Fans will get the chance to salute Dundee United’s greatest-ever team on Saturday night when members of the 1983 title-winning side gather for a special reunion at the Whitehall Theatre.
Greats like Paul Hegarty, Maurice Malpas, Paul Sturrock, John Holt and Eamonn Bannon will be on stage to mark the 35th anniversary of the Tangerines becoming Scottish champions.
There will be a few absentees, most notably Ralph Milne who passed away in 2015.
And, as well as remembering the man whose goal at Dens Park clinched the league flag, legend John Holt plans to give a nod to others who were not members of the ’83 squad, but without whose influence, he believes, the title might never have been won.
“It will be great to get together with the boys again, although we were always a tight-knit group and, because of that, most of us are still in touch and see each other,” said Holti
“It was a great team to be part of and there were some special players in it but I think all of us would agree some of those who went before us at United also played their part in our success, even if they’d finished playing or moved on by the time we won the league.
“When I joined up at Tannadice as a kid in the 70s, you had people like George Fleming, Andy Rolland, Pat Gardner and Archie Knox in the team and they were great guys to learn from.
“Wattie Smith played a big part in winning the league because he was coach by then but he was another who was playing for United when I was first there and he passed a lot on even back then.
“For me, George Fleming was a big influence because he was a midfielder. When I first broke into the team he would keep me right and was always talking to me during games.
“If you weren’t where you were supposed to be or did something wrong, he’d let you know in no uncertain terms. But the great thing about George, Andy Rolland and these other older guys was when you did something well they’d let you know you’d done well.”
These days John hardly misses a United home game and this season has seen him take in quite a few on the road as well.
He’s delighted by the turnaround in the team’s fortunes under new boss Robbie Neilson, not just because he remains a fan but due to it meaning the fans turning up on Saturday are likely to get in the spirit of the night a lot quicker.
“We’ve had a few reunions down the years and they are always easier at the beginning if the team at the time is going well.
“If they are going through a rough patch then the fans tend to look back at our era and get depressed! Seriously, at times like that things do take a bit longer to get going.
“That shouldn’t be a problem on Saturday because they are looking good under Robbie. As well as the games at Tannadice, I’ve seen them down at Partick and Dunfermline and they impressed me.
“And Saturday’s win up at Ross County could be a big result. It’s never easy up there but to go and get a clean sheet and come back with three points was encouraging.
“He’s got them playing some decent football and they look very strong defensively.
“For me, that’s a big, big thing in a league like the Championship.
“The players seem to be buying into what he’s trying to do and the fans are as well.
“Home and away the support has jumped up in numbers since Robbie took over and that’s always a good sign.”
An Evening with the Tangerine Terrors kicks off at 7pm and some tickets are still available from dundeebox.co.uk.
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