2005–06 Dundee United F.C. season

Dundee United
2005–06 season
Chairman Eddie Thompson
Manager Gordon Chisholm (until 10 January)
Billy Dodds (interim caretaker)
Craig Brewster (from 16 Jan)
Bank of Scotland Premierleague 9th
W:7 D:12 L:19 F:41 A:66 P:33
Tennent's Scottish Cup Third round
CIS Insurance Cup Second round
UEFA Cup Second qual. round
Top goalscorer League: Lee Miller (8)
All: Lee Miller, Collin Samuel (8)
Highest home attendance 12,404 (vs Aberdeen, 30 Jul)
Lowest home attendance 5,034 (vs Dunfermline, 2 May)
Home colours
Away colours
← 2004–05 2006–07 →

The 2005–06 season was the 97th year of football played by Dundee United, and covers the period from 2005-07-01 to 2006-06-30. United finished in ninth place for the second consecutive season and meant they had only finished in the top six once in the six seasons since the split was introduced.

United finished the 2005/06 SPL season in 9th place with 33 points, narrowly beating Falkirk (10th) and Dunfermline Athletic (11th) on goal difference. United exited all three cup competitions at the first stage. Between April and early-May, United lost six consecutive games, including losses to the three clubs which finished below them in the league.

The much-anticipated UEFA Cup campaign ended in disappointment with an away-goals defeat to Finnish side MyPa (after United surrendered a two-goal lead), and a CIS Insurance Cup defeat to Inverness CT followed, although an incredible 5–4 away win over Motherwell brought some early-season cheer. United also exited the Scottish Cup at the first hurdle, bowing out 3–2 to Aberdeen after again throwing away a two-goal lead.

Little league success followed, and the Terrors finished ninth on goal difference, thanks to a late Collin Samuel equaliser against Motherwell on the season's final day. In mid-January, Gordon Chisholm was sacked, with United favourite Craig Brewster leaving Inverness CT to take over. Brewster would go on to win just one league game all season and leave United before 2006 was out.

Contents

Season review

Pre-season preparations went well, with United winning the inaugural City of Discovery Cup. The league season started disappointingly, however, with the surprise UEFA Cup exit in August to MyPa a notable downpoint. After drawing the away leg 0–0, United threw away a 2–0 first-half home lead, and went out on away goals. An incredible 5–4 win at Motherwell - in which United were two goals behind on three occasions - was the only high point in a disappointing month. United also lost to Celtic and Hearts in August.

United lost at Hibernian and exited the CIS Insurance Cup in September, going out to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the second round. Prior to the cup exit, a 2–0 win over Livingston had brought the first home win. Immediately after going out of the cup, United lost at Dunfermline, to close out September in disappointing fashion.

In October, United a three-game unbeaten run, indicating a small improvement. The spell - which included a televised draw against Rangers and a win at Falkirk - was unfortunately followed by three successive defeats, which saw nine goals conceded. United then avoided defeat in four of the next five matches.

Boxing Day saw a last-minute defeat at Kilmarnock and United also lost heavily at Ibrox to Rangers. Incredibly, United exited the third cup tournament immediately, throwing away a two-goal home lead to lose 3–2 to Aberdeen. In the game in which on-loan Charles Mulgrew debuted, David Fernandez scored twice in the first half, only for ex-Tangerine Stevie Crawford to equalise. It proved to be the final straw and manager Gordon Chisholm left, with immediate rumours naming Craig Brewster as Eddie Thompson's man of choice for the hot seat. Brewster was appointed shortly after.

Caretaker-manager Billy Dodds took charge for his only game as United recovered to beat Falkirk 2–1, with newly-appointed Brewster watching from the stands. It would also be Mark Wilson's final match, as he moved to Celtic for £500,000 shortly afterwards.

Brewster made his second United debut against Aberdeen but lasted under half an hour due to injury, which ended his playing season. He guided United to three draws in his first three matches but had to wait until his eighth match to secure his first win, at the expense of Livingston. During this time, on-loan Charlie Mulgrew won the Young Player of the Month award for February. United lost six of the final eight games to end a thoroughly disappointing season, which brought just one league win for the new manager.

Match results

Dundee United played a total of 42 competitive matches during the 2005–06 season,[1] as well as four pre-season friendlies, making a total of nearly fifty games played. The team finished ninth in the Scottish Premier League.

In the cup competitions, United were knocked out of the Scottish Cup at the third round stage, losing 3–2 at home to Aberdeen, despite being two goals ahead at half time. The club also exited early in the League Cup, losing 2–0 away to Inverness CT in the second round. United fell to an early exit in the UEFA Cup after losing on away goals to Finnish team MyPa, completing an immediate exit in all three cup competitions.

Legend

Win Draw Loss

All results are written with Dundee United's score first.

Bank of Scotland Premierleague

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
30 July Aberdeen H 1–1 12,404 Miller
6 August Celtic A 0–2 56,532
14 August Hearts H 0–3 11,654
20 August Motherwell A 5–4 4,706 Miller (2), Fernandez, Brebner (2)
28 August Inverness CT H 1–1 6,178 Miller
10 September Hibernian A 1–2 12,062 Brebner
17 September Livingston H 2–0 6,302 Fernandez, Canero
24 September Dunfermline A 1–2 5,361 McCracken
1 October Kilmarnock H 0–0 6,915
16 October Rangers H 0–0 11,696
22 October Falkirk A 3–1 5,316 O.G., Canero, Samuel
25 October Aberdeen A 0–2 10,720
30 October Celtic H 2–4 11,942 O.G., Samuel
5 November Hearts A 0–3 16,617
19 November Motherwell H 1–1 6,305 McIntyre
26 November Inverness CT A 1–1 3,239 Miller
3 December Hibernian H 1–0 7,976 Samuel
10 December Livingston A 0–1 3,845
20 December Dunfermline H 2–1 5,889 Samuel, Robson
26 December Kilmarnock A 1–2 5,749 Samuel
31 December Rangers A 0–3 49,141
15 January Falkirk H 2–1 7,948 Fernandez, McInnes
21 January Aberdeen H 1–1 9,936 Archibald
28 January Celtic A 3–3 59,875 Fernandez (2), Miller
7 February Hearts H 1–1 10,584 Brebner
11 February Motherwell A 0–2 5,257
18 February Inverness CT H 2–4 6,419 Mulgrew
25 February Dunfermline A 1–1 4,694 Kenneth
4 March Hibernian A 1–3 16,266 Goodwillie
11 March Livingston H 3–1 5,730 Miller (2), Kerr
25 March Kilmarnock H 2–2 5,830 McCracken, McInnes
2 April Rangers H 1–4 11,213 Samuel
8 April Falkirk A 0 – 1 4,473
15 April Livingston A 1–3 2,298 Robertson
22 April Inverness CT A 0–1 3,609
29 April Falkirk H 0–2 5,798
2 May Dunfermline H 0–1 5,034
6 May Motherwell A 1–1 5,269 Samuel

Scottish Cup

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
7 January Aberdeen H 2–3 8,218 Fernandez (2)

CIS Insurance Cup

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
20 September Inverness CT A 0–2 1,919

UEFA Cup

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
11 August MyPa A 0-0 1,820
25 August MyPa H 2-2 9,600 Kerr, Samuel

Player details

During the 2005–06 season, United used 27 different players, with a further seven named as unused substitutes. The table below shows the number of appearances and goals scored by each player.[2]

No. Nat Pos Player Total Bank of Scotland Premierleague Tennent's Scottish Cup CIS Insurance Cup UEFA Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK Derek Stillie 34 0 30 0 1 0 1 0 2 0
2 DF Mark Wilson 25 0 21 0 1 0 1 0 2 0
3 DF David McCracken 37 2 34 2 1 0 1 0 1 0
4 MF Derek McInnes 13 2 12 2 0 0 1 0 0 0
5 MF Alan Archibald 38 1 34 1 2 0 2 0 0 0
6 MF Peter Canero 12 2 11 2 0 0 1 0 0 0
6 DF Charles Mulgrew 14 2 13 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
7 MF Mark Kerr 38 2 35 1 1 0 0 0 2 1
8 MF Grant Brebner 29 4 26 4 0 0 1 0 2 0
9 ST Lee Miller 38 8 34 8 1 0 1 0 2 0
10 ST Jim McIntyre 29 1 25 1 1 0 1 0 2 0
11 MF Barry Robson 35 1 31 1 1 0 1 0 2 0
12 MF Stuart Duff 33 0 29 0 1 0 1 0 2 0
15 DF Lee Mair 6 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 ST Craig Brewster 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
17 GK Craig Samson 8 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
18 DF Garry Kenneth 16 1 16 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
19 ST Stevie Crawford 5 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
20 ST David Fernandez 32 7 30 5 1 2 1 0 0 0
20 ST Collin Samuel 38 8 35 7 1 0 1 0 1 1
23 DF Paul Ritchie 23 0 21 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
25 MF David Robertson 11 1 11 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
26 MF Greg Cameron 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
28 DF Ross Gardiner 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
29 DF Stuart Abbot 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
30 MF William Easton 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
36 ST David Goodwillie 10 1 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

Goalscorers

United had 15 players score with the team scoring 45 goals in total. The top goalscorers were Lee Miller and Collin Samuel, who finished the season with eight goals each.[2]

Name League Cups Total
Miller, LeeLee Miller 8 8
Samuel, CollinCollin Samuel 7 1 8
Fernandez, DavidDavid Fernandez 5 2 7
Brebner, GrantGrant Brebner 4 4
Canero, PeterPeter Canero 2 2
Kerr, MarkMark Kerr 1 1 2
McCracken, DavidDavid McCracken 2 2
McInnes, DerekDerek McInnes 2 2
Mulgrew, CharlesCharles Mulgrew 2 2
Archibald, AlanAlan Archibald 1 1
Goodwillie, DavidDavid Goodwillie 1 1
Kenneth, GarryGarry Kenneth 1 1
McIntyre, JimJim McIntyre 1 1
Robertson, DavidDavid Robertson 1 1
Robson, BarryBarry Robson 1 1

Discipline

During the 2005–06 season, two United players were sent off, and 18 players received at least one yellow card. In total, the team received two dismissals and 64 cautions.[2]

Name Cautions Dismissals
Robson, BarryBarry Robson 10 1
Ritchie, PaulPaul Ritchie 04 1
Kerr, MarkMark Kerr 09
McCracken, DavidDavid McCracken 07
Brebner, GrantGrant Brebner 06
Archibald, AlanAlan Archibald 05
Duff, StuartStuart Duff 05
Miller, LeeLee Miller 04
Fernandez, DavidDavid Fernandez 03
McIntyre, JimJim McIntyre 03
Canero, PeterPeter Canero 01
Crawford, StevieStevie Crawford 01
Mair, LeeLee Mair 01
Mulgrew, CharlesCharles Mulgrew 01
Robertson, DavidDavid Robertson 01
Samuel, CollinCollin Samuel 01
Stillie, DerekDerek Stillie 01
Wilson, MarkMark Wilson 01

Transfers

In

The club signed six players during the season, as well as loaning one for the latter part. Only one player - Lee Miller - was signed for a fee (£225k).

Date Player From Fee (£)
3 June Miller, LeeLee Miller Bristol City £0,225,000[3]
7 July Stillie, DerekDerek Stillie Dunfermline Athletic Undisclosed[4]
29 July Samson, CraigCraig Samson Kilmarnock Free[5]
12 August Fernandez, DavidDavid Fernandez Celtic Free[6]
5 September Canero, PeterPeter Canero Unattached Free[7]
16 January Brewster, CraigCraig Brewster Inverness CT Free[8]

Loans in

Date Player From Duration
5 January Mulgrew, CharlesCharles Mulgrew Celtic End of season[9]

Out

Six players left the club during the season with only one transfer involving a fee: Mark Wilson's £500k move to Celtic. The others were released before the end of their contracts.

Date Player To Fee
1 August Grady, JamesJames Grady Gretna Released[10]
1 August Scotland, JasonJason Scotland St. Johnstone Work permit expiry[11]
31 August Crawford, StevieStevie Crawford Aberdeen Released[12]
31 August Holmes, GraemeGraeme Holmes Airdrie United Released[13]
16 January Dodds, BillyBilly Dodds Partick Thistle Released[8]
16 January Wilson, MarkMark Wilson Celtic £0,500,000[14]

Playing kit

Home
colours
Away
colours
European colours

The home strip remained unchanged from the previous season but the away kit was changed to a new white and black outfit, separated diagonally.[15] As mentioned at the end of the previous season, the limited edition third kit would be used for the European campaign.[16] The jerseys were sponsored by Morning, Noon and Night for the third and final season. Originally sponsored for the 2003-04 season,[17] the firm - operating under the banner of Scotmid since August 2004[18] - sponsored the club for a final time. The sponsor logo was again displayed as a simple font across the chest, with white logo for the home and third tops and orange logo on the change strip.

Awards

February 2006

References

  1. ^ "2006–07 - First Team Fixtures & Results". Dundee United F.C.. http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=9&date=2006&submit1=List. Retrieved 2007-11-22. 
  2. ^ a b c "Dundee Utd 2005–06 player appearances". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/squad_season.sd?teamid=740&seasonid=135. Retrieved 2007-11-27. 
  3. ^ "Dundee United clinch Miller deal". BBC Sport website. 2005-06-03. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/dundee_utd/4602893.stm. 
  4. ^ "Stillie on move to Dundee United". BBC Sport website. 2005-07-07. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/dundee_utd/4660915.stm. 
  5. ^ "Samson wins a Tannadice contract". BBC Sport website. 2005-07-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/dundee_utd/4665701.stm. 
  6. ^ "Fernandez moves on to Tannadice". BBC Sport website. 2005-08-12. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/4146874.stm. 
  7. ^ "Canero given chance at Tannadice". BBC Sport website. 2005-09-05. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/leicester_city/4171588.stm. 
  8. ^ a b "Brewster the right man - Thompson". BBC Sport website. 2006-01-16. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/i/inverness_ct/4617480.stm. 
  9. ^ "Dundee Utd land Celtic's Mulgrew". BBC Sport website. 2006-01-05. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/dundee_utd/4585018.stm. 
  10. ^ "Striker Grady signs up for Gretna". BBC Sport website. 2005-08-04. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/g/gretna/4735985.stm. 
  11. ^ "United's Scotland case dismissed". BBC Sport website. 2005-08-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/dundee_utd/4736393.stm. 
  12. ^ "Crawford quits Tannadice for Dons". BBC Sport website. 2005-08-31. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/dundee_utd/4201626.stm. 
  13. ^ "Graeme Holmes departs Tannadice". Dundee United F.C.. 2005-08-31. http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nID=2080&cd=2005&cd1=8. 
  14. ^ "Celtic secure signing of Wilson". BBC Sport website. 2006-01-16. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/dundee_utd/4616242.stm. 
  15. ^ "New away kit launched". Dundee United F.C.. 2005-06-23. http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nID=2006&cd=2005&cd1=6. 
  16. ^ "Cup strip officially launched". Dundee United F.C.. 2005-05-05. http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=2&nID=1966&cd=2005&cd1=5. 
  17. ^ "Triple boost for Dundee United". Dundee United F.C.. 2003-06-19. http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/index.asp?tm=3&nID=1338&cd=2003&cd1=6. 
  18. ^ "Dundee firm sold for £30 million". Evening Telegraph. 2004-08-03. http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/output/2004/08/03/story6182386t0.shtm. 

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