As I walked away from Gayfield on Saturday I found myself asking the above question. The answer I think is definetly open to debate, but here is my tuppence worth for what it is worth. As United toured Austria, not only was I gutted that I had to miss out on the trip but also United only went out and beat a Brazilian team that had reached the semi final of one of their national tournaments apparently! The next game against Galatasaray gave us the first chance to see United this season as the goals were posted on an internet site. Sadly it seemed as if the goals we lost(3-1 defeat) were like goals we had lost last season – defensive errors playing there part greatly. As to the final game of the tour, the reports said United missed lots of easy goal scoring opportunities – deja vu anyone?
Our team came home and I for one was looking forward to paying a visit to Brechin to welcome the team, as it happened we fielded a weakened team, Brechin charged £8 and the wife was working nightshift – all these things meant I did not go to the game. United played stinking, got beat 3-2 and the season ahead was beginning to take on an ominous feel. So onto Gayfield and confident as I was I took along the young lad to show him his future heroes. They didnt let us down. Despite going behind to an early goal that made Jim Lauchlan look slower than early vcr scroll functions, the United team soon took command and hit Arbroath for five.
Since this game I have been involved in banter with those of the dark blue persuasion, who have told me that beating Arbroath in pre season 5-1 was, if anything, the least we should expect from a SPL outfit. So what did Saturday tell me about the United team for the coming season? Well in Duff, Wilson and O’Donnell we have stars of the future – Wilson in particular looks an amazing prospect. It looked to me as if Smith sees Wilson as the natural successor to the midfield berth that may be vacated by the departure of Danny Griffin. Steven Thompson looks full of confidence and if anything looks even better equipped than the end of last season when he steamrolled into Mr Vogts’ Scotland squads. Craig Easton appears to have accepted the added responsibility of his now experienced position within this inexperienced team. In Kevin Mcgowne, we have signed a colossus of a defender. He looks to me to be a better model of Jason de Vos, he won everything in the air but his main deficiency? He’s slower than Lauchlan by the looks of it.
Anyway it is two more friendlys this week against lower league opposition then onto hgihfield Road on Saturday, a game which will tell me a lot about the United player I feel. I feel that the most important thing about pre season games is confidence. To this front I believe that smithy has chosen the games and the formation of the games excellently. Come the start of the season I think United players will be brimming with confidence for the challenge ahead and I genuinely believe that they will be confident of a top 6 place and maybe even a top four place.
Near the end of the season I will look back on this article and see if the players I have mentioned have proven to be the kind of player I thought after seeing them in pre-season games. For me, this will tell me whether pre-season games really do tell us anything or not.