Faramir

PM7- Stephen, thanks kindly- the test of a good story is how much the writer enjoys telling it- and passing with flying colors so far

HD- I will give you partial credit *chuckle*

***

28.7.01
Celtic (3) Dundee U (1)
Celtic- C.Sutton 12,52 D.Balde 33
Dundee United- S.Carson 84
MOM- Chris Sutton, Celtic

"That wasn't what I was hoping for," stated Faramir. "We had a little pressure, but I can see we need a scorer up front. Charlie didn't look comfortable in the middle, so when we have finished purchasing Anthony Boyce- I will give him a shot right away."

"Carson's goal was a nice one, but his debut was up and down. Our backline didn't play well," added Gond.

Celtic Romps Over Woeful Dundee United
by Sammy Gohl
To the surprise of no one, title contender Celtic had an easy time with ill-prepared Dundee United. Celtic's midfield and forwards were in control throughout the match and the Dundee United backline looked completely disorganized under their unrelenting pressure...

Faramir

Dundee United Buys Boyce
Dundee United today announced the transfer purchase of promising 17 yr old AM/F C Anthony Boyce. The reported cost DunU paid to St.Mirren was around 100K. Despite his youth, there are clear indications that he may be immediately thrust into the midfield mix for Dundee United.

***

4.8.01
Dundee United (3) Dunfermline (2)
Dundee United- D.Lilley 45 S.Thompson 71,78
Dunfermline- J. de Gier 43 S.Hampshire 79
M0M- Derek Lilley, Dundee United

"Nice to have the monkey off our back?" asked Gond.

"Absolutely! Still not the kind of defensive effort we will need, but at least we got those two goals from Steven Thompson after he subbed on. Could be I underrated his scoring ability," commented Faramir.

"You think?" questioned Gond with a smile.

Faramir chuckled, "Tassos will be back pretty soon too- and I was on the phone trying to get a final determination on the WPs- we are starting to shape up. Best of all, little that Sammy Gohl can comment on today."

***

"What are you watching?" asked Gond as he strolled in to the office.

Faramir acknowledged him with a wave, his eyes not leaving the TV, "Highlights from last night's qualifiers for the Champions Cup."

After a moment he turned his eyes away and out the window, "Just dreaming a little of how it would be to play in Europe."

Gond looked thoughtfully at him, "That's right, you never did get the chance when playing."

Faramir shrugged, "Duty called. I couldn't turn down the chance to serve in combat."

Thoughtfully, Gond softly stated, "That was when you're leg was mangled by shrapnel."

Not saying anything, Faramir nodded.

Faramir

"Lady?"

"Aye, Lord."

"I can't be certain, but somehow I believe the thoughts I feel- from wherever they are- are getting stronger. They are more vivid and I believe they must be the same person every time. It seems like I may actually be sometimes be drifting in this person's mind."

She pondered his statement quietly, then responded, "That could well be Lord. It also may not be from 'wherever'- it may be from 'whenever'. I told you that time has no partciular meaning in the place where you are- so these thoughts may well be from some point in our distant past- or distant future."

Faramir thought about that a moment, "To be certain, the thoughts are strange ones. The last fleeting one was about a tournament I believe- a competition. It may have been an archery competition, there seemed to be some mention of 'Championship flight'."

Galadriel was quiet a moment, "I can't sense what you sense of these thoughts Lord. I believe you could be correct when you mentioned they are somehow attuned to your mind. Where or whenever they are coming from- it could well have some distant linkage to you- maybe even related to your line."

"My line?" Faramir snorted. "Dear lady, I have *no* line."

"You will," firmly stated the soothing voice, "You will."

Faramir

Work Permit denied for Poskus
Dundee United was disappointed by the news today that there would be no Work Permit issued for Lithuanian forward Robertas Poskus. There was general disappointment and dissatisfaction at the decision, based solely on the fact that the forward was not making regular appearances on their National side.

***

12.8.01
Kilmarnock (1) Dundee United (1)
Kilmarnock- J.Varielle 85
DundeeU- J.Buchan 90
MOM- Paul Gallacher, Dundee United

"Disappointing effort wasn't it?" asked Faramir.

Gond bobbed his head in agreement, "Steven (Thompson) couldn't hit the broad side of the barn today- he had some excellent chances."

"Good thing that Paul was so good in net- they had more, and better, shots than we had today. At least we should have Tassos (Venetis) back for our next match. Still, Jamie Buchan's goal was a great one- to get us a point from a match where we really didn't deserve it."

"How long is Danny (Griffin) out for?" asked Gond.

Faramir winced, "At least a month. That hurts us quite a bit- losing his leadership out there."

Faramir

13.8.01
Dundee U Nabs Nicholls
Dundee United announced the transfer purchase of forward Mark Nicholls from Torquay. The reported cost of acquiring him was in the 250K range. Nicholls is a 24 yr old FLC and has kicked around several clubs the past several seasons without really being given a chance at forward. Reportedly, Nicholls may be paired with Derek Lilley up front.

***

13.8.01
Work Permit Issued for West
In a move that surprised no one- a Work Permit was issued to allow Taribo West to join Dundee United. West, with 25 Caps for Nigeria, will likely move directly into the starting lineup for Dundee U, as skipper Danny Griffin is out for a month due to a knee injury.

***

14.8.01
Stenhousemuir (2) Dundee United (4) League Cup 2nd round
Stenhousemuir- M.Mooney 11 D.Scott 38
DundeeU- J.McIntyre 19 S.Carson 58 A.Boyce 82 D.McCracken 85
MOM- Jim McIntyre, Dundee United

"Pretty good debut for Anthony (Boyce). He moved the ball around well and was just a force on the dribble," excitedly stated Gond.

"Uh, Barry- before you get too excited- this *was* Stenhousemuir. They are solid, but they are Division 2, and I am not certain he would have had as much room against a higher level club."

"True," offered Gond. "But it was an impressive first impression, any way you stack it. He did lead us to the win after all- something that shows a bit of maturity."

Faramir nodded, "I wasn't discounting his performance- just don't want to get too wrapped up in it. I was pretty happy overall- except for Alan (Combe). He wasn't too sharp in the early going when they took the 2-1 lead. Still, we showed plenty of composure out there- that was a good sign too, given this loud- if somewhat small- hostile crowd here."

Faramir

18.8.01
Waddell Sold to Manchester City
Dundee United announced the transfer sale of promising young defender Ryan Waddell to Manchester City. Manchester City reportedly paid 425K for the 16 yr old Scot DC. Waddell was a product of the Dundee U youth program and though the club was high on him- they were willing to part with him given the glut of other young defenders on the club.

***

18.8.01
Dundee United (0) Hearts (1)
Dundee U- None
Hearts- S.Severin 29
MOM- Antti Niemi, Hearts

"Talk about snake-bit! That would have been a superb debut by Mark (Nicholls) except for the posts. I still can't believe he hit the posts 4 times and none of them went in," offered Gond.

"We outshot them 10-0 in the second half- that was a good half of football, but we have nada to show for it," sighed Faramir.

Hearts Trumps Dundee United
by Sammy Gohl
Hearts, clearly looking the more organized of the two sides, easily edged Dundee United at Tannadice Park. Despite only getting one goal from Scott Severin, they looked much the superior club and could easily have won the match by more. Dundee United staged a small second half rally, but were doomed by their continually wasteful shooting.

Faramir

King Kerr!
Dundee United surprised many observers by outbidding several larger clubs for the right to acquire phenom Mark Kerr from Falkirk for his 800K minimum fee release. Kerr stated he was pleased that he would have an immediate opportunity to contribute at Tannadice Park- something the other clubs apparently weren't willing to promise him. The 19 year old will almost certainly fill one midfield slot- in an attempt to boost the moribund Dundee U offense.

***

"Hopefully, we can settle things down now and concentrate on developing the club," said Faramir.

"It would be nice. We haven't shown any offensive consistency yet," replied Gond.

"If we can get our midfield working together, we will surprise some teams. I think at this point we are going to feature Paul Gallacher more in the net. Alan (Combe) hasn't been playing particularly well and he also hasn't practiced well."

***

23.8.01
Welcome the Rabi
Dundee United completed the transfer purchase from Assyrika of forward Rabi Youssef for a cost of 45K. Youssef, who holds dual Swedish/Syrian citizenry, said he was happy to move up in levels of competition to come to Tannadice Park. It is expected that he will see some time on the reserve side until through some training on the Dundee tactical approach.

***

24.8.01
Butra Signs On
Dundee United introduced another forward today, as they announced they had signed 23 year old Spaniard Butra. Butra is expected to fit into the forward mixture immediately. He was signed on free transfer after being released by Almeira earlier this year.

***

25.8.01
Dundee United (3) St.Johnstone (2)
DunU- M.Kerr 40 D.McCracken 57 S.Carson 90
St.Johnstone- K.Parker 28,77
MOM- Kiegan Parker, St.Johnstone

Faramir slumped in his chair and wiped his hand tiredly over his face and wistfully said, "We have to find an easier way to win these matches."

"At least it was a win," chuckled an also exhausted Barry Gond.

"If we could have figured out a way to corral Kiegan Parker- it would have been much easier, but to be honest- Paul (Gallacher) should have had the first goal."

Gond tilted his head, agreeing, "We still did a lot of things right in the match- we played much better than they did- except for Parker and Alan Main in their net- he was the one who really kept them in the match."

"Kerr sure quieted the fans murmering on how much we paid for him. By the end of the match I think they were in a bit of awe with how much of an impact player he can be- at his young age," laughed Faramir.

St.Johnstone Suffers Unlucky Defeat
by Sammy Gohl
In a match when they appeared much superior to home side Dundee United, St.Johnstone fell to an unlucky last minute goal. It appeared the match would end in a 2-2 draw after Kiegan Parker dominated the Dundee United backline, but Stephen Carson hit a shot that took a fortunate curve and the Tannadice Park crowd left in undeserved cheerful spirits.

Faramir

8.9.01
Motherwell (1) Dundee United (2)
Motherwell- D.Kelly 51
Dundee United- S.Thompson 40 T.Venitis 60-P
MOM- David Hannah, Dundee United

"I didn't think we were going to be able to escape that one," stated Gond.

"Nor did I. At least until the ref pulled out the redcard and sent Mark Brown off- he was keeping us out pretty well. Still we stuck with them the first half when they were playing much better than we were. It was good to see Steven (Thompson) score again."

"David (Hannah) deserved his MOM honors. He really organized our defense well today. That helped us weather the storm in the first half."

Motherwell Robbed of Result
by Sammy Gohl
It was a clear case of referee favortism that handed Dundee United a victory against Motherwell today. With the match knotted at 1-1, Mark Brown was clearly pushed by Tassos Venetis. Instead of making the obvious call, the referee blundered and awarded Brown a redcard and allowed Dundee United to steal the result away with the ensuing penalty kick.

***

16.9.01
Dundee United (2) Hibs (1)
Dundee United- M.Nicholls 25 T.Venetis 34
Hibs- C.Brewster 59
MOM- Mark Nicholls, Dundee United

"It was great to show so well when we were on the telly," smiled Faramir. "Though it was close, we really had a lot of good play on our part."

Gond agreed, "That was the best we have worked with our passing attack. I think the players are starting to get more comfortable in their roles and that bodes well for the rest of the season. By the way, are you sure there won't be any fallout from transfer listing Derek Lilley?"

"No- I am not sure," shrugged Faramir. "Still, I can't have him calling our leadership into question- because he believes he deserves more playing time. I don't really care how much it upsets him or other players- that conduct means he will do better on another club."

Faramir

19.9.01
Dundee United (2) Kilmarnock (0) League Cup 3rd Round
Dundee United- R.Youssef 41,43
Kilmarnock- None
Dundee United- Rabi Youssef, Dundee United

"Quite an impressive debut for Rabi, wasn't it?" knowingly asked Gond.

"Well, he did make a nice splash. It was funny listening to the Kilmarnock players talk on the way off the pitch- their scouts hadn't even mentioned him- because they didn't think there was any chance of him playing against them. That is another reason I won't mind moving Lilley- if we can- because we have some talented youngsters in Butra and Rabi- and I would love to get them more playing time."

***

22.9.01
Rangers (2) Dundee United (4)
Rangers- S.Arveladze 23 R. De Boer 59
Dundee United- T.Venetis 16,64 M.Nicholls 66,89
MOM- Tassos Venetis, Dundee United

"If I am the 'Gers- I would hate to read the headlines tomorrow," chortled Gond.

Faramir smiled, "No reason to gloat Barry. We earned it with our play. Tassos (Venetis) was absolutely brilliant- neither Barry Ferguson nor Claudio Reyna could stay with him tonight. It was even better to do it in front of the telly audience."

"I can see now why you thought Mark (Nicholls) was worth the wages. Those were two pinpoint shots he made against Stefan Klos- very nice shooting," commented Gond.

Faramir

23.9.01
Derby Big on Aljofree
Derby went big on Hasney Aljofree as they paid a whopping 2.2 Million for the versatile Dundee United midfielder. Aljofree was reportedly happy to go back to his native England, especially with the assurance of a starting role and a large increase in his wages. Dundee United was happy with the sudden boost in revenue and may splash some of that for another player.

***

26.9.01
Dundee United Buys Keith
Dundee United, using some of the funds from the sale of Hasney Aljofree, completed the transfer purchase of forward Marino Keith from Livingston. Keith was unhappy with his lack of playing time at Livingston and had been placed on the transfer list at his own request. The purchase price was in the neighberhood of 400K, well below what Livingston had originally hoped to fetch for the 26 yr old SC.

***

29.9.01
Dundee United (3) Livingston (0)
Dundee United- M.Nicholls 8 M.Keith 10 T.Venetis 45-P
Livingston- None
MOM- Danny Griffin, Dundee United

"Faramir, did you give Keith his debut against Livingston on purpose?" slyly asked Gond.

Grinning, he replied, "Well, the thought did cross my mind that he would be highly motivated. I can see why they didn't appreciate him there- they have such a plodding offensive scheme. He didn't fit in at all with them. Now here, on the other hand, we have a proper appreciation for his blinding speed." Stopping to smile broadly for a moment, "He really did have a nice debut, didn't he?"

Gond laughed, "Yes, and even better was the fact that he and Nicholls were really in tune with each other up front- it made them more dangerous."