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01/1/2026 8:58 pm  #1


Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

Starting XI and formation for Saturday's Derby?

 

01/1/2026 10:01 pm  #2


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

Richards

Iovu
Bert
Kerestzes

Naamo (hopefully fit)
Luca
Sibbald
Ferry

Fatah
Watters
Trappa

I’d personally have Iovu in the middle and SCH at the right of the 3 & Stirts through the middle but i doubt Jim wants that.

 

01/1/2026 10:53 pm  #3


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

RogerTheAlien wrote:

Richards

Iovu
Bert
Kerestzes

Naamo (hopefully fit)
Luca
Sibbald
Ferry

Fatah
Watters
Trappa

I’d personally have Iovu in the middle and SCH at the right of the 3 & Stirts through the middle but i doubt Jim wants that.

 
Think you're right about the starting back 3 being Iovu Bert and KK but I'm thinking if Camara is ready he starts.
Whether that's in a midfield 2 or a 3 remains to be seen but a place on the bench would be harsh on either Sibbald or Stephenson.
Hard to see him moving away from a 343 so someone is going to miss out.

I really hope we play in the same style as at Livi because that's far more effective for attackers than trying to play with a target man and going long.

Richards

Iovu
Bert
Keresztes

Naamo
Stephenson
Camara
Ferry

Sapsford
Stirton
Fatah

 

02/1/2026 11:40 am  #4


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

I actually forgot about camara. If he’s fit 100% get him in.

Last edited by RogerTheAlien (02/1/2026 11:41 am)

 

02/1/2026 11:49 am  #5


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

We’re in for an extremely difficult game tomorrow.

 

02/1/2026 11:57 am  #6


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

RogerTheAlien wrote:

We’re in for an extremely difficult game tomorrow.

 
6-2 FTD!!!

 

02/1/2026 1:30 pm  #7


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

Has there been much snow land in Dundee?

 

02/1/2026 1:36 pm  #8


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

A wee sprinkling last night, all gone now.

 

02/1/2026 3:24 pm  #9


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

RogerTheAlien wrote:

Richards

Iovu
Bert
Kerestzes

Naamo (hopefully fit)
Luca
Sibbald
Ferry

Fatah
Watters
Trappa

I’d personally have Iovu in the middle and SCH at the right of the 3 & Stirts through the middle but i doubt Jim wants that.

 
You wouldn’t play sapsford, really?

Think it will be same team you’ve picked with sapsford Watters Fatah

 

03/1/2026 4:16 am  #10


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

.......................Richards.................
.........Iovu....Esselink...Keresztes.....
Stephenson.Camara..Sevelj...Ferry
.....Sapsford....Watters....Fatah....

Subs - Adams, Graham, Strain, Moller
Stirton, Sibbald, Trapanovski, Dolcek, Naamo
 

     Thread Starter
 

03/1/2026 1:59 pm  #11


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

SuperMario wrote:

RogerTheAlien wrote:

Richards

Iovu
Bert
Kerestzes

Naamo (hopefully fit)
Luca
Sibbald
Ferry

Fatah
Watters
Trappa

I’d personally have Iovu in the middle and SCH at the right of the 3 & Stirts through the middle but i doubt Jim wants that.

 
You wouldn’t play sapsford, really?

Think it will be same team you’ve picked with sapsford Watters Fatah

 
Forgive me, i meant Sapsford not Trappa😂

 

03/1/2026 2:00 pm  #12


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

Tek wrote:

.......................Richards.................
.........Iovu....Esselink...Keresztes.....
Stephenson.Camara..Sevelj...Ferry
.....Sapsford....Watters....Fatah....

Subs - Adams, Graham, Strain, Moller
Stirton, Sibbald, Trapanovski, Dolcek, Naamo
 

 
Would’ve preferred Stirton starting but it better be him off the bench and not Moller.

 

03/1/2026 2:12 pm  #13


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

Camara starts

Richards

Iovu
Esselink
Keresztes

Stephenson
Sibbald
Camara
Ferry

Fatah
Watters
Sapsford

 

03/1/2026 3:56 pm  #14


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

Why are our CB's so happy to rush into rash one on one's on the half way line 🙁
Absolute bombscares today.

 

03/1/2026 5:25 pm  #15


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

An absolutely dreadful performance, all over the pitch terrible.

Some of our players are miles aff it

 

03/1/2026 5:53 pm  #16


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

SuperMario wrote:

An absolutely dreadful performance, all over the pitch terrible.

Some of our players are miles aff it

 
100% this!

Goodwin got himself all fucking excited cos we beat Livingston, they are absolutely shite and we should be bloody beating them! Honestly baffled why we can't seem to pass the ball to each other,bring the ball under control or do the fucking basics in defence. As you said,fucking miles off it!

 

03/1/2026 6:27 pm  #17


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

Was today too early for Pan Camara to play? He wasn’t at the races and was trying too hard with out much coming aff for him?

 

03/1/2026 6:48 pm  #18


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

Shaik_Ma_Heid wrote:

Was today too early for Pan Camara to play? He wasn’t at the races and was trying too hard with out much coming aff for him?

Probably. He looked just a shade off it, maybe just a case of match fitness, but he wasn't getting help from anyone in that first half.
Sibbald stepped up with help in the second 45 but playing a midfield 2 for the whole match was a mistake as it has been by Goodwin on many occasions.
 

 

03/1/2026 7:00 pm  #19


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

Stirton is 100% better than Watters btw, it’s a joke he’s getting a game over him

Bert I hate to say shouldn’t have played against after the Celtic game- dreadful

Camera my god- horrendous, looked like he was rushed back, where was sevelj

The substitution of Fatah was laughable, our best player by a fucking mile btw.

The list could go on what went wrong today, completely on Goodwin who for me is on a very shuggly peg.

 

03/1/2026 7:12 pm  #20


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

They should’ve been out of sight at ht. we were absolutely horrific all over the shop today. Goodwin is tactically inept and it showed today. Dundee play route one up to the big striker. We have 3 centre backs and not one of them takes charge against him. Bert should be nowhere near our side but neither should Iovu or Kerestzes. Goodwin changed a winning side to shoehorn in 3 players in which two of them in Watters & Iovu are not good enough and Pan Cam was clearly not fit.

Iovu, Kerestzes, Bert, Watters and Dolcek to name a few should never wear our colours again.

2 wins for them at tannadice in 12 months after not winning here for nearly 21years. Embarrassing.

 

03/1/2026 8:12 pm  #21


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

Watching that game today it was clear that Dundee wanted to win it more than UTD.  They were quicker to the.loose balls and more aggressive in the tackle. You could also see it  in the way their players celebrated the victory.

It looked to me if our players thought they were going to win that game at a canter as  they did at Dens.

Questions for JG today. Are you the only one who thinks Esselink is a better CH than Graham ?
Going 4-2-4 with 20mins is something you've tried before and it makes us even less threatening
Our home form - losing to Falkirk, Killie , Dundee and draw with Livi is relegation form, what do you intend to do about it.

Overall I said in August/ September that we looked like a team that would finish around 9th  im still sticking with that.

 

03/1/2026 8:28 pm  #22


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

Shaik_Ma_Heid wrote:

Was today too early for Pan Camara to play? He wasn’t at the races and was trying too hard with out much coming aff for him?

It looked the case. 

Rare poor appearance and as you say looked to be trying too much to overcompensate and flying clumsily into everything, rather than his normal cool, composed and controlled performance.

Hopefully a full week of hard training and he's back to his usual standard next weekend.
 

     Thread Starter
 

03/1/2026 8:28 pm  #23


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

Stillliving wrote:

Watching that game today it was clear that Dundee wanted to win it more than UTD.  They were quicker to the.loose balls and more aggressive in the tackle. You could also see it  in the way their players celebrated the victory.

It looked to me if our players thought they were going to win that game at a canter as  they did at Dens.

Questions for JG today. Are you the only one who thinks Esselink is a better CH than Graham ?
Going 4-2-4 with 20mins is something you've tried before and it makes us even less threatening
Our home form - losing to Falkirk, Killie , Dundee and draw with Livi is relegation form, what do you intend to do about it.

Overall I said in August/ September that we looked like a team that would finish around 9th  im still sticking with that.

 
In fairness I can understand him trying to give Ross Graham a bit longer to recover,but it failed spectacularly. Also I think we'll still pick up enough points to avoid relegation. I agree it's nowhere near good enough though, a complete wet fart of a performance in front of a sellout home crowd

Last edited by Arabdownsouth (03/1/2026 8:29 pm)

 

03/1/2026 8:56 pm  #24


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

Absolutely awful 1st half performance (despite a bright first 5-10 minutes), where Dundee were faster, stronger, hungrier and looked more up for a fight. Truth be told only poor finishing stopped us going in at the break 3-0 down.

2nd half better, but also felt we could have played all-night and not scored. It looked like Dundee were fairly happy to let us have the ball as they felt comfortable defending against us, which would be backed up by the fact that i can only recall Jon McKracken making one real save the entire 2nd half.

After 21 years without Derby defeat at Tannadice, that's now two defeats on the bounce and 3 Dundee Derby defeats in the past 12 months. Adding weight again to the theory that Jim Goodwin doesn't get us up for 'BIG games' often enough. Further backed up by his atrocious Cup record whilst in charge.

My Player ratings on a sobering day -

Richards 7 - Decent enough. Made a couple of vital interceptions. His kicking erratic though. Once or twice a long punt went right into the hands of Jon McKracken. Careless.

Iovu 6- Thought he was poor today and lucky to last as long as he did given he sat on a yellow card from the 20th minute.

Esselink 5 - Was brutally exposed against Celtic recently, and once again today. Turned slower than an Oil-Tanker at their goal. Subbed off at Half Time once again. The writing has to be on the wall for him at Tannadice.

Keresztes 5 - Big fan of him, but he was weak as piss at times today and positionally wanting. For me he would be a very good CDM. I'd very much like to see him tried there at some point rather than stubbornly try and play him in a position he's struggling in. Play to his strengths i.e. comfortable with the ball at his feet, good eye for a forward pass.

Stephenson 5 - His poorest game for United. Got slaughtered by Tony Yogane in the 1st half.

Ferry 5 - All too often his crossing is either over hit or under hit. He'll never be a top player because of this major weakness in his game. Caught out positionally at times too. Once when Dundee should have scored at our back post.

Sibbald 5 - Poor performance.

Camara 6 - His poorest performance in a United jersey, but at least didn't hide and still tried everything he could to dictate our play. 

Fatah 6 - Dundee done a number on him by doubling up on him. To his credit he had the game intelligence to drift central and try and get into the game that way, but it was one of those afternoon's where nothing came off for him. Not unusual for a winger.

Watters 5 - Heart of a Mouse. Watched the game take place around him and at no point looked interested in taking part. Wasn't even jumping up and contesting most 50/50 headers. A big strong lad too. I'd bin him. Living off a couple of goals from last Summer. Looks a shadow of that player now.

Sapsford 6 - See my comments about Fatah. If he's denied space he's just not the same player.

Subs - 

Stirton 6 - Zero service to really assess his merits properly.

Trapanovski 5 - Remember when he got nicknamed 'Trapadona'? Seems a long time ago now. A one trick Pony who all too often can't get a cross past his first man.

Dolcek 5 - Offered nothing. Once again. Another one living off a couple of goals from last Summer. End the loan.

Ross Graham 6 - Offered a bit of calm and assurance to our rattled backline.
 

     Thread Starter
 

03/1/2026 9:23 pm  #25


Re: Dundee United vs Dundee - Saturday 3rd January

This one mostly on Goodwin for me. I am starting to lose patience.

What sort of message does it send out to SCH and Stirton when they finally get a start, play well as part of our best win of the season and are then dropped like nothing for experienced pros who have proved over half a season they are not good enough and in my opinion the young lads are already better players.

Again, our performances and not results at home are the big worry for me. It is not that we lost, we have been  completely outplayed by all the worst teams in the league. Especially by Livingston first half, Killy, Dundee and Falkirk. That will be the bottom 4 in the league for me if we aren’t one of them.

 

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