Dundee Utd 0
Anderlecht 0
UEFA Cup (1st Round 1st Leg)

Manager's Programme Notes

Good evening and welcome to Tannadice for what I hope will be the first of several European ties in the season ahead. Anderlecht are our visitors and their record in European competition is of course an impressive one. However, despite our recent disappointments in domestic competition, I have reasonable hopes that tonight we can build ourselves a lead to take to Brussels with us in a fortnight's time. What truly annoys me most concerning the past couple of away games is the fact that seldom since I took over at Tannadice have I been accustomed to viewing so many United colours passing us in the official club coach on our trips to both Parkhead and Love Street. Our following has undoubtedly increased, and we are eternally grateful for that, but our record of having picked up only a single point from our last four league outings is not the right way to keep that extra support. The reasons for our failings so far this term are numerous. Number one on my own personal list is that close-season trip to Japan which at the time looked to have been an invaluable exercise for us with so many players pushing themselves through as first team candidates.

However, the timing of that trip served only to cut even shorter the ever-decreasing break away from the game enjoyed by the players nowadays. Then, of course, the injury situation which has hit us so badly since last term could scarcely have been more inopportune as far as getting off to a flier this season. But there is no point in harping on at what-might-have-been, the season is now well underway and if you remember we had almost as bad a start to last term when things failed to come off for us. The problem at that time came from the fact that we were not winning enough in midfield, and once again that has become a major factor in our recent disappointments. The way that opponents have managed to keep us out so far has been the key factor. Too many of our players have been so desperate to get that opener each week that we have fallen into the trap of leaving ourselves exposed at the back—to our cost. Make no mistake about it, we have a real battle on our hands now. Tonight's break away from those Premier pressures will I hope help provide a solution, became if you remember it was in our opemng European outing in Belgium last season that things started happening for the side.