee and Kerr has barely featured for Motherwell since the turn of the year.

Out of all the young players, the most promising of the lot might be John Souttar of Dundee United. I don’t just say that as a Dundee United fan, and I’m actually editing this article to amend what I wrote about him when it was first published. At 16, Souttar has forced his way into the Dundee United first team and has been arguably our top defensive performer over the last 3 months. This is one player who could make a splash.

Looking beyond them, Murray Wallace of Huddersfield could have a bright future, while promising players like Marcus Fraser and Stuart Findlay of Celtic and Mark O’Hara of Kilmarnock are either too young or inexperienced for us to know for sure whether they could make it or not, and it’s often the case that young players are moved out to full back when they do make the transition.

Whether or not a player makes it at first team level and fulfils his potential largely depends on attitude, but for centre backs, size also matters. If a young player doesn’t fill out or grow tall enough, he might not have a future in the heart of

We’ll probably be stuck with Gary Caldwell for a few years yet

defence. It’s always a potential risk.

So Is It Something To Be Worried About?

When you compare the amount of young and talented Scottish midfielders and attackers coming through the ranks of clubs both north and south of the border to the number of centre backs doing the same, it’s a real worry.

As a Scotland fan, I’d be confident that if we punted Charlie Adam, Kenny Miller or Shaun Maloney from the national side tomorrow, there would be a number of similar or potentially better players waiting in the wings to take their place. You’ve only got to look at the Tannadice trio of Johnny Russell, Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay Steven to know that there are quality young players out there. And there are plenty more at U-17 to U-19 level too.

But the centre back position is a worry. If you replaced any of the current defenders with the alternatives I’ve suggested, you wouldn’t be guaranteed a better standard of player by any stretch, and there don’t seem to be many young guys out there even remotely ready to replace them.

It seems as though we’ll be asking what has become of the Great Scottish Centre Back for a few more years yet.

Until then, there’s always Gary Caldwell.

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Stuart’s Week In Entertainment March 12-18 (More Friday Night Lights, Celtic vs Kilmarnock, Fifa Street and United vs Rangers)

TV

As you might have guessed, I finished off Friday Night Lights last week. What a show.

Anyone who follows me on twitter (@sgmilne by the way) will have seen that I commented that the show came to a ‘well put together and satisfying conclusion’,and I stick by that, though having reflected on it a bit I have a few issues

which I have written in white text below, so as to avoid spoiling it for anyone who hasn’t seen the series end.

Highlight to read…

My issues with how the season ended were that they just seemed to drop a few of the storylines along the way, including  the one with Epic and the also the one with the ginger haired slut. Yes, these formed part of the whole Tami Taylor getting a new job thread, but still, both characters just ended up being dropped without a satisfying conclusion to their story arcs

I also understand that when shows come to an end, the writers like to bring characters back in for the finish, but I didn’t like the way they used Tyra Collette in the last couple of episodes. Why was she all of a sudden back in love with Tim Riggins and vice versa? For two and half seasons they pushed her complicated relationship with Landry yet in the final episode she announces that she’s been in love with Tim since she was 5. It didn’t really wash with me.

And speaking of Landry, while his appearances in the final season were realistic – the first episode has him leaving town and the last episode shows him back for Christmas – his appearance in that last episode seemed very much like an afterthought.

Those are minor issues though. It’s still a brilliant show and it finished on a high with that wonderful final montage.

As I say, even if you’re not into sports, it’s a show worth watching.

Abed & Troy strive to be 'Normal People' in last week's episode of Community.

Other than that, it’s time to get out the party poppers because Community is back! Huzzah!

This week saw a tremendous return for the show. Having recently gone back and watched some of the episodes leading up to it being put on hiatus, they maybe didn’t live up to the high standard set in Season 2 (specifically the episode where they make a new commercial for the College, which started well but ended poorly). The return episode, with Troy & Abed trying to be ‘normal’ for Shirley’s wedding was top quality, laugh out loud stuff.

I don’t know how many episodes will air between now and the end of the season but let’s hope it’s a full run.

I also watched Drive this week, and you can find my review of that here

Football

With all the hoo-ha surrounding Rangers and their troubles off the park, everyone has had their say on how Scottish football would survive. This is something I feel strongly about and will probably write about more in the coming days, but one thing I want to mention here and now is that people often say that one of the bad things about an SPL without Rangers would be that it would feel less special. I heard Tam Cowan say on the radio that there’s no better feeling than beating one of the Old Firm.

Up until recently I would have agreed on that. Both Rangers & Celtic are a scalp to defeat. When United knocked Rangers out of the cup a mere month or so ago, it was exhilarating for all United fans. But on Saturday I wasn’t remotely fussed about the victory in the game between Dundee United & Rangers. Rangers are currently a shell of the team they once were, and that’s with them retaining most of their staff. Yes, a victory is always nice, but playing against that Rangers team, I expected a win and my expectations were not let down. Dundee United won that dreary game without even playing well, which is not something you can usually say about a victory over the Glasgow giants.

With their young team -and incidentally, their team isn’t that young compared to Dundee United, it’s just that the younger players never get a chance at Ibroxand so they have no experience playing regular first team football – Rangers

Well done to Kilmarnock on their victory in the Scottish League Cup Final

are no longer a scalp, and so victory against them is currently no more or less special than a victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle in my opinion.

Contrast that with yesterday’s League Cup Final between Celtic & Kilmarnock.

I’m not even a Kilmarnock fan but as a fully paid up member of The Alliance of Diddy Team Fans, I was thrilled for them when they beat Celtic. And they deserved their victory too. Yes, there was the penalty decision that went against Celtic, and I’m sure if the roles were reversed I would probably be screaming for a United penalty, but as a football fan I reserve the right to be a hypocrite. There is no evidence that the player was touched and if the ref didn’t see contact then he can’t give it.

Naturally, what followed on from there was Neil Lennon reverting to his ‘The Decisions Are Against Us’ patter. Lennon is fine when his team are doing well, but a more ungracious man in defeat you are unlikely to ever meet.

“I wouldn’t say they deserved it” is what he said in his post match victory

I’m sorry Mr Lennon, but they scored and you didn’t. They won and you lost. In his analysis after the game, Craig Levein said that the superb defending on the part of Kilmarnock is a sign of good play from them more than it was bad play from Celtic. Many football fans fail to see that.

Sadly, the game ended on a sombre note with the news that the father of one of the Kilmarnock players had a heart attack just after the final whistle and passed away as a result. I can’t imagine how Liam Kelly must feel and like everyone else would offer my sincerest condolences.

As a final comment on football, people in Scotland often criticise the quality of the product on display, but the last ten minutes of that game were as exciting as football gets. But that’s the point – you can see exciting football anywhere, regardless of the supposed standard of the participants. I’ve watched plenty of ‘big’ matches in England and Europe that have been dreadful, but people don’t really dwell on that. Up here in Scotland we piss on our own chips, telling ourselves that our game is of a poor standard and lauding a product down south that regularly presents football that is dreary in the extreme.

Next week I’ll be at Reading vs Blackpool so I’ll endeavour to make comparisons in the next edition of W.I.E.

Games

My love of Friday Night Lights has seen me press on with Madden NFL 11 on the 360. Sadly, watching Smash Williams terrorising opposition defences has ill prepared me for this game. My attempts at running plays usually end within two seconds. I was mainly playing against a friend of mine, but I imagine if I played against someone who knew what they were doing, I’d be pummelled.

The other game I’ve been playing (as I haven’t got back to Mass Effect 3 yet) is FIFA Street for the 360. It adapts the normal FIFA match engine to work with a variety of Indoor and ‘Street’ football formats. While there is a certain amount of reliance on tricks, and is therefore quite different from any game of five-a-side football I’ve ever played in, it’s a fun and easy game to pick up. My brother is not a football fan in the slightest and is regularly beaten when he tries to play FIFA 12 because he doesn’t appreciate where and when to make passes or how to defend situations. FIFA Street eliminates that and offers a competitive and easy to understand version of the sport for anyone to play.

If only there was a street version of Madden available in the UK!