A whole lot has changed for Dundee United since my last column.
Last week, like many Arabs, I was riding the high of the 1-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar at Tannadice.
Fast forward seven days and the Tangerines have hit the lowest ebb I can remember in a long time.
It was hard not to be impressed by the first leg victory over AZ.
But that’s probably what makes the three performances since so hard to stomach.
Losing to Livingston was probably understandable last weekend.
But we couldn’t have expected the kind of dreadful display put on in the Netherlands on Thursday.
Had it been a lucky win, backs to the wall and scraping a winner in the first leg then maybe so but it was anything but that at Tannadice.
Out the window
Over the past few seasons, United have been pretty much rock solid in defence.
But that’s all been thrown out the window in two sets of 90 minutes.
And that will be worrying for manager Jack Ross.
He will be screaming out for a clean sheet this coming weekend against St Mirren.
Away to Tynecastle just a few days after the chastening night in Alkmaar wouldn’t have been a game Ross would have picked, far from it.
And they looked tired at Hearts on Sunday, you could see it in the goals conceded.
This week, though, there is a chance to reset.
An opportunity to recharge the players and for the manager to get a bit of belief back in them.
Because there haven’t been many changes in personnel from the United team that was so strong defensively last term.
A new goalkeeper in Mark Birighitti and Aziz Behich has come in at left-back while Craig Sibbald has come in to the midfield.
So knowledge of how to defend properly should definitely still be in there.
Doing the opposite
Before, United would be criticised for not getting the balance correct between good defence and scoring goals.
They have added more goal threat in the transfer window but right now the opposite is happening, they are too easy to score against.
But I’m wary of going overboard over two games, three days apart.
I’ll be much more concerned if we see more of the same next weekend at home to St Mirren.
Suddenly that game looks huge because it’s followed by a match against Celtic.
Make or break
Fail to pick up a win against the Buddies and the pressure will ramp right up.
I know fans aren’t happy right now but just imagine what level that frustration will be at if they only have one or two points after five games.
It’s probably not too much to say this clash with St Mirren could make or break the season.
United certainly need three points on the board just to settle everything down.
It was embarrassing in Alkmaar but United have to show it was just a blip.
The only way to do that is to win this weekend.
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