Killie - did somebody say just win !

[weegiearab]

Football is a team sport and not down to individuals. Normally, for a player to be successful, they will need to form up partnerships with other players. Take our current situation, Levitt is clearly a cracking player vut without the correct players around him..he wil struggle. Same goes with the goalie, he looks really poor just now but that may be down to him not having a decent partnership with the defenders. Fletcher would be on double figures by now if he had the players around him who could set it up on a plate for him. We have seen it with so many big teams...signing big names doesn't instantly buy you success. Building partnerships and a team will get you winning more games. Clark may have just found a team that he can thrive in..I think we have better players than Clark, we just haven't got the balance right to get the best out of them.

[ARAbCHNID]

Bang on weegie. There's no I in TEAM and all that. If you can get a bunch of guys to gel you're quids in. Even ordinary players can hit it off if you've a perfect blend. Conversely 11 'good' players who do not gel will not form a good team. Our 1983 team was a team and dare I say it the 1961 Funsters were an excellent example too. Yes Levitt would rather be surrounded by his Welsh good players but if they don't blend it'll be as playing at Tannadice amidst duffers. (No disrespect to Djoum & Co.)

[Kdyteejay2]

Have serious doubts if i will go to Tannadice ever again! Well it is the second game i have not attended where we have won, scored 4 and kept a clean sheet!

Banned I hope.

[Kdyteejay2]

Not sure what to make of that to be honest. Just too easy! We didn't have to try hard. Were better all over the pitch and switched off second half when the game was done. Can only beat what is in front of you, but they were honking!

Don’t think we switched off, more that they were so much better after the 3 subbies.

[Kdyteejay2]

Not getting it with Djoum I'm afraid.

No idea what role he is meant to be playing. He obviously is no where near fit just now. Can't win a header, loses possession in nearly every tackle. Usually just gives the ball back immediately to the player who just gave him the ball.

Potential? yes. Currently ...nah... Sibbald, Archie , dare I mention it ? Harkes, will all do a better job just now.

Nout against the guy, but ..... why he has been thrown in straight away as a regular has totally baffled me. Plenty others deserve a shirt before him just now...

He was really good at Hearts (quite a while ago) but they played him further forward.

[ARAbCHNID]

And yeah, Nicky Clark is a square peg who has found a square hole at St J. At Tannadice the hole was round-ish. Another great 'team' was Tommy McLean's mid 90s with us. Olofsson & Pedersen hit it off big time. We also had Andy McLaren & Robbie Winters, Raymond & Maurice & Sieb too. That was a TEAM. Unfortunately it was all to brief & I'm still flummoxed at its rapid demise, can't believe we lost out on a Sc Cup final place losing to Killie in an Easter Rd replay. We were never the same after that & Tommy McLean was away all too soon.

[Steve Finan]

Football is a team sport and not down to individuals. Normally, for a player to be successful, they will need to form up partnerships with other players. Take our current situation, Levitt is clearly a cracking player vut without the correct players around him..he wil struggle. Same goes with the goalie, he looks really poor just now but that may be down to him not having a decent partnership with the defenders. Fletcher would be on double figures by now if he had the players around him who could set it up on a plate for him. We have seen it with so many big teams...signing big names doesn't instantly buy you success. Building partnerships and a team will get you winning more games. Clark may have just found a team that he can thrive in..I think we have better players than Clark, we just haven't got the balance right to get the best out of them.

Great post.
Good management and good coaching also contribute to making eleven players into a team. I reckon United have good players, and the pegs and holes are showing some sign of becoming the same shape. The right, with Smith and Sheep, is working on a consistent basis. Behich clearly looks like a player (his 'dummy' right in front of the GF v Killie was very clever) but I'm not sure he is quite gelling with Middleton or Watt yet.
In my humble opinion.
If we don't finish above Killie, who didn't look very good at all, then there is something far wrong.

[Yeats 62]

There is no doubt whatsoever that we have good players. Actually, some great players. As Weegie mentions, it's all about getting the correct blend, and we seem to be slowly getting there.

As we all know, a team ful oh Maradona's won't work. Neither does one ful oh primadonnas.

Things are slightly looking up, long may it continue.

"Did somebody say just win" ? Yeah they did, and... we did !

In the words of the great Alex Harvey.... "NEXT"

[stokearab]

There is no doubt whatsoever that we have good players. Actually, some great players. As Weegie mentions, it's all about getting the correct blend, and we seem to be slowly getting there.

As we all know, a team ful oh Maradona's won't work. Neither does one ful oh primadonnas.

Things are slightly looking up, long may it continue.

"Did somebody say just win" ? Yeah they did, and... we did !

In the words of the great Alex Harvey.... "NEXT"

Looking back as far as pre season we looked completely underprepared in the friendlies against Sunderland and Fleetwood. Way off it. IIRC we then went on a so called training camp on the beach in 85° temperatures when we should have been playing more friendlies against sides like Bolton Barnsley Blackburn and training like pros in between. Once again the new additions came in very late. On the 7th August we got done at home by Livi, then on the 20th August a 0-3 home defeat to St Mirren.

Moving forward when we put back to back wins together v Sheep and Hibs a lot of us thought we'd turned the corner only to find out we hadn't. As others have said, we have some really good players and if we can get consistency we'll pull away from immediate danger. Looking at the players goal celebrations on Wednesday night gives me optimism. I'm also seeing a bit more from McGrath, Behich and we're showing signs that we can use possession better. If we can get a point or a victory on Saturday will be a better feeling to take into the WC (toilet) break. Another disjointed performance and a defeat and we'll be back to square one.

o/t saw Alex Harvey and the SAHB at the Usher Hall (around '76?) and they were fantastic, did the final number with a pipe band. So as you and Alex say, NEXT let's do the SSB'S again.

[tHeArAb]

We went to Spain, then had the friendlies against Sunderland and Fleetwood before playing AZ.