Oor Jum

[GUNBOAT]

Even when we wernie very good in the early McLean years the players were as fit as butchers doags.Its no surprise to see them on the beach it was the norm back then.
I will go from left to right with,

Fleming, Kopel,Luggy,Rennie,Payne,Heggy,Copeland and Wallace.

[Steve Finan]

The players are: George Fleming, Frank Kopel, Luggy, Alex Rennie, Graeme Payne, Heggie, Andy Rolland, Gordon Wallace.
It is Tuesday the 7th of December, 1976, when there were still dunes on Monifieth beach. This was the “bounce-back” season after flirting with relegation the year before.
If there was no midweek game, Tuesday was the hard running day, which probably explains why Alex Rennie looks a wee bit puggled! United were joint top of the league (with Aberdeen) on 19 points from 13 games (two points for a win in those days). But there was a big freeze and we went two Saturdays, the 4th and 11th of December without playing a game.
With an eventual fourth-place finish, which earned qualification for Europe, United were on the up.
The quality of football was starting to be very good, and there were laddies like John Holt and Davie Dodds on Jim’s conveyor belt of talent.
A good few of you will remember it, same as me. It was almost from this point that United got better and better every season for the next decade.
Great time to be alive.

[stokearab]

mine was like that before lockdoon

I've gone for the Chris Waddle mullet look. Big chop off each side, and again, cut the fringe, leave the back and it was sorted in seconds 😁

[stokearab]

Even when we wernie very good in the early McLean years the players were as fit as butchers doags.Its no surprise to see them on the beach it was the norm back then.
I will go from left to right with,

Fleming, Kopel,Luggy,Rennie,Payne,Heggy,Copeland and Wallace.

I read somewhere that when Jim was being interviewed for the job the directors asked him if he'd be wanting to spend any money on new equipment or anything like that and he said Just a stopwatch, your players are no fit enough!

[stokearab]

The players are: George Fleming, Frank Kopel, Luggy, Alex Rennie, Graeme Payne, Heggie, Andy Rolland, Gordon Wallace.
It is Tuesday the 7th of December, 1976, when there were still dunes on Monifieth beach. This was the “bounce-back” season after flirting with relegation the year before.
If there was no midweek game, Tuesday was the hard running day, which probably explains why Alex Rennie looks a wee bit puggled! United were joint top of the league (with Aberdeen) on 19 points from 13 games (two points for a win in those days). But there was a big freeze and we went two Saturdays, the 4th and 11th of December without playing a game.
With an eventual fourth-place finish, which earned qualification for Europe, United were on the up.
The quality of football was starting to be very good, and there were laddies like John Holt and Davie Dodds on Jim’s conveyor belt of talent.
A good few of you will remember it, same as me. It was almost from this point that United got better and better every season for the next decade.
Great time to be alive.

It was a great time. I remember the 74 semi finals and final thinking that we were on the way to being a very competitive side. The score in the final maybe flattered Celtic a bit but it was a daunting stage for a team made up of emerging youngsters and old hands. Graham Payne and Andy Gray played in that final but so also did Doug Houston Doug Smith and Jackie Copland etc.
It was also interesting to watch how Jim allowed some of the good servants to move on and replaced them with even better players. Great days.

[GUNBOAT]

Gutted about getting Rolland and Copland mixed up but even when i looked at other photo's i just could not tell the difference.I knew Rolland was a right back though(wearing a no2 training top) and i think Jackie wore no4.

[JamesMcClean]

I don’t think you can ever underestimate the contribution of some of these more experienced players to the ‘Golden’ era. Yes, they may not be revered in history in the same way as Luggy, Ralphie, Narey, Heggie etc etc but the likes of Frankie Kopel, Wattie Smith, George Fleming, Archie Knox, Henry Hall, even Hamish!, etc (amongst many others) gave a solid platform to allow the upcoming talent to find their feet and establish themselves at first team level until such time as they were ready to go it alone. But for their undoubted patience and dedication with the future legends in allowing them to progress and flourish, who knows, they may not have developed in the same way. And they certainly seemed to have drummed in the need for professionalism and dedication to one’s craft. On top of that, they were all to a man good players to boot.

[Whitfieldarab]

It was a great time. I remember the 74 semi finals and final thinking that we were on the way to being a very competitive side. The score in the final maybe flattered Celtic a bit but it was a daunting stage for a team made up of emerging youngsters and old hands. Graham Payne and Andy Gray played in that final but so also did Doug Houston Doug Smith and Jackie Copland etc.
It was also interesting to watch how Jim allowed some of the good servants to move on and replaced them with even better players. Great days.

Doug Houston was my PE teacher at Whitfield High. Actually still can't believe in the 4 years I was there we never had a school football team, even though I think he was managing Forfar Athletic at that time. I'm sure there was a teachers strike or something like that at the time and they weren't giving up their free time after school hours etc, still we had rugby, hockey and fkn cricket teams. There was a couple of Utd "S" signings in my year too and some other very good players. Always irked me.

[chiefers]

Doug Houston was my PE teacher at Whitfield High. Actually still can't believe in the 4 years I was there we never had a school football team, even though I think he was managing Forfar Athletic at that time. I'm sure there was a teachers strike or something like that at the time and they weren't giving up their free time after school hours etc, still we had rugby, hockey and fkn cricket teams. There was a couple of Utd "S" signings in my year too and some other very good players. Always irked me.

I went to Whitfield High as well Whitfield Arab
1976-1980; the year the school opened
What era where you if you don’t mind me asking?

[Steve Finan]

Gutted about getting Rolland and Copland mixed up but even when i looked at other photo's i just could not tell the difference.I knew Rolland was a right back though(wearing a no2 training top) and i think Jackie wore no4.

I'd never actually thought of that before, Gunboat, but Sash and The Major do look alike.

Double bonus points in this one if anyone can name the venue!