Get your own Free Home Page
United recorded a fifth successive victory over Aberdeen on Saturday, but celebrations were tempered by the news that Jim Paterson will be out for at least 3 months with a fractured leg.
The tricky left-sided player crumpled after a challenge by Derek Lilley just a few minutes after Paterson had made it 2-0. Although the latter will no doubt be harangued by Arabs for his part in the injury I think while his challenge was slightly high it was far from malicious.
The pre-game ceremonies saw Jim Leighton being presented with an award to mark his 500th appearance for Aberdeen, and his 900th appearance in total, by October's SPL Player of the Month Billy Dodds.
It was good to see both sets of fans gave both players a good reception. I can't speak for the Aberdeen supporters, but the few Arabs who were booing Leighton should be ashamed of themselves, given the long and unqeustionably committed service he gave to Scotland.
Aberdeen actually looked halfway decent in the first half, with new signing Cato Gundveit giving the team a sens of freshness, but they still seemed to have no idea of what to do in the final third of the field. A better team might have punished our occasional slackness, however.
The second half, however, was a different story. I am ashamed to say I didn't see much of the build-up to our opener, due to coming back from the pie stall, but Dodds's finish was certainly top quality, bringing the ball down, cutting outside and smashing the ball past Leighton.
Aberdeen predictably collapsed thereafter, and we scored our second shortly afterwards. Telesnikov's free-kick was headed down by Steven McConalogue, making his first start for United, and Paterson dashed in ahead of a static Dons defence to hit the back of the net from close range.
Thereafter we dominated without creating too many more chances, but then the opposition were so dismal United could shut up shop without worry.
Aberdeen brought on their new right-back Juan Cobian, and he looks a decent buy. (I confess to prior knowledge of the Argentine, having signed him for Southampton in Championship Manager 3...)
We did manage a third when Dodds's long shot was deflected into the net off a hapless Russel Anderson. Aberdeen pulled a late one back - their first strike at Tannadice since Brian Irvine's fluke cross-shot in 1995 - from a penalty, but without the benefit of a paper in front of me I am totally in the dark about Hugh Dallas's reasons, other than pity for the Dons.
Whatever the reasons, Thomas Soldberg made as impressive a job of the penalty as he did against Rangers, hammering the ball to the left of Alan Combe.
The funniest moment of the afternoon came after the final whistle, however, when Gundveit and Cobian were subjected to a chorus of "Are you having second thoughts?" by the departing Arabs.
Certainly after seeing Aberdeen for the first time this season, you do have to wonder what can get them out of this particularly fine mess. United, meanwhile, look to be headed for their best season since the 1996-97 heyday, with European qualification more than just a dream. Here's hoping...
Back to home page screen. -->
Get your own Free Home Page