Csaba Laszlo’s days as Dundee United manager must be numbered after their humiliating 5-1 home defeat to Ross County.
The long-suffering Tannadice fans have had enough and called for him to go as early as half-time, shouting for him to be sacked – that’s the polite version – as the Hungarian made his way up the tunnel.
This was a shambolic display that no United manager should expect to survive.
The defending was disastrous at times and goalkeeper Matej Rakovan didn’t help ease the jitters with some awful mistakes that cost goals.
The discipline went as well, with substitute Stewart Murdoch shown a straight red card for a tackle on County’s Jamie Lindsay just before the hour.
If they are to mount any kind of promotion challenge in this their third season down in the Championship then chairman Mike Martin must make the change as soon as possible because it’s just not working. The supporters are being short-changed, especially at home.
Remarkably, some fans stayed in their seats even as the goals rained down on their team but that was so they could boo Laszlo and the players at the full-time whistle.
As the Oasis anthem “Don’t Look Back In Anger” played over the sound system, there was plenty of anger in the stands as the players and their boss trudged up the tunnel.
Things had looked reasonably promising going into the game, too, and the Tangerines kept the same starting line-up that kicked off the away win at Falkirk.
That meant the four players returning from injury – Fraser Fyvie, Billy King, Sam Stanton and Murdoch – had to make do with places of the bench.
United also should have been ahead after just 50 seconds.
Yannick Loemba found himself in the clear inside the box with only County keeper Scott Fox to beat but he hesitated before hitting the goalie with his shot.
The visitors lost former Tannadice man Michael Gardyne after just seven minutes to injury and replaced him with Davis Keillor-Dunn.
It didn’t affect them, though, as they took the lead on 11 minutes.
With the United players sleeping at a County freekick on the right, Josh Mullin played a cross into the goalmouth and it was helped over the line by Billy Mckay. There were some home hopes of an offside flag but it didn’t come.
The Tangerines were a shambles on 15 minutes when, following a mishit Fraser Aird freekick, Jamie Robson slipped as the ball was played into the United half. Mullen raced into the box before squaring to sub Keillor –Dunn, who just missed it with his outstretched boot.
United pulled themselves level on 17 minutes.
Pavol Safranko was the scorer with a fine left-footed volley from the centre of the box after he was found by Fraser Aird’s looping cross.
It was 2-1 County on 29 minutes and it was a double for Mckay, who slammed home the ball after United keeper Rakovan punched Mullin’s cross straight to his feet.
United’s bad defending got absolutely terrible on 42 minutes when the Staggies grabbed their third.
It was a freekick on the right taken by Sean Kelly and his cross was allowed to travel untouched through the invisible Rakovan and into the net. It was arguably one of the worst goals the Tangerines have lost for years and there have been a few bad ones.
They conceded yet another dreadful goal on 50 minutes, the loss of which brought on chants of “Laszlo get tae f***” from several supporters. Mckay appeared to handle in the build-up but he carried on and played the ball over to Mullen, who slid the ball home.
Just two minutes later it was 5-1 to the Staggies and it was a carbon copy of the fourth goal as Mckay grabbed his hattrick after being fed by Mullen this time.
On 59 minutes, it went from horrendous to even worse for United when Murdoch, who had just come off the bench minutes earlier, was shown a straight red card for his tackle on County’s Jamie Lindsay.
With the game – and all hope – gone for United, the rest of the match was a training exercise for the Staggies.
