Time Wasters!

I just thought that seeing as we have no match this week I’d have a look at how we were doing compared to the same time last season. I’m sure no ‘dyed in the wool’ United fan needs to be reminded that we were eagerly looking forward to playing Larne in the cup semi-final at this time last season and looking to extend our unbeaten run to ten league and cup games. What a difference a year makes, we are now in the middle of a severe slump, just holding onto fifth place by the skin of our teeth. We could in theory still finish in fourth, but we could also quite easily finish in tenth and after witnessing the attitude of United players over the last few games, the ‘latter’ looks the more likely. The two narrow defeats by the unbeaten, or should I say unbeatable, Linfield, have really knocked us for six. Even after taking the lead against Lisburn Distillery last week, we never looked like a team with the conviction to go on and win the tie. Our record in the league speaks for itself, played 25, won 11, drawn 5 and lost 9, total points 38. At the same stage last year our record was, played 25, won 9, drawn 10 and lost 6, total points 37. Not a big difference, but we have given our new manager a fairly free rein and he has promised much but so far delivered precious little. Although our defence has remained virtually unchanged, Craig McClean has held the left back slot for most matches, preferred by the United manager to Boydie, while as has been well documented before, goalkeeper ‘Goosey’ Robinson was foolishly released before another established keeper was in place. As a result of this ‘rash’ decision, we have had to make do with the average keeping of Willie McFrederick, who in my opinion costs us at least one goal every two games, mainly due to his reluctance to accept back passes or to leave his goal-line. It’s hardly surprising then that we have conceded 39 goals in the league already compared with 36 for the same period last season. Not a big amount really I suppose, but for me that isn’t the biggest let down this season. For about the past three seasons we have been minus a ‘target man’ up front, some one to lead the line by example. Finally we thought this season we had unearthed not one but two, namely Vinny Sweeney and Kevin Kelbie. These two men have plundered 25 goals between them this season, our two strikers last season I think barely managed 13 between them, although in all fairness Matthew Nolan only joined us before the close of the January transfer window, playing 11 games in total and scoring 6 goals. Still even with these two strikers in place we have only scored 36 goals in the league so far, last season we had surprise! surprise! scored the same 36, while conceding 34. Again not a big difference, but and I stress the word ‘but’, our forward line and midfield has almost been completely transformed. In fact only Gareth Scates and Rory Hamill remain from United’s forward unit of last season, while Dominic Melly is carrying a long term injury. But we have had a major shake up in the midfield engine room and in attack. The manager wisely sought to boost our attack even further at the transfer window, by signing ex-Limavady striker Paul Brown, but he is clearly not match fit and in fact is out with a hamstring injury at present. From 6 appearances two of them as sub, he has scored just two goals, but I believe he contributes to the team effort and is one for the future if we can get him fully fit. This situation is bad enough, but what ‘rankles’ me and many other Sky Blue fans is that we are ‘boring’ to watch. If we were boring and successful that would be okay, but I’m afraid being boring and fairly ordinary to boot, means United fans are giving the team the ‘cold shoulder’ and our support is dwindling. Plus we still have what our manager (no doubt taking a line form Sky Blue Sport), likes to call 5 cup finals remaining and it’s hard to see any easy points being gleaned as we entertain Portadown and Glentoran, who are fighting it out for second place behind Linfield, while our other home match against our derby rivals the Coleraine ‘scum’, will be no pushover either. Our remaining two fixtures, both away, are at Lurgan against Glenavon (Easter Tuesday) who will want to finish as high up the league as possible and our final fixture at Drumahoe against Institute, who may still be battling to avoid the play-off slot, so no easy points there then is there,? The United players, manager and coaches are going to have to dig in and eke out at least eight points in these remaining 5 games, in my opinion, otherwise our season will have been a complete waste of time!