Dundee United

We asked for your views on Dundee United's 2-0 defeat against St Mirren.

Here's what some of you said:

Jamie: United were absolutely dreadful. St Mirren were superb and played us off the park from the first minute to the last. They played some really tidy football. Our players have completely downed tools. Declan Gallagher's body language throughout was embarrassing. Jim Goodwin has had eight games as a United manager post-split and collected zero points. If we do not get fifth place after being nine points clear, he must be sacked.

Ross: As United's season seems to be ebbing away, this display looked more like tired players playing together for the first time than a former tight unit, solid in defence and resolve. Quite simply beaten by a team who looked sharper and wanted it more. United were flatter than a drunken pub singer. Getting a tune out of this squad for the next two games may be an impossible task for conductor Goodwin. The 2025 form guide proves what United have become - a mediocre mid-table side.

Greg: Very poor performance. Seems like everything is starting to fall apart and finishing sixth would be a massive blow from the position we found ourselves in. Goodwin's tactics must start to come into question as he has to change them at half time or before the last few games.

Gary: It was the worst United display for a long time. Could NOT give anyone a pass mark. Goodwin made a big mistake telling players they were leaving. Club captain has to go. Glenn Middleton has to go, David Babunski has to go along with others. We are going to be well short. Goalkeepers are not going to stay. Neither is Sam Dalby. Let's get real. Even if we do get in the Conference League, we will get beat by some minnows. Is it worth it? I don't think so.

Andy: The three post-split performances have been dreadful. Goodwin telling everyone who'll listen we've over-performed and telling key players they're out at end of the season. Amateur hour from him! Zero points from eight post split games now as United manager. Unacceptable.

Jim: Outplayed and out thought by a team of big skilful players, United now suffering from letting Kevin Holt go and Ross Graham being injured. Up front, the few good chances were put over the bar. United are on the crest of a slump and the mid season signings have added nothing. Thankfully we are top six, because bottom six we would be struggling.

Blackpool boss Steve Bruce was at Tannadice on Saturday to watch Dundee United striker Sam Dalby, who will be a free agent when his Wrexham contract expires at the end of the season. (Daily Record), external

Read the rest of Sunday's Scottish gossip.

United fans, were you at Tannadice on Saturday or following the action from home? Either way we want your views on the defeat to St Mirren. What did you make of the performance? Are you still confident of securing the final European spot?

Give us your views

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Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin tells BBC Scotland: "We have no complaints about the end result, I thought St Mirren were the better team on the day.

"In these games over the season the first goal has always been vitally important and unfortunately St Mirren got that. We kept going but the longer the game went on i just felt we looked as if we were running out of legs in the middle of the pitch, we caused a lot of our won problems and St Mirren thoroughly deserved their own victory.

"We didn't pass the ball well enough. You know St Mirren are an aggressive team and in previous games we've handled that well and were able to play ourselves out of trouble. I'm not making any excuses but we've got so many players just now that are nowhere near 100%. It's been a long gruelling season and it's catching up with us now.

"The players have been magnificent, I'm not going to stand here and be overly critical of them. Today wasn't due to a lack of fight, I just thought St Mirren were better at the ugly parts of the game. Today they got the better of us. We won the previous four, St Mirren won the fifth.

"We knew what was at stake for ourselves today but I think this group of players, having done what we've done off the back of just being promoted, I can't criticise the players too much.

"The last three performances haven't been what we want them to be and I sense the frustration from the supporters and rightly so. But sometimes you have to put your hands up and say you were beaten by the better team."

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Had United won, they would have been guaranteed at least a fifth-place Premiership finish and European football.

But poor defending, coupled with a lack of cutting edge at the top end of the pitch, consigned them to another post-split defeat.

Jonah Ayunga was able to pick up the ball in space inside United's penalty area under little pressure to help the Buddies on their way to their first goal, and the winger was left in acres of space when he grabbed St Mirren's second.

In fact, Ayunga had the ball in the net for a third goal for the visitors but he was marginally offside in the build-up.

United's top scorer Sam Dalby had numerous chances, particularly in the second half, but couldn't direct any of them on target.

As a result, Jim Goodwin's side have set themselves up for a fight to secure European football in their final two games.

Luton Town have triggered a contract option for goalkeeper Jack Walton, who has been on loan at Dundee United for the past two seasons. (The Courier - subscription required), external

Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip.

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Dundee United defender Ross Graham (hamstring) is unlikely to feature again this season while Luca Stephenson (hernia) is absent.

Manager Jim Goodwin is optimistic Emmanuel Adegboyega, Declan Gallagher and Sam Cleall-Harding will shake off fitness issues.

St Mirren pair Mark O'Hara and Ryan Alebiosu are doubtful and Owen Oseni is unavailable. However, Evan Mooney is back training following an ankle injury and could be included in the squad.

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Dundee United captain Ross Docherty has expressed a desire to stay at Tannadice beyond this season.

Docherty, 32, signed for United in 2023 having left Partick Thistle and was part of the side that won the Scottish Championship last season.

The midfielder has been dogged by injury this term, making just 12 starts, and is battling to convince manager Jim Goodwin he deserves to be kept on.

"Obviously, my contract is up in a few weeks," Docherty said.

"This is a huge club - it's the reason I came. For me, it's been a privilege being here and if I can stay it would be amazing.

"It's just about focusing on these next few games and that's what the manager's message has been. You want to do that anyway because there's so much at stake, you're really focused on that.

"We'll have a chat at the end of the season and see what happens."

Docherty has not given up on United finishing third this season, but says even fourth or fifth place would be "amazing".

United sit fifth - six points behind third-place Hibs - with three matches to play and can guarantee European football with victory over St Mirren on Saturday.

"Before the split, we were targeting that third spot," Docherty said. "I'm not saying it's completely done now but it's going to be very difficult. We'll try and get third, and if we do, it would be unbelievable.

"Even still, if we can get fourth or fifth for this club it would be amazing. From where this club was a year ago, it would be an amazing achievement.

"Being the captain of the club for the last couple of years has been a huge honour. It's been a long journey and we've stuck together so I'm hoping that we can push through for the last few games and get that spot."

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Jim Goodwin says securing European football would be the "icing on the cake" for Dundee United this season and "make a significant difference" to his summer transfer budget.

United will guarantee a top-five finish and a place in Europe if they beat St Mirren on Saturday.

"We've had a really good season, I'm pleased with what we've done up to now to put ourselves in this position," said manager Goodwin.

"Top six was probably above most people's expectations for this group this season and we achieved that but we don't want to just fizzle out.

"We want to try and pick up as many points as we can between now and the end of the season, the onus is on us being the home team to go and try and get the result.

"It [European football] would be a great achievement for everyone at the club.

"There's been a lot of hard work behind the scenes, the players receive a lot of the plaudits because they're the ones who are going out there and performing every week and winning games.

"The season as a whole has been really, really positive but European football would just be the icing on the cake.

"It's something that a lot of the group haven't done before, financially everybody knows that the prize money can make a significant difference especially when you're going into the summer transfer window with regards to budgets and everything else like that. It would play a real key part.

"We're not there, we've never assumed for one moment that we were, we always knew it was going to be a fight right until the end and we're very much in it."

While skipper Ross Docherty is still fighting to prove he deserves a future at Tannadice, Goodwin is keen to keep forward Glenn Middleton beyond this season.

"I think Glenn has had a really good season," Goodwin said. "He has been very consistent in the main.

"His goals contribution in terms of assists has been very productive and that's what you look for from your forward players.

"He's one I think has further development left in him. Hopefully we can sit down with Glenn and his representatives and get him to commit to Dundee United again next season."

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Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has been speaking to the media before Saturday's visit of St Mirren.

Here are the key lines from his press conference:

• United are "still hurting" after shipping eight goals in defeats to Hibs and Celtic in the past two games.

• Goodwin praised Stephen Robinson's St Mirren for their "physicality" and despite winning all three fixtures against the Buddies so far this season without conceding any goals, United are braced for a "battle".

• A win would guarantee at least fifth - and a place in Europe - for United but a loss would mean St Mirren are only two points behind and Goodwin insists his side have exceeded expectations by finishing in the top six.

• He adds: "European football would just be the icing on the cake, we always knew it was going to be a fight right until the end and we're very much in it."

• Goodwin is keen to secure Glenn Middleton, who is out of contract this summer, on an extended deal, saying the winger has been "very productive" in terms of assists and "still has further development left in him".

• On captain Ross Dochery, whose deal also expires this summer, Goodwin says the midfielder has been "unfortunate" with injuries but is "very influential" when fit and adds: "Ross knows the situation also. We'll sit down with him at the end of the season and have the conversation that we need to have."

• Owner Mark Ogren is coming to Scotland next week and Goodwin says: "We'll have a conversation with regards to what the recruitment strategy is going to be, what the budget looks like. Of course we'll have a clearer indication to what that budget will be once we know exactly where we're going to be."

• He adds: "The European money is quite significant and would make a huge difference in terms of the players we might be able to attract."

• It was a "no-brainer" to send "terrific" 20-year-old Miller Thomson on loan to Falkirk amid interest from other clubs and manager John McGlynn has done a "remarkable" job in steering the Bairns to the Championship title.

• Goodwin praised young players Owen Stirton and Ruairidh Adams after their spells at Montrose and Kelty respectively: "These players off the back of these loans have been called in to the Scotland set-up and had international recognition which is fantastic for raising their own profiles but also for their development."

• "Important" defender Ross Graham is likely out for the remainder of the season.

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• Dundee United have won all three of their league games against St Mirren this season; the last side the Tangerines won four times against in a single top-flight campaign were Aberdeen in 1998-99.

• St Mirren have only lost one of their past five away league games at Dundee United (W3 D1), although that was their most recent in November this season (2-0).

• Dundee United have lost their past two league games by an aggregate score of 8-1, and could lose three in a row for only the second time this season, having last done so in February.

• St Mirren have only suffered one defeat in their last six league games (W3 D2), although that was their last away game at Dundee in April (2-0).

• Mikael Mandron has scored four goals in his past three away league starts for St Mirren, while 83% of his Scottish Premiership goals this season have come on the road (5/6), the highest ratio of any of the 41 players with 5+ goals in the competition this term.

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Dundee United want to keep winger Glenn Middleton beyond the expiry of his contract this summer, manager Jim Goodwin has confirmed. (The Courier), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

Ross Graham is unlikely to play again for Dundee United again this season and fellow Tannadice central defenders Emmanuel Adegboyega, Declan Gallagher and Sam Cleall-Harding are carrying knocks going into Saturday's visit of St Mirren. (Courier - subscription required), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

Ronny Costello
Fan writer

Well, that was a tough watch.

Heading into Easter Road, there was cautious optimism in the air – a real chance to push for fourth, maybe even higher.

But what we got was a first half that simply wasn't good enough. No urgency, no bite, and far too passive for a team with so much still to play for.

Hibs came flying out the traps and we just never matched their energy. That early goal from Martin Boyle was a right kick in the you know whats.

Heads dropped, and it felt like deja vu from some of the flatter performances earlier this season. The shape wasn't right, we lacked composure in midfield, and too many players just didn't show up in that opening 45.

Second half, fair play, there was a bit more about us. We got a foothold, asked a few questions, and grabbed a goal that gave us a glimmer. But again, lapses at the back killed us, and conceding late on made the scoreline as sore as the performance.

It's not the result, it's the manner of it. In a game of this importance, that first half was criminal.

And now? It puts huge pressure on this weekend's showdown with St Mirren, who have had two excellent results since the split and would love nothing more than to leapfrog us in this run-in. They'll fancy it too, especially if we don't wake up from the first whistle.

The boys owe us a reaction at Tannadice. With Europe on the line and our rivals breathing down our neck, there's no more margin for error. Let's hope this was the wake-up call we needed, before it's too late.

Ronny Costello can be found at The Dode Fox Podcast, external

The Sportscene panel analyse the performance of both Hibs and Dundee United after the Edinburgh side ran out 3-1 winners at Easter Road.

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Watch all the highlights from Hibs' 3-1 victory over Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership.

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We asked for your views on Dundee United's defeat to Hibernian on Saturday.

Here's what some of you said:

Eddie: Setting your team up not to lose isn't the same as setting your team up to win a game. Far too often Jim Goodwin has had to change the team and system at half-time due to him setting up the team far too defensively.

Alex: A back three doesn't work against teams like Celtic or Hibs who use the width well, Vicko Sevelj's best position is centre mid. If you play two centre forwards - you need wingers to supply, also forced Jack Walton to kick long & his kicking can sometimes lack quality. We have not been the same hard, resilient team during 2025 - losing Kevin Holt and injuries to Ross Graham & Luca Stephenson & Craig Sibbald have not helped - plus David Babunski has not reached his potential. I really enjoyed watching United before New Year but the record so far this year is not good - unfortunately we may lose several players over summer and have to re-build again

David: I think it was the wrong decision from the manager to tell players their contract was not being extended before the season was finished. Players are less likely to give 100% and risk injury if they think they'll have to find another club when the season is over. I think that was evident with Declan Gallagher yesterday. He's been great all season but made some glaring mistakes yesterday.

Lee: United were woeful in the first half especially in defence but after a transformation in the second half, they deserved something from this game. Since Holt left and Goodwin naively told Declan Gallagher with five games to go he wasn't getting a new contract at the end of the season showed poor man management. The defence has been a shambles with the normally reliable Gallagher making an uncharacteristic schoolboy error for the first. United lack the depth in their squad to stay competitive with injuries to key players Ross Graham and Luca Stephenson not helping.

Gordon: United need to win against St Mirren. Just break this dreary run. We have the tools just need to put a performance together, we cannot be as poor defensively as we were at Easter Road. Onwards and definitely upwards!

Denis: Another poor team selection by the manager. The January signings have all been very disappointing. When we reached the top six we were in a strong position to finish third but are now looking over our shoulder at St Mirren who can beat us to fifth. Hopefully we don't see a repeat of zero wins after the split. Some serious recruitment required.

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• Martin Boyle scored his 12th goal of the Premiership this season, more than any other Hibernian player. The forward has contributed to goals in his last five home games in the Premiership (three goals, two assists).

• Hibernian have avoided defeat in their last 13 matches when scoring first in the Premiership, since a 1-4 loss to Dundee on 23 November 2024. They are also unbeaten in their last 27 Premiership matches when leading at half-time (W20, D7) dating back to 18 March 2023 against Celtic (L1-3).

• David Gray's side have stopped the opposition from scoring a first-half goal in 21 of their 35 games, only Celtic (25) have done this more often in the Premiership this season.

• Nicky Cadden has assisted his sixth goal at the Premiership this season, no Hibernian player has more.

• Hibernian have scored 16 goals via substitutes in the Premiership this season, only Celtic (22) have scored more.

• Dundee United have failed to win any of their last six matches when conceding first in the Premiership, since a victory over Dundee on 2 January 2025.

• Jim Goodwin's side have failed to score a first-half goal in 23 of their 35 games, only St. Johnstone (25) have failed to score more often in the Premiership this season.

United fans, did you make the trip to Edinburgh or were you following the action from home? Either way we want your views on the game. How disappointed were you with the first half performance? What do you think went wrong for your side?

Let us know your thoughts

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Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin: "We got off to the worst possible start.

"It was a mistake ultimately, you can't do that against that level of opposition. The second goal was a poor one, the third one was a free header in the middle of the six yard box. When you analyse the goals back, they are situations we have to manage better. We didn't do the basics in those situations well enough and that's why we were on the wrong end of the result.

"I don't think there was a lack of effort or commitment in the first 45 minutes but we definitely lacked a bit of energy and pace at the top end of the pitch. Hibs are a very atheltic team and are always a real threat on the counter-attack.

"At 2-1 we were very much in the game and you could sense that bit of anxiety around the stadium but I thought Hibs ran out worthy winners in the end.

"Right now we're all a little bit flat because that's two defeats back to back but I have to keep reminding myself of the position these players put us in in the first place. I'm not going to stand here and throw anybody under the bus because the players have been fantastic.

"We can't allow the season to peter out now, a great result for St Mirren today, they'll still believe they can catch us. We have to have the mindset that we're capable of catching Hibs and Aberdeen above us.

"I think everybody out there with a connection to Dundee United would have accepted top six before the season started but now we're getting a little bit greedy and we're thinking about European places. I think the main priority for us now is to secure fifth and if we do that let's see how high up the table we can get."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Well, where do you start with this Jekyll and Hyde United performance? Horrendous in the first half. Tremendous in the second.

The mistakes they made in defence in the opening quarter of the match were as glaring as they were completely unexpected. Normally organised, disciplined, defensively strong and hard to beat, they were none of those things before the interval and this was not the ground to put in one of their poorest 45 minutes of the season.

Credit to the manager, though. He made a double change at half-time, hauling off Jort van der Sande and David Babunski and replacing them with Kevin Trapanovski and Glen Middleton. They affected quite the transformation, with Trapanovski almost immediately reducing the deficit from close range.

Their chances of third place are now a long shot but regardless, they've been a welcome addition to the Premiership and on the evidence of the second half, their season is far from over.

Plymouth Argyle head of data Ross Goodwin is expected to join Dundee United as head of recruitment. (Courier - subscription required), external

Ryan Strain, 28, is eager to secure European football with Dundee United after leaving St Mirren following their qualification for this season's Conference League. (Record), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

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Hibernian pair Elie Youan and Lewis Miller are back in contention after injury, but captain Joe Newell (groin) and Kwon Hyeok-kyu (ankle) are set to remain sidelined.

Dundee United are without Ross Graham (hamstring) and Luca Stephenson (hernia) but Lewis Fiorini could play some part.