retired_bbcarr

excellent work, faramir :thup:

retired_destiny1124

15.12.01
Dundee United (4) Dundee (0)
Dundee United- T.Venetis 4-P C.Miller 8,20 D.Lilley 31
Dundee- None
MOM- Charlie Miller, Dundee United

"Very economical shooting, great passing all around and a great Derby showing- just the way I like it," said a satisfied Faramir.

"They didn't show us much today, that's for sure. Every one of their key players- especially Jamie Langfield- had a terrible match. Juan Sara was a non-factor all match. Our midfield never let them get any sequences going- we broke everything up today," offered Gond.

"Alan (Combe) deserves a lot of credit. After all the grief I have given him, he is working well in spot starts- so I guess there is hope that this is just something he can work out of (giving up bad goals)," continued Faramir. "Now comes the big test though- three road matches in a row against Hearts- Aberdeen and Celtic. Time to see if our club has the mettle in it."

***

Dundee United Lets Apolloni Go
Dundee United today announced that they would let unhappy Luigi Apolloni go on free transfer to Spanish side Cadiz. Apolloni was expected to help anchor the Dundee United backline, but wasn't able to overcome minor injuries that kept him out and allowed Danny Griffin and Taribo West establish themselves in the first team.

retired_destiny1124

Thanks Terk - you're doing well yourself

retired_destiny1124

19.12.01
Hearts (1) Dundee United (2)
Hearts- P.McKnight 6
Dundee United- C.Miller 18 M.Nicholls 63
MOM- Paul McKnight, Hearts

"I would love to see the vote that got McKnight the MOM honours, because if Antti Niemi didn't deserve it- I don't know who did," said Gond.

"Have to agree with you on that Barry. We outshot them 20-7, and only beat them because Butra made a brilliant run that Niemi couldn't ignore- then Butra's cross found Mark Nicholls all alone on the far corner for the winner," replied Faramir.

***

22.12.01
Aberdeen (3) Dundee United (2)
Aberdeen- R.Bisconti 7 Darren Young 47 R.Winters 77
Dundee United- M.Keith 3 M.Kerr 24
MOM- Roberto Bisconti, Aberdeen

"It was frustrating to watch him (Bisconti) dominate our midfield. We couldn't do a thing with him today," said Gond with the shake of his head.

"We had our chances, Paul (Gallacher) didn't play all that well today- it would have been a good match to earn a draw in, ah well..."

***
26.12.01
Celtic (2) Dundee United (1)
Celtic- J.Hartson 2 C.Sutton 16
Dundee United- Butra 60
MOM- Chris Sutton, Celtic

"We have to figure a way to get a better start against them. If you throw out that first 20 minutes- we outplayed them the rest of the match," thundered Faramir.

"Robert Douglas was very sharp for the. Alan (Combe) did pretty well himself and if we had given him some help in the early going- this might have been a different match," answered Gond.

"I thought all of subs (Jim Lauchlan, Butra and Abgar Barsom) did an excellent job providing us the boost we needed- we just couldn't get the ball past Douglas. Losing Danny (Griffin) hurt."

"Even worse is the injury," sighed Gond. "Danny will be out a month with his knee injury and with Taribo's yellow card- he will be suspended also."


Celtic Crushes Dundee United
by Sammy Gohl
Celtic used its 1-2 tandem of John Hartson and Chris Sutton to crush Dundee United 2-1 at Celtic Park. Though the score was close, Celtic had the match firmly in hand throughout. They allowed the visitors only a late consolation goal from ineffective sub Butra, before clamping down and finishing off the side from Dundee. The loss to Celtic makes it two in a row for struggling Dundee United, and it won't be long before Rangers and Aberdeen overtake them.

retired_destiny1124

Barry Gond looked up from the last heaping of vitriol from Sammy Gohl, "I know he hates you- well us- but you have never told me why he has such a deep dislike for you?"

Faramir quietly thought a moment, seemingly staring at the wall filled with pictures of Dundee United's football history, "It goes back to our time in the army."

"He was in the Army?? With you??"

"Yes, though you can imagine what kind of soldier he was. In fact, he was pretty much as he is now- except it was within the confines and structure of Army life. He was out for himself at all times, and he craved power. Because he is not the most physically imposing specimen, he found his path to power was by information- or misinformation when it better suited his needs. He could always be found gathering gossip, and even then seemed to have an uncanny ability to spin it, twist it and send it on his way to support whatever goal he had at the time."

"What did all the other soldiers around him think of this?"

"Most didn't even realize what was going on. Likely due to his upbringing, he was a sneak- I suspect he has always been that way from his early childhood. So, there were few that realized he was twisting strands to people's emotions and tending to control and funnel the responses- much like a puppet master."

"How did you know what was going on? How did you know him?"

"Not all of us were blind to his machinations. A fried of mine in his unit was onto him and had warned me of him. My friend thought he was harmless, but was concerned about him and was looking for a way to put him in his place. My friend was keeping an eye on him on the side and thought he had discovered something of importance about what Gohl was doing."

"Oh, is that why he hates you then? Because you helped your friend?"

"My friend died in mysterious circumstances before I could help him- he hadn't even told me exactly what he suspected."

"What? Did Gohl do it?"

"I have my suscpicions about the death. But, there was nothing concrete to back those up with. Without that, there was little I could do. Nor was there anyone I could really take the matter too."

"Why does he hate you so much then?"

"Because I caught him out in a lie to a superior officer and provided that superior officer with enough information to figure the situation out on his own. That was enough to get him thrown out of the Army. I think it took him awhile to figure out who had triggered the discovery of his deception- but he figured out that I was the one who provided the information. It has been war between us since that time."

"Wouldn't pointing that out to his editors be enough to get them to rein him in on his attacks?"

"I would rather have him in plain sight working against me. I believe he would be even more dangerous if I forced him back into the shadows. Never forget that Barry, he may look like a freak- may look harmless- but there is a cunning and twisted mind there and I believe he would resort to violence whenever he thought he could get away with it and it served his purposes. He is dangerous."

retired_destiny1124

1.1.02
Dundee United (1) Dunfermline (0)
Dundee United- D.Lilley 7
Dunfermline- None
MOM- Jim Paterson, Dundee United

"I was very happy to see Derek score that early goal, we usually have little luck with Marco Ruitenbeek," smiled Barry Gond.

"It was par for the course against him after that- though Derek should have had that other goal, I still don't know how he wound up offside on the play," stated Faramir.

"Celtic won 6-2. They are now 15 points ahead of 2nd place Motherwell- looks like nobody can catch them given how well they have been playing of late. Still we have a shot at a top 3 placement," added Gond.

***

19.1.02
Kilmarnock (3) Dundee United (6)
Kilmarnock- I.Durrant 5,22 G.McCutcheon 69
Dundee United- M.Nicholls 16 D.Lilley 30 T.Venetis 41 M.Kerr 55,75 J.Fullarton 67
MOM- Mark Kerr, Dundee United

"Quite a blizzard of goals on our part- well their part too actually," stated Gond.

"We were due for an explosion. We had been playing well, getting good chances- but not scoring. Today we added the scoring part. I felt a bit sorry for Colin Meldrum," offered Faramir.

"He did play well. Iain Durrant looked pretty chipper for a 35 year old- he ran past Tassos (Venetis) twice. That was the crispest passing we have had all season."

"It was just like we drew it up on the boards- and practiced on the practice fields. Now, if we can keep consistently getting the effort- we should do well."

"Why are you starting Derek Lilley now? I was surprised to see him in the lineup again."

"Because I want to sell him- and the best way is to feature him when we can. If he keeps scoring like today, we may finally find a suitor for him."

retired_destiny1124

26.1.02
Dundee United (2) Clyde (0) Scottish Cup 3rd round
Dundee United- C.Easton 7 D.Lilley 15
Clyde- None
MOM- Derek Lilley, Dundee United

"I really liked our killer instincts in this one- even though the score was only mild," said Faramir.

"We jumped on them early and never let up, you're right- that was encouraging. The passing was superb again, which is even more suprising when you realized we just had a hodge podge squad out there today."

***

2.2.02
Dundee United (5) Livingston (0)
Dundee United- T.Venetis 9 R.Youssef 45 D.Lilley 49 M.Kerr 68 Butra 77
Livingston- None
MOM- Butra, Dundee United

"Ok, they have earned a day off from practice with that performance. It couldn't have been much better," happily commented Faramir.

"Oh, they will like that a lot. Yes, that match was all about execution and everything we did- we did well."

retired_destiny1124

6.2.02
Dundee United (1) Hearts (2)
Dundee United- Butra 21
Hearts- A.Webster 45 R.Tomaschek 88
MOM- Jim Lauchlan, Dundee United

"That was frustrating!" grumbled Faramir as he settled in to the seat in his office.

"It could have gone either way. I don't know why but Antti Niemi always seems to have our number. We threw everything but the kitchen sink at him today and all we had to show was Butra's nice goal," said Gond.

"If the referee doesn't wave off two of our goals on offsides- then it does go the other way. But, both did appear to be offside, so I can't gripe about the calls. At least we didn't lose any ground to Motherwell- Celtic beat them today."

Hearts Hammer Dundee United
by Sammy Gohl
Hearts roared from behind to send Dundee United tumbling with a hugely disappointing 2-1 loss for the home side. There were many catcalls for Dundee United Manager Faramir after he fielded a side that featured few of the players actually considered good. The early lead went to the home side on a lucky goal by Butra, but the fans sensed it wouldn't last and it didn't as the Dundee United backline crumbled again.


***

9.2.02
Motherwell (1) Dundee United (1)
Motherwell- P.Harvey 73
Dundee United- T.Venetis 68
MOM- Paul Gallacher, Dundee United

"That was about as even a match as you could play- even down to the keepers," stated Gond.

"Shots were even at 11, pretty much same stats for both clubs. Stats don't show what a battle it was out there today," commented Faramir.

"Paul (Gallacher) was superb today, Mark Brown could well have earned the honours for them- that was quite a goalkeeping duel they staged," answered Gond.

"Well, despite how tough the match was and how even it was- we did *not* play our best match out there. We let a lot of chances slip away. I think part of that was from not playing the starters on Wednesday- that decision turned out to be bad in more ways than one."

"Don't be too hard on yourself Faramir. After all- despite the loss and the draw we still hold a goal differential advantage on Motherwell and a point in the standings over 'Gers."

retired_destiny1124

13.2.02
Dundee United (2) Dunfermline (2) League Cup Semi-final at Tynecastle Park
Dundee United- Tassos Venetis 16,67
Dunfermline- S.Petrie 8 B.Nicholson 80
MOM- Tassos Venetis, Dundee United
Dunfermline advance to Finals on Penalties

"Crap!" was the loud expression from Faramir as he looked at the ceiling. "We should have had them in regulation. We should have had them in extra time."

"Penalties is always a dicey proposition," sighed Barry Gond. "You realize the fans are ready to run Stephen Wright out of town on the next train after his missed penalty cost us the match?"

"I will be more than happy to oblige them- if I can find a taker for him. He has been grousing for the last two months about not starting. I didn't want to use him in the match, but when West reinjured his knee- I thought it would be best to use him. Looking at it now, I am sorry I didn't sub on Jamie Fullarton and move David Hannah to the backline. Still, I can't believe we couldn't score any more goals against Marco Ruitenbeek. We put 18 shots on goal to their 3 on goal- we get two and they get two."

Gond shrugged, "It was a great effort. I don't think we can fault Paul Gallacher on the goals- he didn't really have a chance at either of them."

Nodding, Faramir slumped in his chair, "Yes, it was just one of those days. Still, I was really hoping to meet up with Celtic in the Finals."

"Did you see the injury news?" asked Gond.

"No- how bad?"

"Mark's (Nicholls) out for a month. Taribo (West) should only be out two weeks. Still, we were more fortunate than Motherwell was. They lost Steven Nicholas in their Semi-final loss to Celtic- he will be out for 6 months due to knee surgery."

"Ouch. Still, we can afford our losses more than they can afford his loss."

Dunfermline Dumps Dundee United
by Sammy Gohl
Underdog Dunfermline broomed out Dundee United as they moved on to face Celtic in the Finals of the League Cup. Dundee United fans were undoubtably second guessing their Manager's choice of Stephen Wright to take the key penalty kick and rightfully so as Wright completely botched the kick and sent them back to Dundee with their tails between their legs.


***

16.2.02
Hearts (3) Dundee United (5)
Hearts- S.Widera 1,60 T.McManus 61
Dundee United- M.Kerr 10,46 J.Fullarton 64 D.Lilley A.Barsom 89
MOM- Mark Kerr, Dundee United

Faramir grabbed a towel and doused off the sports drink his players had dumped on him in the closing moments of the match, "What a wild match that was."

Gond chuckled at his drenched nature, "The look suits you."

Looking up, Faramir smiled, "The drowned rat look is in."

They both laughed before Faramir continued, "When they got those pair of quick goals, I was a bit worried how we would respond."

Gond sat down, "It appears you needn't have worried. You do realize it was you who won this match for us, don't you?"

Shaking his head in disgreement, Faramir said, "No it wasn't- our players are the ones who picked it back up and showed their determination. Even with only Kerr from the first line playing, we made it work."

"But it was you who foxed Jefferies this time. When you made the formation switch, you caught them off balance and because they were slow to respond- Jamie (Fullarton) was all alone to score the equalizer. Not only that, but then you didn't shift to our usual formation- which was what they were expecting- and suddenly we were getting easy chances right and left as Craig (Easton) and Mark (Kerr) cut off the midfield from their backline. No, say what you like- you deserve a lot of credit this time around."

retired_destiny1124

23.2.02
Dundee United (3) St.Johnstone (2)
Dundee United- R.Youssef 3 D.Lilley 20 M.Kerr 69
St.Johnstone- N.Dasovic 26 G.Jones 32
MOM- Tassos Venetis, Dundee United

"We don't believe in taking the easy way out, do we?" smiled a tired Gond.

"Doesn't seem that way," replied Faramir who was rubbing his neck in an effort to get the tension out. "We were up on them so quickly, then we relaxed. I think we will talk about this match a lot during the week in practice- it makes several points- the main one being don't quit- ever."

"Mark (Kerr) is really becoming one of our leaders- he amazes me for his age," added Gond.

"One of those perfect fit acquisitions- he has given us exactly what we need," replied Faramir. "I am worried about next week's match at Ibrox. Without Charlie Miller and Mark Nicholls, we don't match up nearly as well with them."