Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin says his side must ‘make amends’ to fans after their 3-1 defeat at Dunfermline – and they must do it this coming week against Inverness and Raith Rovers.
United’s backing this season both home and away has been tremendous.
But despite the team topping the Championship, the supporters have been let down far too often.
With the players available, United should’ve had this league wrapped up and out of sight, instead of being locked in a battle with Raith Rovers for automatic promotion.
At Tannadice, regular attendances of over 7000 have watched United as the season has progressed, despite too many performances that have been too slow and too sluggish.
Instead of being on the front foot and taking the crowd with them straight from the off, they’ve too often caused early restlessness in the stands with a lack of tempo and aggression.
Unhappiness amongst the fans undoubtedly feeds on to the pitch and becomes a vicious circle, with players reacting to the pressure by making hurried decisions and choosing the wrong options.
There is little time left to rectify those lethargic performances, with Inverness Caley Thistle and Raith Rovers to face in quick succession.
These are intense pressure matches and the manager and the players surely know that failure to emerge successfully from them isn’t an option.
Inverness clash is ‘must win’
Another season in the Championship would be catastrophic for United.
It will prove a grim situation for the vast bulk of a squad looking for new contracts, and it’ll put the chief executive Luigi Capuano and owner Mark Ogren in a tight spot in trying to persuade fans that Jim Goodwin can lead them to promotion next season.
Saturday’s game with Inverness is without doubt a ‘must win’.
That’ll require the strongest 11 available to dig much deeper and be better organised than was shown at East End Park.
How many tickets away fans get is a source of constant trouble and strife.
Raith Rovers are upset that Dundee United have reduced their allocation to 1342 tickets, down from 1950 on their last visit to Tannadice.
Rovers said: “Promoting our national game should be a priority and limiting opportunities for away fans is disappointing and frustrating.”
My old BBC colleague Derek Rae, lead Bundesliga commentator for ESPN, asked on social media: “When is this childish protectionist stuff going to stop in Scotland. In Germany the starting point is 10% of capacity allocation for away fans”
He added: “Due to the 50+1 rule [the rule that members of the club hold 50%-plus one more vote, a majority, meaning fans have the ultimate say in how the club is run], there’s an understanding that the fan of the other club is not your enemy”
When is this childish protectionist stuff going to stop in Scotland? In Germany the starting point is 10% of capacity allocation for away fans, no exceptions. It enhances the atmosphere & due to 50+1, there‘s an understanding that the fan of the other club is not your enemy. https://t.co/npGV2aKSRs
— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) March 20, 2024
Derek wasn’t singling out United, who are, in fact, giving Raith roughly a tenth of Tannadice capacity, rather he was making a general point about the tribalism that exists in our game.
I’m afraid any hope of overcoming that is wishful thinking.
It’s the reason there hasn’t been a truly successful country-wide fans movement, speaking with one voice on supporter issues.
When it comes to Scots football fans, it’s a case of the supporters divided will never be united.
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