Dundee United

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Dundee United midfielder Dylan Tait is "buzzing" for his first Dundee derby and insists the fixture was one of the reasons he moved to Tannadice.

The 24-year-old joined from Falkirk in the summer and can't wait to experience one of Scottish football's biggest rivalries.

"I'm buzzing for it, I think it means so much to so many people," said Tait.

"People you speak to around the club, people I've spoken to that have played in these games, they say how good they are and I'm really looking forward to it.

"These games are all for the fans, and we just want to go out there and put on our best performance and give the fans something to get behind. A win on Saturday would be amazing.

"It's one of the reasons I joined the club, to play in these types of games and occasions.

"It'll be a really tough game, Dundee have started well. I've seen a few of their games and we've done our analysis on them.

"They've got good that can cause us problems, but also we can cause them problems."

United have endured a difficult start to the campaign - taking one point from their opening two Premiership games before exiting the League Cup to Celtic - but Tait believes their performances have been better than results suggest.

He was suspended for last weekend's defeat by Celtic but feels there have been plenty of positives to take from the opening fixtures.

"Box to box we've been good and we've been in the games," the 24-year-old said.

"We've had chances and I think it's just that wee last bit to go and be clinical and score goals and, obviously, at the other end keep it out.

"The games have probably been a bit harsh on the scorelines, but we've kind of put them to bed now.

"It's a big one on Saturday, so we're just trying to take the positives from the games and try to get a win."

Image source, SNS

United will again be without Will Ferry (groin) but the full-back should be back for the following weekend.

Dundee could hand loan signing Bobby Wales a debut after Simon Murray was ruled out with cruciate ligament damage.

Midfielder Callum Jones could be fast-tracked into a comeback from ankle surgery while Imari Samuels is also back in training after a knee problem.

Ashley Hay (knee) remains out while Drey Wright is a doubt.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Jim Goodwin has been speaking to the media before his Dundee United side host Dundee in the derby at Tannadice on Saturday.

Here are the key lines:

• Will Ferry will miss the game after a scan revealed a small issue with his groin. The full-back could return next week and Goodwin insists the injury "certainly won't impact" a potential move away from Tannadice.

• Despite successive 4-0 defeats, there is "lots of positivity" at United and "no better time" to bounce back than a derby win.

• Goodwin says fans he has met "recognise what we're trying to do", adding: "They can see the improvements that have been made over the summer in terms of the recruitment. We're trying to change the system and the style of play completely. We have had a lot of positive passages of play within both the last couple of games, but unfortunately the results haven't reflected that."

• He wants United to be more clinical in attack and "defend better in certain situations".

• Goodwin remains unhappy with refereeing decisions in last weekend's defeat by Celtic, claiming the second goal should have been ruled out for handball and his side ought to have been awarded a penalty.

• The club have spoken to the SFA but the explanation "gave us more questions than answers", says Goodwin.

• Goodwin says the squad is now the strongest of his Tannadice reign and selection decisions are a "great headache to have".

• He praises opposite number Steven Pressley for doing a "terrific job" at Dundee, saying: "He's built a really good side. They're a good team, we respect them, but I've got to focus all my attention on my group of players and what we can do to cause them problems."

• The derby is the only Premiership game this weekend and Goodwin says: "It's going to be broadcast live on the TV. There'll be people all over the world watching it. It's going to be a great spectacle and hopefully we do enough on the day to come out on top."

• The Irishman is eyeing victory to kickstart United's campaign after a difficult first few matches and knows this game is "more significant than others" because of the rivalry.

Image source, SNS

Bobby Wales is set to be thrust straight in for a debut in the Dundee derby at Tannadice on Saturday and has "a point to prove" after moving to Dens Park on loan, says Scott Allan.

Former Kilmarnock striker Wales, 21, is back in Scottish football after struggling to make the grade at Swansea City following his move last summer.

With Simon Murray out injured long term, can Wales recapture the form he showed at Killie?

"What you're starting to see with [manager] Steven Pressley is he's getting guys who understand Scotland," said Allan, who played for both Dundee and Unitd.

He added: "Wales has a lot of good aspects about his game. As a young player coming back, you'll have that point to prove you're going to be the talisman for this Dundee side. They're very well organised.

"It's ideal for a striker if you can win the ball high up, it means you only have to make one movement to get on the end of crosses and I certainly believe he's one of the strikers who, if given a chance, he can score."

Former Premiership striker Kris Doolan believes Dundee winger Joe Bevan has a big role to play.

"I like Joe. I saw him when he was 17, 18 when he was playing at Albion Rovers, before he went down south," said Doolan.

"A lot of clubs tried to sign him. He's developed physically. He'll be a huge player for them this year."

United are seeking to bounce back from successive 4-0 defeats to Hearts and Celtic, although they hit the woodwork four times in the latter loss.

"Dundee United just now, you have to create chances, you have to finish them," said Doolan.

"They do have goalscorers in their team, they do have good players in there.

"They're maybe still in that position where they're still trying to find that balance between attacking and not conceding lots of goals."

Listen to Dundee derby preview on the BBC's Scottish football podcast

• After their 3-0 victory in April, Dundee United could win successive Scottish Premiership games against rivals Dundee for the first time since January 2015.

• Dundee have won two of their past three top-flight visits to Tannadice (L1), as many as their previous 20 beforehand (W2 D11 L7).

• United are winless in six Premiership games (D3 L3), the longest ongoing run of any side currently in the competition.

• Since the start of May, only Celtic have more top-flight points (18) and wins (6) than Dundee (12 points, 4 wins).

• Across the opening two matches of this season's Premiership, Dundee have completed the fewest passes (493) and have the lowest passing accuracy (70.8%). Despite this, only three sides have recorded more shots than their 29.

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has spoken with midfielder Panutche Camara following the 29-year-old's recent social media outburst. (Record - subscription required, external)

Goodwin found Camara's post "very disappointing". (Courier - subscription required, external)

Thursday's Scottish gossip

Image source, SNS

Manager Jim Goodwin acknowledges that Will Ferry's future remains "up in the air" after confirming that the Dundee United wing-back has been offered an improved contract extension. (The Courier - subscription required, external)

Ronny Costello
Fan writer

Well, I'm not entirely sure how you hit the woodwork FIVE times and still lose 4-0 but United managed it.

Another 4-0 defeat looks horrendous on paper, especially a week after Tynecastle, but this was a completely different game.

Julius Eskesen and Emmanuel Agyei hit the post. Zac Sapsford, Bert Esselink and Mehdi Merghem hit the bar. At some point you start wondering if Celtic had brought their own goals with them.

The difference was simple - Celtic were ruthless and United were wasteful.

And wasteful is the word I can't get away from. We created enough opportunities to make a proper game of it, but somehow failed to register a shot on target for the second week running.

That doesn't excuse the other end either.

Eight goals conceded in two games is concerning however you dress it up. Celtic punished mistakes and poor defending in a way United simply couldn't.

So, we're out the cup, our 11-game unbeaten home run is gone and what's next?

Dundee at Tannadice. Perfect. Because if ever there was a game to make everyone forget the last fortnight, it's that one.

Ronny Costello can be found at the Dode Fox Podcast, external

We asked for your views after Dundee United were eliminated from the Scottish League Cup by four-goal Celtic on Saturday.

Here's what some of you said:

Mierse: Our first three games have been against the top three in Scotland, who all have vastly larger budgets at their disposal. Nine goals conceded and only one scored are not good stats by any measurement but do not show the whole picture. This team are an improvement on last season and they will come good.

Peter: Patience, patience, patience is what is needed before fans start crying out for the manager's head again. To have faced the top three to start a new season is a challenging set of fixtures when the squad has been overhauled.

Dave: The bottom line is United were beaten by a far better team with far better players. However, the way United constantly took the game to Celtic was refreshing.

Mack: Not good enough and need a bit more of a striker with strength. We can't blame Jim Goodwin all the time, but your job is hanging by a thread.

Ross: Disagreed with Goodwin after the Hearts game, where we were totally outplayed and deserved the scoreline. But he's right about this match. United were competitive, particularly early on and the attitude from the players was excellent right to the end.

Ronny: Still can't defend corners or set-pieces, same as last season. This will be a major problem every match, other teams know this.

Jim Goodwin has confirmed that Dundee United intend to offer a new contract to in-demand Will Ferry. (The Courier), external

Read Saturday's Scottish football gossip

Image source, SNS

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin: "It was a very similar type of game to last weekend at Tynecastle [another 4-0 defeat]. I don't think the scoreline is a fair reflection of our performance at all.

"The opening 15 minutes or so was very good as far as we're concerned. The press was good at the top end of the pitch.

"We're disappointed with how we defend the set piece [for first goal]. The delivery is excellent.

"The second goal is the one that really frustrates me, to be honest. "Don't get me wrong, I'm disappointed in the fact that two Celtic players can run into our box unopposed, but I thought the whole point of VAR was to stop those type of incidents happening.

"There is no doubt about it, the ball strikes off the Celtic attacker's hand and lands perfectly for his team-mate to go and tap it into the net.

"I know it wasn't the guy who handballed it who put it into the net, but surely a bit of common sense needs to prevail there. The handball directly impacts on the goal."

Celtic's strong start to the season continued as they swept past Dundee United to book a place in the League Cup quarter-finals.

Read the match report here.

Have your say here

Image source, SNS

Jim Goodwin knows his Dundee United side must be at their best against Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup on Sunday, but believes they have what it takes to upset the odds.

The Tannadice outfit earned a deserved point in their Scottish Premiership opener against Rangers before losing 4-0 at Hearts last weekend.

"It's obviously one of the most difficult draws that you could get," Goodwin told DUTV.

"You know that if you're going to win a cup then you're going to have to face some of the big boys at some stage in the competition.

"Ideally, you probably don't want to be meeting them until the semi-final or the final, but the draw has thrown this fixture up.

"It's early days to be playing Celtic, but it's a really good test for the players. They performed really, really well in the last home game against Rangers, the atmosphere within the stadium was incredible.

"Our supporters contributed greatly on the night, and we gave them plenty to cheer about in that game, and we have to make sure we do the same again tomorrow evening if we're going to get a result."

Celtic have bolstered their squad with the signings of midfielder Mika Baur and winger Haissem Hassan, after the arrivals of forwards Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran earlier this summer.

"Celtic have been the best team in the country for a number of years now," Goodwin said.

"You can see the investment that they've made in their squad during this summer window.

"I think they're touching nearly £40million spend so that gives you an indication as to the quality that we're going to face tomorrow.

"But we showed last year [by beating Celtic 2-0], if we get the game plan right and if the players perform to the levels that they're capable of, then anything can happen, and that has to be the mindset going to the game."

Image source, SNS

Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin has been speaking to the media as his side prepare for Saturday's visit of Celtic in the League Cup.

Here are the main points:

• Goodwin feels his side are "a couple of points short of where we should be given the overall performance against Rangers in the opening fixture" but insists "there were certainly lots of positives to take from it".

• Although "we were feeling really good going into the game against Hearts" the United boss says "we couldn't have got off to a worse start with the opening goal after three or four minutes" as they were beaten 4-0 at Tynecastle last weekend.

• And while he knows "it's not ideal at this early stage of the season" to lose by such a big margin, he insists "I'm pretty confident that we'll get a positive reaction tomorrow".

• On midfielder Abdoulaye Yoro, who joined from Istanbul Basaksehir on loan, Goodwin admits "he's a little bit behind the rest of the group but he's in good shape, just needs that little bit of sharpness".

• And the new midfielder "will be a part of the squad tomorrow and will hopefully make his home debut".

• On transfers, Goodwin admits "in terms of incomings that will be pretty much us in terms of the business that we've done".

• And the manager is happy with the depth of his squad, adding "when everybody is fit and available we're probably going to have to leave one or two players in the stand, which is not something we've had the luxury of being able to do in the three years I've been here".

• The boss feels "we've done some brilliant work in the transfer window and I think we're in a really strong place going forward".

• On facing Celtic in the last 16 of the League Cup, Goodwin knows "it's one of the most difficult draws that you could get" but feels "it's a really good test for the players".

• Looking back on the 1-1 draw with Rangers in their first game of the season, Goodwin feels his side gave supporters "a lot to cheer about" and stresses "we have to make sure we do the same tomorrow night".

• But the United manager is confident, adding "we showed last year that if we get the game plan right, and the players perform to the level they're capable of, we can get a result."

Image source, SNS

Midfielder Abdoulaye Yoro has joined Dundee United from Istanbul Basaksehir on a season-long loan.

The 19-year-old from the Ivory Coast was previously loaned to Dinamo Tbilisi and attended United's 4-0 defeat by Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday.

At Tbilisi, Yoro scored seven goals in 30 appearances.

"He's an exciting young player with a lot of potential and a deal we've worked hard to pull off," manager Jim Goodwin told club media.

"He had a really successful season in Georgia last year, gaining valuable experience of regular senior football and showing his ability in the final third on a regular basis.

"He's technically very good, energetic and has a real hunger to improve. We believe Dundee United is a great environment for him to continue his development and test himself in the Scottish Premiership.

"He gives us another option in midfield and I'm looking forward to working with him."

And Yoro added: "I can't wait to play in front of all the fans.

"I'm a technical player, quick, fast and like to score goals."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

What will we learn a lot about this newly assembled Dundee United squad over the next few weeks?

We should certainly get a flavour of the character it possesses.

Romanian left-back Kevin Ciubotaru last week became manager Jim Goodwin's 11th summer signing.

While a lot of United's transfer business was done earlier in the window, given the size of the player overhaul it is still fair to assume it could take this new-look squad time to gel.

That said, they made an encouraging start to the Premiership campaign, drawing 1-1 with Rangers at Tannadice in a game they could have won.

However, the optimism that followed suffered an almighty jolt as they crashed to a 4-0 defeat at Hearts at the weekend.

While nothing is won in the first few months of the season, a narrative can be set. Goodwin will be hoping it can still be a positive one, despite what happened in the capital.

It is the old football cliche that you learn more about your players amid adversity, so how they respond to that Hearts humbling will be intriguing.

Going back to that word - character - it will be needed in abundance going into a really tough-looking quartet of fixtures.

First up is a home date with Celtic in the League Cup, which is then followed by a Tannadice Premiership derby with Dundee. After that it is back-to-back league away days at Kilmarnock and Motherwell.

If they can get through those games relatively unscathed, then that positive narrative will continue to be built.

If they struggle, the United fans - who are hoping for an improvement on last season's seventh-placed finish - will undoubtedly start to let their frustrations be known.

Ronny Costello
Fan writer

Well, that excitement lasted a week.

After leaving Tannadice last Friday encouraged by United going toe to toe with Rangers, Sunday brought us crashing straight back down to earth.

Gubbed in Gorgie. The biggest frustration was how quickly the game disappeared. Two goals down after 12 minutes at Tynecastle and suddenly whatever gameplan Jim Goodwin had was in the bin.

United did respond, there were chances before half-time and spells where we actually caused Hearts problems. But here's the stat that matters: zero shots on target in 95 minutes.

Hearts were ruthless. United weren't.

And defensively, we made life far too easy for them. You can accept Tom Renaud sticking one into the top bin from distance - sometimes you hold your hands up.

The penalty? Daft. The third and fourth? Far too easy.

Jack Walton making several good saves in a 4-0 defeat probably tells you everything you need to know.

What makes it particularly frustrating is the contrast from Rangers. Last week we were talking about intensity, identity and encouraging signs from a new-look team. Nine days later, almost every positive had been replaced by a question mark.

But it is two league games. One encouraging performance, one absolute stinker. Four points haven't suddenly become the target because we drew with Rangers and relegation hasn't suddenly arrived because Hearts battered us.

The response matters now - unfortunately, Celtic are next, and they've just stuck five past Kilmarnock, so that's handy.

Welcome back, football. I hadn't missed the mood swings.

Ronny Costello can be found at the Dode Fox Podcast, external

United fans, we asked for your views after Sunday's Scottish Premiership defeat to Hearts.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Gary: I listened to Jim Goodwin's post-match assessment, he's either lying or delusional because he says he saw and what actually took place on that Tynecastle pitch are worlds apart. It was a shocking display, especially at the back. We cannot afford to be Jekyll and Hyde this season - zero shots on target and conceding four goals against a Hearts team missing players is unforgivable.

Dave: Jim Goodwin said the people who weren't at the match may have thought that Hearts gave us a good hiding, well I was there and can confirm that they did give us a good hiding. Too many players were off the pace in the first half and in the second half when we got the ball in their box none of our players could manage anything other than tippy-tappy shots in the general direction of the goal. A very poor performance all round.

David: Goodwin thinks a four goal defeat is a close game. Last season's defensive mess continues and with the change of players the only constant is the manager and the coaching staff. Are they capable of putting a team together who can defend? Not on this showing or many games last season

Jenny: One of the strangest games I've seen. There was never four goals between the sides with United playing some nice stuff at times. Lachlan Rose worked his socks off and is already a fan favourite. Once he and the team click it could be a great season for Dundee United.

Alan: Enough is enough, Goodwin has to go. He is tactically naive and keeps trying to defend the indefensible. We need a change at the helm. I know it's early season but it's another Goodwin team that is leaky in defence and offers nothing up front. There's a chance, like in previous seasons, of sleepwalking into a relegation battle. Come on United give yourselves a shake and wake up.

Gordon: Absolutely rotten, a point against a poor Rangers side papered over the cracks. We're in trouble under Goodwin.

Image source, SNS

Dundee United Jim Goodwin: "For people not at the game today, they'd look at the scoreline and think that Hearts have given us a right going over.

"The reality is that we had plenty of the game. In the first half, I didn't think there was a lot between the two teams. Tom Renaud has struck a great ball from 40 yards. That's why we spoke to him in the summer and tried to bring him to Dundee United.

"The second goal is really disappointing. In this day and age, you don't get away with pulling a jersey in the box from a set play. VAR were always going to look at it.

"We gave ourselves a mountain to climb. We tried to make a positive change at half-time, brought on Sapsford. We knew the importance of trying to get the next goal.

"We had two or three chances at the opening of the second half but couldn't capitalise on them. Ultimately, Hearts have done us on the break on a few occasions. We need to learn from that.

"The second, third and fourth goal, there's a bit of naivety in the way we defended those situations. Maybe a bit of inexperience. But these are things I felt we did well against Rangers.

"The reality of the situation is Hearts have hit the target on seven occasions today, and scored four goals. We've not managed to hit the target once. You can't win games of football like that."

Wouter Vrancken got his first win as Heart of Midlothian head coach in his fifth attempt as they put on a classy attacking display to fire four goals past Dundee United at Tynecastle Park in the Scottish Premiership.

Read the full match report here.

Let us know your thoughts.