Stevie May will have been mentioned on a few training pitches this week.
For us coaches, he’s the new patron saint of chasing down lost causes!
Before I get on to the Mark Birighitti calamity, it’s only right that May gets the credit he deserves.
There’s no point pressing just for the sake of it.
He sensed there was an opportunity – and probably knew that the pass-back wasn’t a great one – and he committed to his sprint.
As soon as the first touch of the goalkeeper wasn’t a good one, he’ll have known there was a real chance for him.
From a Dundee United point of view, there’s a chain of errors.
For starters, there’s a time and place to play it out from the back and just after equalising in such a crucial game certainly isn’t it.
Charlie Mulgrew shouldn’t be showing for it.
A goalie wants a defender at an angle if he’s playing out from the back.
The only thing can Charlie can do when he’s in a straight line is play it back.
But it’s careless to not roll the ball to Birighitti’s favoured side though.
The rest is obviously all on the keeper.
Determination ✅
2nd of the match ⚽️⚽️
Derby winner 😮💨
Behind the goal footage 🤩@Stevie__may 💙Enjoy 🤝 #SJFC | @spfl | Chris Logan 📷 pic.twitter.com/MqtMYQBsFk
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) February 20, 2023
This was one of the worst examples I can think of but we’ve all been there to an extent – mine was a heavy touch in the snow at Pittodrie.
Watching the Liverpool v Real Madrid game might have made Birighitti feel a bit better.
Two of the best in the world had their own nightmare moments.
I’d probably say that there’s nobody out there who is better with the ball at his feet than Alisson Becker.
The pass back he got from Joe Gomez wasn’t the cleanest but he chose the wrong option, plain and simple.
You know for a fact Jurgen Klopp won’t change his tactics of using Alisson as an extra outfield player.
It’s a bit different for United.
And the first thing will be – does Birighitti start against Ross County and does he even want to?
Dundee are still my tip to win the Championship but they are making heavy going of it.
Like last season, nobody has been able to pull away at the top.
Paul McGowan has been a huge player down the years – on and off the pitch – and letting him go on loan to Dunfermline is a risk.
Paul McGowan has joined Dunfermline on loan until the end of the season #thedee https://t.co/lhT4pt2D4f
— Dundee Football Club (@DundeeFC) February 21, 2023
It’s not something I expected but Gary Bowyer brought in a lot of players near the end of the transfer window and he’s going to have to use them.
It will be interesting to see if he turns to another fans’ favourite, Shaun Byrne, again.
I still think he’s got a lot to offer in Dundee’s title push.
Nobody at Gayfield will be panicking at the sight of Arbroath slipping to the bottom of the table.
I thought we were much more like ourselves in the second half at Cove and it was crucial that we took something from that game.
There are encouraging signs and you can never doubt the battling qualities of our boys.
We’ve got players who were signed in January and are still bedding themselves in.
I’m sure it will go to the wire at both ends of the table.
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