Dundee United exited the Scottish Cup with a whimper on Saturday.
Kyle Vassell headed home the only goal of a forgettable 1-0 win for Kilmarnock and, while the Tangerines hit the bar twice through Liam Smith and Aziz Behich, United’s performance was poor.
The Terrors will now turn their attentions back to their fight for Premiership survival.
Courier Sport was at Tannadice to analyse the action.
A shot across the bows
Given he is ordinarily circumspect and calm — in his public-facing media duties, if not always behind closed doors — Liam Fox’s post-match words were pointed.
A performance lacking “in personality and bravery”.
No lamenting of individual errors, misfortune, refereeing decisions or singular moments.
He was asking bigger questions.
Do the United players have the gumption and gall for this relegation fight? To take the risk when it matters? To play the killer pass? To block out the pressure at the bottom of the Premiership?
As a microcosm: United have conceded the opening goal in 16 games this season. They have gone on to lose 15 of those matches.
There is talent in that dressing room. Supporters understandably get sick of hearing that while watching their team lose — totally understandable. But there is.
But character and courage are going to be key in the next few weeks.
Should Loick Ayina have still been on the pitch?
Loick Ayina played well on Saturday. For 78 minutes.
The French teenager was aggressive, sharp into tackles and even sought to confidently burst forward on a couple of occasions. The on-loan Huddersfield kid looks like an archetypal wide centre-back in a three.
However, there is no getting away from the fact he also looked like a red card waiting to happen after the break.
Ayina’s first-half challenge on Brad Lyons — which brought about his first caution — was in that fraught middle-ground between yellow and red. Had VAR been in place, he may not have made it to the interval.
Another sliding tackle would have resulted in a penalty if he had been a split-second late; it was a bold decision to go to ground.
And, as United chased the game after the break, Ayina was getting very tight and handsy with Vassell. You could see a second booking coming. And it duly did.
To suggest Fox should have taken Ayina off (moving Liam Smith to right centre-back and bringing on Kieran Freeman would have been a perfectly viable move) is easy in hindsight, but his dismissal came as little shock.
That being said, clearly the player must make better decisions.
Nevertheless, Ayina’s suspension only applies to the Scottish Cup, meaning he could face St Johnstone next week. And, providing he learned his harsh lesson against Killie, there is no reason he should not be in contention. He showcased some very useful attributes.
Kilmarnock mental boost
It was a point raised by United midfielder Arnaud Djoum prior to Saturday’s match.
Perhaps a victory over Killie would give the Tangerines a psychological advantage going into the final weeks of the campaign; an opportunity to showcase superiority over a relegation rival.
Which begs the question: do Killie now have that same advantage?
United lost 1-0 to the Rugby Park outfit twice in 10 days — home and away — and mustered just three shots on target from open play.
In Ayrshire, Kilmarnock boasted an xG of 2.92 and should have won far more handsomely.
In Tayside, it was less comprehensive but Derek McInnes’ men were still the better side as they claimed their first win on grass since August 31.
Killie have now won three, drawn one and lost one against United this season and, heading into the denouement of the campaign, McInnes’ may just feel like he has Fox’s number.
Ogren’s arrival
Mark Ogren has rightfully been lauded by United supporters.
Since taking the reins in December of 2018, he has ploughed more than £13 million into the club.
Under his stewardship, the club have risen from the dark days of scrambling to escape the Championship to last season’s European qualification, while rebuilding the club’s academy system to attaining Elite status.
However, the Minnesota native will jet into Scotland next week facing the most notable rancour of his reign.
A vocal portion of the club’s support are unhappy with performances, league position, recruitment and, going back further, the costly Jack Ross mis-step and failure to secure compensation for Lewis Neilson.
When Mr Ogren meets with the DUSG (Dundee United Supporters’ Group), before attending the United AGM on February 21, it will likely be the closest thing the businessman has received to a “grilling” from fans.
However, it will also provide a valuable platform for supporters to glean what his plans are for the future, the contingencies in place for relegation and his assessment of a difficult campaign; and of Asghar and Fox’s performance.
It promises to be a fascinating visit, and one of his most important yet.
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