Dundee Utd 3
Hearts 1
League (Premier Division)

Manager's Programme Notes

Sad to report that we did it again on Wednesday night, didn't we. For the umpteenth time in recent seasons we failed to respond to the high hopes held by you, our supporters, and slipped ingraciously out of the E.U.F.A. Cup. And even more sadly the task faced by us in mid-week was as you will have seen, a far from impossible one against a Standard Liege side which, if highly organised, was nevertheless anything but brilliant. Once again it was our same old failing up front which cost us the passport through although, if the media had its way, one would suspect that lack of goal punch is exclusively a Dundee United problem. Take it from me, it's not, as a glance at the current Premier League goals-for column will testify, with only three clubs topping our own record of seven goals from six outings. Nevertheless, that takes a little away from what is undoubtedly a pressing necessity here at Tannadice and one which I can assure you has caused me more sleepless night than any other.

Although Wednesday night once again illustrated the problem, I do not entirely fault just our front men for the disappointment, the mid-field department was equally to blame. My biggest regret comes when comparing our recent flawless defensive performance against the heart searching displays of those ahead of them in the side. Once again I point out to you the work carried out in attempting to sort out just exactly what goes wrong for us in the opposition goal area. Three simple points have been passed on to all our forwards with monotonous regularity over the years. The first concerns the fact that the crosses simply must come in earlier. There are too many occasions when the break has been made and then time wasted before die ball is despatched into the area where it can do most damage. Secondly the strikers are getting into the area far too early to achieve anything while and most seriously of all, they are just standing about when they get there. In training, markers are even set down to direct the players into finding the correct route inside the box. However, when real live defenders are in opposition on match days, the knowledge passed on appears to get forgotten. Today, we greet Hearts on Premier League business for what will be no easy task. Home sides are now being pressured into commitment in front of their own fans and often pay the penalty for it. Let's hope as we search for today's crucial points that we do not fall into that category.