http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk The latest news about Dundee United FC Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:23:12 GMT en-us http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nid=3436 http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nid=3436 Sun, 7 Mar 2010 17:26:33 GMT Full Time Summary: After their second half dominance a 1-0 win was the least the tangerines deserved and but for some last ditch defending and missed opportunities the win would have been far more comfortable. The main thing however was the three points gained which now send United off to Ibrox next week in the Scottish Cup with confidence high. Man of the Match: - On a day when there were several good performers in tangerine the award goes to Danny Swanson for another industrious display in the United midfield. Not everything came off but continually he beat opposition players with ease and also ended up winning a very physical personal battle with Suso Santana. United: Pernis, Webster, Conway, Swanson, Buaben, Gomis, Kenneth, Kovacevic, Casalinuovo (Daly 65), Dixon (Dillon 60), Goodwillie (Sandaza 77). Subs not used - Banks, Dods, Myrie-Williams, D Robertson. Hearts: Balogh, Wallace, Goncalves, Santana, Obua, Stevenson, Novikovas (Templeton 55), Mole (Nade 46), Thomson, Elliot, Mulrooney (Smith 80). Subs not used - Ridgers, Glen, Smith, McGowan. Referee - Mike Tumilty Attendance - 6683 ]]> After completely dominating for over an hour United claimed a deserved three points courtesy of a Morgaro Gomis goal in the 78th minute. Only last ditch defending and missed opportunities prevented further goals as the host reclaimed third spot after a convincing performance.

It was a slow start but Hearts were slightly the brighter early on and Suso Santana went close after cutting inside and curling a right foot shot towards the bottom corner from 20 yards with Pernis doing well to turn round the post. United were struggling to get into the game but did have a shout for a penalty with just under quarter of an hour played as David Obua appeared to handle the ball on the ground under intense pressure from David Goodwillie, but referee Mike Tumilty waved play on. A corner after 19 minutes gave United an opportunity to test the Hearts defence and from the Conway delivery Garry Kenneth headed down for Goodwillie who smashed the ball away from goal and off Andy Webster before the visiting defence cleared. Another corner followed shortly after and this time Kenneth did test goalkeeper Janos Balogh who did well to block his left foot snap shot from six yards. There was another appeal for a United penalty when Goodwillie went down under a challenge from Goncalves but again no kick was awarded before Pernis bettered his earlier save after 23 minutes, diving superbly to his right to tip a Mulrooney drive round for a corner after Conway had lost possession in midfield. The best chance for United of the opening 45 came on the half hour mark when Gomis fed Goodwillie into space on the right side of the box however United's top scorer drilled his shot wide when the keeper really should have been made to work. A good cross from Goodwillie in 35 minutes saw Prince Buaben tumble in the 6 yard box under the challenge of Santana but again despite the appeals no penalty was awarded. Casalinuovo then had his first opening as half time approached but headed over after beating goalkeeper Balogh to a flighted ball from Dixon.

Goodwillie forced an early corner then Casalinuovo caused concern in the centre of the Hearts defence with a low cross as the Tangerines looked to pressurise early on. In 53 minutes Goodwillie had another chance when the ball dropped at his feet after a Conway drive was blocked but he could only lift the ball over the bar from eight yards. An ambitious effort from Swanson flew wide before Prince Buaben missed a glorious chance for United on 64 minutes. Swanson played the ball down the line to Goodwillie who did well to hold off Obua before crossing inside for the United midfielder who bulleted a header wide from an unmarked position at the near post. Then as Danny Swanson drove at the defence space opened up for him to attempt a left foot curling shot which was straight into the arms of Balogh. With 20 minutes left Buaben had another great chance when Conway teed him up around the penalty spot and the Ghanaian's side foot shot was well blocked by Hearts's Ryan Stevenson as Balogh looked like he was about to be beaten. Buaben was heavily involved in an attacking sense for United and showed great ambition when striking a thunderous right foot shot which would have beaten Balogh all ends up had it not drifted wide of his right post. No sooner had Fran Sandaza received a rapturous reception from the United faithful following his long awaited return from injury than his side finally found themselves in front in the 78th minute. Following a foul on Kovacevic on the right flank Conway delivered a good ball into the area which eventually fell to Gomis ten yards out after Kenneth had an initial effort blocked, with the United man continuing his goal scoring exploits of the previous week by stepping inside and seeing his shot deflected into Balogh's left corner to the obvious delight of the fans behind the goal. United broke on several occasions late on as Hearts tried to push forward and they couldn't make the most of a mix up in the box which saw Gomis just fail to reach the loose ball with Balogh completely exposed. Conway sent a free kick over with a minute left as the hosts tried to clinch the points and they were nearly gift wrapped in injury time as the lucky Goncalves only conceded a corner when his attempted header back to Balogh was off target so a corner was the end result. In the end though Gomis' strike was enough to claim all three points and a return to third spot.

Full Time Summary: After their second half dominance a 1-0 win was the least the tangerines deserved and but for some last ditch defending and missed opportunities the win would have been far more comfortable. The main thing however was the three points gained which now send United off to Ibrox next week in the Scottish Cup with confidence high.

Man of the Match: - On a day when there were several good performers in tangerine the award goes to Danny Swanson for another industrious display in the United midfield. Not everything came off but continually he beat opposition players with ease and also ended up winning a very physical personal battle with Suso Santana.

United: Pernis, Webster, Conway, Swanson, Buaben, Gomis, Kenneth, Kovacevic, Casalinuovo (Daly 65), Dixon (Dillon 60), Goodwillie (Sandaza 77). Subs not used - Banks, Dods, Myrie-Williams, D Robertson.

Hearts: Balogh, Wallace, Goncalves, Santana, Obua, Stevenson, Novikovas (Templeton 55), Mole (Nade 46), Thomson, Elliot, Mulrooney (Smith 80). Subs not used - Ridgers, Glen, Smith, McGowan.

Referee - Mike Tumilty

Attendance - 6683



]]> http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nid=2787 http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nid=2787 Fri, 5 Mar 2010 11:53:56 GMT online. The first prize of £200 goes to Caroline Crosby of Craichie. The Dundee United Lottery is sponsored by www.arabestpublishing.co.uk. ]]> This week's Lottery Winners are now online. The first prize of £200 goes to Caroline Crosby of Craichie.

The Dundee United Lottery is sponsored by www.arabestpublishing.co.uk.

]]> http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nid=3432 http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nid=3432 Thu, 4 Mar 2010 13:24:58 GMT Dundee United today announced that full back Paul Dixon had signed a new two year contract extending his current contract by one year until the end of May 2012.

The 23 year old former Dundee player has been a revelation at Tannadice since being signed by former manager Craig Levein in June 2008 and his consistent form for the Club was this week rewarded with a call up to the full Scotland squad.

Manager Peter Houston said, "Paul was probably signed with one eye on the future, but quickly adapted to the demands of playing at a higher level in the SPL and soon established himself as an indispensable first team player. He has great pace and technical ability and his recent call up to the Scotland squad was fully merited and thoroughly deserved. His work rate and attitude is second to none and this, coupled with the fact that he is a local lad and a United fan, has also made him a popular player with supporters.

"Paul is one of a number of players whose contracts expire in 2011 and who we wish to remain at Tannadice. I am convinced that Paul has a big future in the game and I'm delighted that for the next two years at least, that future will be at Dundee United."

Paul Dixon added, "I'm delighted to commit to a further year at Dundee United. I wish to thank those who have assisted my development at the club and that includes the fans. I look forward to what I'm confident will be a successful period for the Club."]]> http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nid=3428 http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nid=3428 Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:13:48 GMT
Despite a difficult financial climate, turnover for the year was £5.792m, a reduction of just £50k on the previous year, with a profit of £221k before interest and taxation. This takes into account a transfer gain of £461k. Bank interest charges were £357k, down from £543k in the prior year, reflecting reduced interest rates generally and a decision to enter into an interest rate swap at a fixed rate.

Net administration costs rose by £211k, due to combination of factors including increased utility bills, essential repairs and also an internal reclassification of overhead cost centres. Wages rose to £3.60m (2008 - £3.34m) due to the renewal and extension of various contracts. The wages to turnover ratio was 62% (2008 - 57%).

Bank borrowing at the end of the year stood at £5.996m. A further reduction of £100k was made to the term loan during the year, reducing this balance to £5.4m, while the overdraft figure was increased from £116k to £596k, some of which was due to the Setanta default. Nevertheless, this borrowing was well within the terms of the bank borrowing facility, which has since been renewed by the Bank. During the year, Directors' Loans were reduced from £192k to £135k.

Chairman Stephen Thompson said, "At the beginning of the year, we forecasted a modest net profit, based on various factors including finishing no higher than sixth in the SPL. We actually finished in fifth place, but did not receive the expected, or budgeted, payment from the SPL due to Setanta failing to meet their contractual obligations. This resulted in an exceptional bad debt and a modest net loss for the financial year. Had it not been for this event, which was totally outwith our control, the Club would have posted a net profit for the second successive year.

While undoubted progress has been made in the Club's underlying financial position over the last few years, the collapse of Setanta will continue to have an impact on the Club, and indeed the whole of the SPL, in the current year to June 2010 and also into the following year. While major expenditure decisions were taken during the year to June 2009, based on the assumption that existing contractual obligations would continue to be met, as the replacement TV contract is considerably less than the previous one, we have faced certain challenges. We have tackled these quietly and diligently, with the full support and confidence of the Bank, and while cost saving measures have been and will continue to be pursued, we have also successfully secured additional funding to cover any shortfall. Some of this funding has come from the Thompson family, in line with previous pledges made.

In summary, in a difficult financial climate generally, the financial results for 2009 are largely in line with what was forecasted last year, were it not for the exceptional bad debt incurred at the end of the year. The reduced level of TV income has however presented challenges in the current financial year and will continue to do so in the next year, but I am confident that the measures which have been put in place to compensate for this will ensure that the Club continues to thrive."
]]> http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nid=3425 http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nid=3425 Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:52:42 GMT Teams: Celtic: Boruc, Hinkel, Rogne, Thompson, Braafheid (Naylor, 77), Brown (c), N'Guemo, Ki, Kamara (Zhi, 72), Keane, Fortune (Samaras, 80)(Subs not used: Zaluska, Wilson, Crossas) Dundee United: Pernis, Kovacevic (Dods, 82), Webster (c), Kenneth, Dillon, Buaben, Gomis, Conway, Swanson (Myrie-Williams, 67) Daly, Casalinuovo (Goodwillie, 67) (Subs not used: Banks, McCord, D. Robertson, Shala) Referee: Craig Thomson Full report to follow.]]> United missed the chance to narrow the gap at the top of the SPL table and were unfortunate not to get something from the game after slipping to a narrow 1-0 defeat to Celtic in Glasgow.

A first half Robbie Keane goal - his first for the club at Parkhead - was enough for the home side to take all three points.

Despite a period of late pressure from the Tangerines, Peter Houston's team couldn't get the equaliser.

In a fairly flat opening quarter-of-an-hour, neither side looked like threatening, but in the 20th minute, Celtic took the lead with a goal out of nothing.

Diomansy Kamara picked up the ball in the middle of the park and played the ball through to Keane.

The on-loan Tottenham striker beat the offside trap and was one-on-one with Dusan Pernis in the United goal, and he slotted the ball into the bottom corner of the net to put his team 1-0 up.

The Terrors had a couple of half-chances from set-pieces but couldn't capitalise and went into the interval trailing by Keane's solitary strike.

In the second period, both teams looked hungry to get the next goal and it was Celtic who created more of the chances, only to be denied by Pernis on a number of occasions.

However, United came close when substitute Jennison Myrie-Williams was fouled on the right hand side.

Craig Conway pulled the resulting free-kick back to the Londoner at the edge of the box and he let go with his right foot, but the shot curled only inches wide of Artur Boruc's right hand post.

Jon Daly had United's best chance in the closing stages when he started and almost finished off a good move. The striker held the ball up and played it out to Myrie-Williams on the right. The winger cut inside and fired a low cross into the penalty area which fell to Daly just six yards from goal, but Boruc managed to save at the striker's feet, and Celtic held on for the victory.

Teams:

Celtic: Boruc, Hinkel, Rogne, Thompson, Braafheid (Naylor, 77), Brown (c), N'Guemo, Ki, Kamara (Zhi, 72), Keane, Fortune (Samaras, 80)(Subs not used: Zaluska, Wilson, Crossas)

Dundee United: Pernis, Kovacevic (Dods, 82), Webster (c), Kenneth, Dillon, Buaben, Gomis, Conway, Swanson (Myrie-Williams, 67) Daly, Casalinuovo (Goodwillie, 67) (Subs not used: Banks, McCord, D. Robertson, Shala)

Referee: Craig Thomson

Full report to follow.]]> http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nid=3421 http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nid=3421 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:39:49 GMT Take 3 Girls, who will bring the sounds of the 1950s up until the present day, featuring the likes of the Supremes, Dusty Springfield and Take That. Prices are just £40 per person, or just £350 for a table of ten. Come along and make it a night to remember! To find out more, please contact Keith Haggart, Paul Reid or Ronnie Dare.]]> The final Dinner of the Centenary season sees a change of tack from the Commercial Department with Dundee United's first ever live music event.

The Dundee United Cabaret Dinner takes place on Friday, 12th March at the Invercarse Hotel in Dundee.

The evening kicks off with a drinks reception at 7.30pm, followed by a superb three course meal.

The entertainment on the evening will be provided by local group Take 3 Girls, who will bring the sounds of the 1950s up until the present day, featuring the likes of the Supremes, Dusty Springfield and Take That.

Prices are just £40 per person, or just £350 for a table of ten. Come along and make it a night to remember!

To find out more, please contact Keith Haggart, Paul Reid or Ronnie Dare.]]>