It has been an interesting year to be a Saints fan. For once we weren't involved in a relegation battle but wins in the SPL have been few and far between, meaning we've found ourselves returning to our normal league position this season. We were unlucky not to make the last four of the Scottish Cup and still have a League Cup semi-final to look forward to early in the New Year so all in all it's not been too bad - but it's not been a particularly memorable one either. Big improvements are needed over the next few months if we are to steer clear of a fight to beat the drop but before that we have a chance to finish the year on a high.
There have been signs of a Saints revival in recent weeks. The rather lacklustre defeat at Celtic is the only game we've lost in the last month and we've managed four points in our last two games against sides that were sitting second going into those matches. We played well for 70 minutes against Motherwell and could have beaten Inverness Caley Thistle - although we could also have lost so perhaps we shouldn't be too greedy. Hopefully the efforts of our players in those games hasn't left them drained and they can put in another spirited performance tomorrow.
Surprisingly, considering how well United have done in recent years, we have yet to lose at Tannadice under Danny Lennon. Mind you, until October we hadn't lost to them at home under Lennon either and that record was quickly put to bed. Our good run there, combined with the fact the Arabs haven't won at home since August, suggests we'll do our usual, upset the form book and help a team end their poor run!
A big part in our recent upturn in form has been the performances of Steven Thompson. The big striker is back on the goal trail with three goals in his last two games and will be relishing the prospect of adding to his tally against one of his former clubs. I know of at least one United fan who doesn't rate him so hopefully he will follow in Dougie Imrie's footsteps and silence his old fans. Lewis Guy is likely to return to the side after being left on the bench on Wednesday before coming on and managing to have about four shots in as many minutes - two hitting the woodwork and two ending with an offside flag!
Marc McAusland and Jim Goodwin will both be available again for this one and are both likely to start, although the patched up defence did fairly well in their absence on Boxing Day. Imrie and David Barron have done well when they've been asked to in the last few games and would perhaps feel aggrieved if they are dropped, but squad rotation is likely with another game coming on Wednesday. Paul Dummett could also be available again and will probably step in for Graham Carey, but sadly we're going to be without Kenny McLean for both games with injury. Thankfully, Jon Robertson has stepped up his performances lately while John McGinn is continuing to impress.
It seems a number of Dundee United fans are rather disillusioned with the efforts of Peter Houston, a number that is gradually growing as the weeks go past. I think it's grossly unfair as every season he loses his best players and is given no money to replace them, having to rely on Bosmans and free agents to bolster his squad. OK, it's the same problem everyone has - but not everyone is losing the likes of David Goodwillie or Paul Dixon every summer and that's hard to cope with. It'll be interesting to see if his contract is renewed in the summer or whether the Tannadice power brokers will fancy a change. Admittedly, their form hasn't been too good of late, but they are still well placed to push on and they often come on strong in the second half of the season.
One of the players Houston turned to last year was John Rankin. It was a strange signing as he'd just been let go by Hibs after a couple of underwhelming seasons at Easter Road and it looked even more bizarre when Houston said it would probably be the only new arrival. However, it turned out to be a masterstroke as Rankin has recaptured the form he showed in his early days with Ross County and Inverness Caley Thistle. It's perhaps stretching it a bit to say he'll be the next player to swap United for a place in England but it's fair to say his performances in the last 18 months have been terrific. Not quite so impressive is Willo Flood, who many United fans want to see dropped - or taken off set-pieces at the very least. Our old pal Rudi Skacel has been rather unimpressive since rocking up at Tannadice a few months ago and is probably just biding his time until he can return to his beloved Hearts. A game against us is probably just what he's been waiting for to kick-start his form.
The United defence is usually a pretty solid unit and this season is no different - perhaps more so thanks to the departure of Garry Kenneth over the summer. Radoslaw Cierzniak looks to have settled in well following his summer arrival, while Sean Dillon is continuing to perform well at rightback and was recently handed a new contract. Keith Watson sometimes plays there or in the middle and seems to like scoring in Europe and Barry Douglas has been getting more of a chance following the loss of Paul Dixon in the summer. Brian McLean was a surprising summer signing but seems to be more of a squad player rather than a regular starter.
United have arguably one of the most potent strike partnerships in the SPL this season in the form of Johnny Russell and Jon Daly. The latter had to play part of the season in defence but has now returned to his attacking role, while his younger team mate has been terrific. A Scotland call-up and a move down south surely awaits, but sadly for us he's still at Tannadice after United laughed off Huddersfield's efforts to sign him in the summer. "Insulting" I believe was the word used to describe the bid for Russell and Gary Mackay-Steven, who is terrifically entertaining to watch - when fit. Sadly for both him and Houston that has been a rather rare occurrence this season and he'll probably be sidelined for tomorrow's game as well.
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