Tangy wrote:

I get that we can't take it for granted but if we are going into a match scared of una strassen, we should throw the towel in.

We've got a manager who can keep the defence tight (generally), we've signed attacking players with a good amount of ability and a support that will be loud as f**k. All we need is for the players to turn up on the day. Get the job done and let the travelling fans party in the 2nd leg knowing that the job is done.

Buzzing my tit's off for this. It's going to be class.

C'mon united

Edit:

According to a European club rankings website i found, the clubs are ranked as follows

Dundee united 330
Una strassen 590
Tns 526
Differdange 523


Dirty dees 403 🤣

Genuinely surprised Dundee are so 'high up' considering they haven't played a game in Europe in twenty odd years.
 

United Arab Emarite wrote:

Has anyone else wondered about this going pear-shaped?
Honestly I'm a blind optimist but have a nagging doubt.
The predictions are all modest, 2-0 seems to be the common scoreline.
Then Shakey has us winning 2-1 but lists the goalie flogging the goal instead of predicting the first goalscorer.
Maybe he should have put Kurechenko (o.g.)
Someone else has it nil-nil which isn't stupid with our fire power.
Only a couple of predictors have us winning comfortably.
Then consider the scoreline last night where the team above Strassen won away from home, doesn't matter it was only TNS, they play in Europe every year.

If TEK allowed me to change my score prediction I would have NDU* 0 Strassen 1. Ist goal Kurechenko (o.g.)

* New Dundee United
 

 
It’s very easy to overthink this, however, the main thing is to get through the tie. If I was Goodwin, I would take a leaf out of Ivan Golac’s book and take the players a walk in the park. You need to have a relaxed positive mindset.

A full Tannadice will be a sight many of these players have yet to see. They will be up for it.

4-0

This definitely won’t be Dortmund vs Celtic 7-1 game tonight. We’ve seen far too many times the “minnows” turn up and do a job on the bigger team so we need to be 100% at it tonight.

I’m not arsed whether it’s 2-0, 3-1 or whatever, just let us have a reasonably comfortable lead going in to next weeks game.

Nerves are kicking in now. Please united, just don’t slip up.

That was pish, should've scored a couple first half, too pedestrian in our play, no real urgency.

#Review
 

That was a strange old night. A win, a clean sheet, but felt like a bit of an anti-climax nonetheless.

Felt we lacked intensity all night and were also very one-paced (not seeing this pace Goodwin says we've recruited at all). Kinda looked like we felt the goals would come and never really went up a gear or two at any time bar a 10 minute spell at the start of the 2nd half.

That said Strassen were better than i thought they would be. They were fit, organised, passed the ball quite well and actually had a bit of physicality and pace. 

Best players on the night for me were Sevelj, Sapsford (took his goal very well), and Kerezstes.

Disappointed in Ivan Dolcek and Trapa continues to frustrate.

Everyone else 'ok', though i believe Will Ferry is not playing anywhere near to the best of his abilities and hasn't done for several months now. I kinda wonder if his head has been half turned and making him interim-Captain is an attempt to re-focus him.

Absolutely bloody typical that Max Watters went down injured after his first touch of the ball. We really do have no luck as a football club.

We've all been crying out for another Striker and now on his debut he goes down with what looked like a pulled hammy. No doubt we don't see him now for weeks. The Barnsley fans did say we should get used to him being on the treatment table a lot, but didn't think it would be this soon.

Absolutely need another Striker in asap, but in the meantime show a bit of faith in Owen Stirton please.

If Rangers can start an 18 year old in a Champions League match, then i think we should show a bit of trust in one of our own young talents. He done well tonight and put himself about far better than one or two others.

No-one else is really looking like scoring after all. One goal against Arbroath, one against Zwolle, one against St,Johnstone, none against Oldham, and one tonight against Strassen. I do worry about just where the goals are coming from in this team.

Thankfully the defence looks pretty solid, albeit not really been tested as yet.

We were poor against a poor team but we won and never really looked like conceding. Think that might be our season.

All 3 defenders look good. Esselink especially looks like a player. thought Sapsford played well few lovely flicks and touches. Fast. Works hard. Stirton looks like he should be starting matches. Fast, strong, tall, confident, good touch and makes intelligent runs in behind. Almost got a goal. Very impressed by what I saw.

Midfield was poor. Papoe and Camarra looked miles off it.  Croatian boy just in the door but was also anonymous.  Strain was injured after 5 minutes and should have been taken off.

The back 3 strolled it tonight. Bert was very good. The midfield flattered to deceive with nobody taking a grip of the game. Same up top we just couldn’t get going. Excellent finish from Sapsford but he’s not an out and out striker.

If Watters is out long term, we need 2 strikers in. We’re also crying out for a number 10 to carry the ball and add to our goal threat. We’re gonna be a week fitter which will hopefully help us but if we lose the 1st goal next week we’re in trouble.

Thought that was embarrassing last night tbh. The back 3 get pass marks, and the goalie for what he had to do.

Know it's a new team but Ffs that was as bad as I've ever seen with regards to passing. Strain, Sevelj, Pappoe and Ferry mixing it up between wanting to take 5 touches or battering the ball in whatever direction they were facing without a thought.

Worse still, we looked unfit and the 4 midfielders and 3 forwards that started the game absolutely shat it from every single 50/50. Stirton and Sibbald at least looked like the fancied the physicality when they came on, and I think both have every right to be chapping the managers door to start next week.

My bold prediction before the game of a high intentisity start to the the season which would overpower Strassen turned out to be the opposite, at least 6 players hiding from taking possession, no pressing to speak of, a completely damp squib.

I had a feeling that the game would go similarly to that.

We have a new team that will need a bit of time and competitive football to gel and understand how each other play.

There are a lot of positives to take from last night, but also some of the usual concerns.

The keeper looks like a decent shot stopper.  he pulled off a couple of good instinctive saves in the last 5-10 minutes, but he is a bit gung-ho in coming off his line.  He was almost chipped at the start of the game and he also completely missed the ball on another occasion near the end of the first half when he came rampaging off his line.

Back 3 look like good solid, large defenders with a bit of pace about them.  I don't think they realise that they are not going to have a lot of time on the ball and will have to show more urgency about them, especially in domestic games.

Strain and Ferry looked a bit jaded.  it looked like Strain was affected a bit by that tackle at the start of the game. Ferry just looked like his head was somewhere else at times.

Sevelj was okay last night.  Pappoe looked a couple of weeks away from being fully match fit.  He's going to be a good player when he's up to speed.  I've seen people liken him to Fuchs and Gomis, but based on what I've seen of him , he's not at their standard, yet.

Traps and Dolcek were both hot and cold last night, Dolcek more so.  That's just wingers at this level though, so I don't know if that level of performance is going to improve drastically or not from either of them.

Sapsford was quiet and slightly ineffective in the first half, but he came out a different player in the second half.  He looked like he had been given a bit of freedom from Goodwin to roam at the top of the pitch and drag players out of position.  His set up for his goal was brilliant and he placed the ball perfectly in the net.

Camara is a bit of an enigma.  He looks clumsy and uncoordinated, but bizarrely he also looks like he has a bit of calmness and composure about him at the same time.  I don't know if he's going to be any good or not, time will tell.

Watters came off injured so can't comment as he didn't get a chance to do anything and Sibbald was pretty pish, which I don't like saying because I normally like what he contributes.

Stirton looked hungry and keen and was unlucky not to have got a goal when he had his first effort after coming on.

I think we suffered a bit due to not having Naamo and Fatah on the bench last night as both could potentially have helped.  Naamo could have replaced Strain and Fatah for either Dolcek or Traps instead of sending Sapsford out wide in the second half.

Another week of training, a competitive game against Falkirk and another week of tactics and hopefully we will see an improvement on the level of performance in the second leg.

lifesanocean wrote:

"Ferry just looked like his head was somewhere else at times."

Tynecastle most probably.

Is that the rumour?

Back three, especially Bert were good.   Keeper looked like Birighitti v2.0 in the 1st half a couple of times but much better in the 2nd.

Pappoe looked a yard off the pace all game, Vicko had an off-day.   Camera like Bambi on ice.

Thought Zak was decent and so were Stirton and Sibbald when they came on.

 

Macho Man wrote:

Another week of training, a competitive game against Falkirk and another week of tactics and hopefully we will see an improvement on the level of performance in the second leg.

2nd leg against Una is next thursday, Falkirk game is 3 days later on the sunday mate