Dundee United

Richard Winton, BBC Sport Scotland

Former Dundee United manager Tam Courts is not a contender to take over at newly-promoted Dundee.

Courts, who left United last summer for a stint in Hungary with Honved, has been linked, external with the vacancy created at Dens by the departure of Gary Bowyer.

However, while the 41-year-old is keen to return to management, he has neither applied for the position, nor spoken to Dundee.

The bookmakers' current favourite is Ian Murray of Raith Rovers after Callum Davidson turned down the job last week.

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Ronny Costello, The Dode Fox Podcast, external

The ba' is almost burst.

We gave ourselves a real chance with three wins in a row heading into the split, since then, it’s been a disaster. Three straight defeats, two goals scored and six conceded… every one of those goals was preventable and you would be embarrassed to concede them at five-a-sides with your mates.

Saturday was our 21st league defeat of the season yet somehow we are still not down given our fellow strugglers Kilmarnock and Ross County also tasted defeat at the weekend.

The change in our goalkeeping position from last season to this really is unbelievable. Last year, Benji Siegrist would earn us 10-12 points on his own.

This season, Mark Birighitti has cost us that. And more. Howlers v Hearts, Celtic, Motherwell, St Johnstone and Livingston just off the top of my head and we lost ALL those games.

Our ex-goalie is sitting in the Parkhead stands picking up a wedge and even had the cheek to post an Instagram when Celtic won the title… he hasn’t played a minute in the campaign so doesn’t even get a medal.

His replacement has had a shocker. Every player can make a mistake, but when a goalkeeper does, it tends to lead to a goal and even if we had picked up a point in each of those games I mentioned, we might not have such a fear factor going into the final two matches.

On Wednesday night we face Kilmarnock. The proverbial six-pointer that we seem to have had the last three games and only the UK’s performance in Eurovision seems to come close to how bad we’ve been.

Win in midweek and you never know, but we would still have to repeat that magic on Sunday at Motherwell.

Like most United fans, I just want to see the back of this season. Ideally still in the Premiership.

Over to the players now. It’s do or die really.

Dundee United are in desperate need of victory on Wednesday where defeat to Kilmarnock could see the Tannadice men relegated.

Who would you pick to get the job done on a seismic night at Tannadice?

Pick your United XI here.

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US-based owner Mark Ogren will jet into Scotland on Tuesday before Dundee United's crucial game against Kilmarnock. (The Courier)

Dundee United Scottish Cup winner Jon Daly is the new boss of League of Ireland side St Patrick's Athletic. (The Courier)

Read the rest of Tuesday's gossip.

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Former United midfielder Craig Easton joins BBC Sport Scotland commentator Liam McLeod to preview Wednesday's huge match against Kilmarnock, while the pair also hear from manager Jim Goodwin.

Give the podcast a listen, here and be sure to subscribe on BBC Sounds so you never miss a daily episode.

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Jim Goodwin has insisted nobody at Dundee United is "brushing anything under the carpet" after mistakes were made in Saturday's defeat to Livingston, but that the team's focus has to shift to their crucial Kilmarnock clash.

United welcome Derek McInnes side to Tannadice in the penultimate game of the regular league season on Wednesday, with the Ayrshire club three points ahead of The Terrors.

Goodwin said there was a "positive reaction" at training on Monday as he wants to see "everyone nice and bright".

“We are not brushing anything under the carpet," he said ahead of the midweek match.

“We have spoken about the mistakes we made on Saturday and we emphasised again the importance of Wednesday in terms of making better decisions in those key moments and if we do that then we give ourselves a really good chance."

United comprehensively beat Killie 4-0 at home earlier in the season, before Goodwin took to the helm, but the visitors were victorious on Tayside in their Scottish Cup meet.

“I don’t think there is a great deal between the two teams, it will be a close affair again like most league games are, but there is lot of stake for both teams," Goodwin added.

“But we have some very good players in that dressing room who are more than capable of turning it on.

“Every game since I came through the door has been massively important and the next one is the most important but Wednesday night is the biggest game of the season.

“We don’t need to over-emphasise what is at stake. We are still in the fight.”

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Tyrone Smith, BBC Sport Scotland

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has been speaking to the media ahead of Wednesday night's crucial Scottish Premiership showdown with Kilmarnock.

Here is a taste of what he had to say:

• He said the game is the "biggest of the season", adding "we have to play this game like it is a cup final".

• United are disappointed with the last three results, but he says the positive spin is that "we are still in the fight".

• Goodwin believes "managing emotions is extremely important at this stage of the season, especially with the severity of what is at stake".

• The manager said the message at today's morning meeting was to "not feel sorry for ourselves" and that on Wednesday, player will "need to run through brick walls for eachother".

• On whether Steven Fletcher will play, he said they will make a late decision, adding he will be "given every chance to be fit".

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Sportscene pundit James McFadden is concerned for Dundee United's Scottish Premiership safety, especially with striker Steven Fletcher's fitness in doubt.

The former Scotland international missed Saturday's defeat to Livingston, with manager Jim Goodwin adding he is "touch and go" for Wednesday's crucial clash with Kilmarnock.

"Dundee United are in trouble," McFadden said on Saturday night's highlights show.

"A few weeks back they got three wins in a row and it looks like they’re out of it. I don’t know if the players have taken their eye off the ball, I know for a fact that Jim Goodwin wouldn’t have - there’d still be the same preparation - but I don’t know if the players felt as though that was it, they were safe.

"Then add in the fact that Steven Fletcher is missing, he’s pivotal. Any time they’re playing well, he seems to be at the forefront of that.

"Clearly we’re running out of time and when you lose a player like Fletcher, it’s a massive player to lose and it makes it really tough for them."

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We asked you for your thoughts after Dundee United's loss to Livingston, with relegation fears alive again.

Here's what you had to say:

Brian: Every time Livingston broke forward, which was very easy, they always looked like they were to score. Terrible defensive play and nightmares every time it went back to goalkeeper. Not saying the young lads who came on weren’t good, but did not have the strength required for this must win game for us. We are where we are because we're poor.

George: All season the two things needed to go down a leaky defence and lack of goal scorers, we have had. An inactive transfer window, we’re left facing the inevitable.

I feel sorry for Liam Fox and Jim Goodwin who can do nothing once the players go on the pitch. We need a clear out and to start again with the playing staff in particular, the senior members of the squad.

Robert: A disastrous season, almost entirely self-inflicted. Looks like we’re going down. Huge investment will be needed next season to build a team capable of bouncing back. Another failure on that front might see us consigned to a lengthy period outside the top division. That would be a blow from which we might not recover. A team of errors not terrors.

Jim: How to try to get relegated. Start season, find you've got two dodgy keepers. Sign young defender Ayina with no experience, keep playing him. Transfer Watt with no replacement and hope Fletcher keeps fit "oops."

Hope young players come good. This seems to be right method to disaster.

Ally: Our inability to keep the ball coupled with glaring defensive errors is going to see us in the Championship next season. That we’re relying on youth strikers is irrelevant as they’ve no service anyway.

Wallace: Last three games have proved United are a team playing in the wrong division. Team needed improvement in January window but sadly it never happened and now paying the price due to poor management.

Well United fans, how are you feeling? Worried? Optimistic?

Send us your take on the 2-1 loss to Livingston here.

Andrew Petrie, BBC Sport Scotland

The bubble has officially burst for Jim Goodwin. With three wins on the spin heading into the split, it looked like United might be the ones to pull themselves out of danger.

Instead they've lost three from three, and Goodwin has just two games to avoid disaster. Right now, his side are careering towards the edge of the cliff with no sign of slowing down.

Livingston were in the worst form in the bottom six before today. This game would have been targeted as the turning point.

Instead, United gave themselves far too much to do with more disastrous defending.

And when they threw everything forward, it mainly involved kids. Without Steven Fletcher, Rory MacLeod was entrusted up top. When it didn't quite work for the youngster, 18-year-old Miller Thomson was thrown on alongside Matthew Cudjoe and Kai Fotheringham. Worrying signs.

Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin told BBC Scotland: "I'm disappointed to lose the game. I sound like a broken record but I can't legislate for the goals we've conceded again here today.

"We've given ourselves a mountain to climb, similar to last weekend. Today is just poor decision making and giving Livingston a goal head start.

"We spoke about it all week, showed them footage of what Livingston do. We know what they do. I'd have preferred the goalkeeper to stay and Loick to deal with it.

"The reaction was good. We controlled the game after that and scored a good goal of our own. The second goal is a catalogue of errors. A poor clearance, there's no cover on the centre-half.

"We can't keep having to score two or three goals to take something from the game. It's just not feasible.

"Honestly, four of the goals we've conceded lately are really, really poor. We just need to get back to basics."

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Livingston: George; Devlin, de Lucas, Boyes, Montano; Se Kelly, Shinnie; St Kelly, Penrice, Nouble; Anderson.

Substitutes: Hamilton; Brandon, Parkes, Omeonga, Holt, Bradley, Pittman.

Dundee Utd: Birighitti; Ayina, Mulgrew, McMann; Niskanen, Harkes, Sibbald, McGrath, Behich; Middleton, MacLeod.

Substitutes: Newman; Pawlett, Djoum, Edwards, Levitt, Freeman, Fotheringham, Cudjoe, Thomson.

Dundee United forward Steven Fletcher is out of Saturday's crucial Scottish Premiership meeting with Livingston and the striker's season could be over as United battle relegation. (Courier - subscription required), external

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip

Livingston forward Kurtis Guthrie serves the second game of his two-match ban, while defender Ayo Obileye is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Charlie Mulgrew returns from suspension for Dundee United while Dylan Levitt and Peter Pawlett returned to training on Thursday following lay-offs and might feature. Liam Smith (ankle) is still injured.

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Aziz Behich insists Dundee United are ready to bounce back after successive defeats against St Johnstone and Ross County.

United currently sit bottom of the Scottish Premiership, two points behind Ross County and three adrift of Kilmarnock. Jim Goodwin's men travel to Livingston on Saturday with just three games left to preserve their Premiership status.

“In football you can be upset for one or two days but you have to put that behind you as soon as possible - it’s pretty much a grand final on Saturday," left-back Behich said.

“It’s going to be a tough task against Livingston, but we have to go out there and take all three points.

“We’ve got three games left, three finals, and that starts this week. We can’t look at any other team, we have to do our own job.

“We’ve shown we’re capable of winning three in a row and we need to start that on Saturday.”

Behich also touched on the disappointment among the playing squad after their defeat to Ross County last time out.

“It was a kick in the teeth after that game and it hurt us,” he said.

“We had a good little run with three in a row and then losing to St Johnstone, we knew what type of game Ross County was going to bring to us, we had to do better, we had a great fan base behind us, especially being at home.

“At this level you can’t make errors as a team, you get punished, it doesn’t matter who it’s against."

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When Dundee United won three straight matches to move off the foot of the table, captain Fletcher led by example with his excellent link-up play and finishing.

He scored two and set up another two of their six goals in the wins against Hibs, Motherwell and Livingston.

But the former Scotland striker was not at his best - despite still being his team's biggest threat - during back-to-back losses to St Johnstone and Ross County, and now United are back at the foot of the table.

Goodwin's side desperately need their captain to step up again against Livingston on Saturday and turn their fortunes around once more.

It seems unfair to put so much pressure on a 36-year-old forward, and United need to get bodies around him, but his all-round game will be pivotal to their survival hopes.

Jim Goodwin says Rory MacLeod "knows what it takes to play at the highest level" after the 17-year-old's performance in Dundee United's defeat against Ross County. (The Courier)

Read the rest of Friday's gossip.

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has told Charlie Mulgrew’s critics to “relax” after a backlash to the defender’s decision to attend a Celtic event in the lead-up to Saturday's crucial Premiership game with Livingston.

The 37-year-old former Celtic player, who is set to return to the United squad this weekend following suspension, was announced as a guest at Thursday's ‘A Night with Scott Brown and Mikael Lustig’ at the Hydro in Glasgow.

United are bottom of the table, two points behind Ross County, with just three games remaining.

"I'm a little bit disappointed with the negative reaction," said Goodwin. "I mean, Charlie is going there to support an ex-team-mate, it's a charitable foundation, and it's a Thursday night.

"It would be different if it was [Friday] night and he was going to be out until all hours of the morning.

"Charlie is going to go there and do a little bit of a Q&A along with Scott Brown, and he's not hanging around too long.

"He is going to drive to the event and drive back, there will be no alcohol involved.

"People just need to relax a little bit and understand it's for a good cause, what Charlie is doing."

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• Joel Nouble is Livingston's top league scorer with seven goals this season, with six of these strikes coming at the Tony Macaroni Arena.

• Dundee United have kept just one clean sheet in their last 16 league games, though that was a 2-0 victory against Livingston last month.

• Livingston have lost their last three Scottish Premiership games, all by a 2-0 scoreline. They've not lost four in a row in the top flight since August 2021, while they last did so without scoring in March 2002.

• Dundee United could win back-to-back top-flight meetings with Livingston for the first time since February 2005.

• Livingston are unbeaten in their last six top-flight home games against Dundee United (W4 D2) since losing 2-0 in February 2005 under Richard Gough.