1997–98 Dundee United F.C. season

Dundee United
1997–98 season
Chairman Jim McLean
Manager Tommy McLean
Scottish Premier Division 7th
W:8 D:13 L:15 F:43 A:51 P:37
Tennent's Scottish Cup Quarter-finals
Coca-Cola Cup Runners-up
UEFA Cup First round
Top goalscorer League: Kjell Olofsson (18)
All: Kjell Olofsson (23)
Highest home attendance 14,200 (vs Rangers (1998-05-09)
Lowest home attendance 6,685 (vs Dunfermline (1997-12-06)
← 1996–97 1998–99 →

United finished the Scottish Premier Division 1997–98 season in 7th place with 37 points, in the final season before the revamped SPL. Despite finishing 3rd in the previous season, 7th would be the club's best finish for the next six years.

The domestic cup campaigns brought defeats by Celtic: a quarter-final defeat in the Tennent's Scottish Cup and a disappointing 3–0 defeat in the Coca-Cola Cup final. In the UEFA Cup, United exited in the 1st round to Trabzonspor.

Contents

Season review

Europe and early season

United's season started in July, with a trip up into the Pyrenees to play CE Principat from Andorra in the UEFA Cup. United notched up an 8–0 lead in the first leg, with Robbie Winters and Gary McSwegan both scoring hat-tricks. The home leg was won 9–0, which left United just one goal short of Rangers' 18–0 aggregate score against Maltese team Valletta in 1983.

The league started in August with Kjell Olofsson giving United a 1–1 draw with St. Johnstone at McDiarmid Park, before Gary McSwegan scored his 3rd hat-trick in 4 games in a 4–2 win over Queen of the South at Dumfries in the League Cup. After the successes of Olofsson, Pedersen and Zetterlund during the season before, manager Tommy McLean returned to Scandinavia several times during the course of the season to add to the squad. Thomas Tengstedt and Göran Marklund were the first two to arrive, but neither player would make an impact on the first team.

The next round of the UEFA Cup saw United drawn against Turkish outfit Trabzonspor, with the away leg up first where United went down 1–0. United then drew 1–1 at home to Hibernian, before beating them after extra-time in the League Cup three days later. The next game in the League was against Rangers at Ibrox, where Marco Negri equalled Paul Sturrock's record of scoring five goals in one match, as Rangers won 5–1.

Andy McLaren scored in the 2nd leg of the UEFA Cup tie against Trabzonspor at Tannadice, but the Turks scored again to win the tie 2-1 on aggregate and put an end to United's European adventure. United also drew 1–1 at Pittodrie against Aberdeen.

Cup run

September started with a surprise 1–0 win at Ibrox in the League Cup quarter-finals. United then lost the next three league games 2–1, with Kjell Olofsson scoring in each. During this time, Tommy McLean brought former Örebro defender Magnus Sköldmark to Tannadice after a spell in China, and former Dundee manager Jocky Scott was appointed as first team coach.

The first match in October was a remarkable game against Dunfermline at East End Park, where United went 3–0 up in the first half in gale force conditions. But playing with the wind in the 2nd half, Dunfermline pulled it back to 3–3 and Dave Bowman was sent off. United then took on Aberdeen at Tynecastle in the semi-finals of the League Cup, where Robbie Winters scored twice and Craig Easton scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win to take United though to the final.

This result saw United go on an unbeaten run, similar to the previous seasons run, as United beat Motherwell 4–0 at Tannadice in the next game. Robbie Winters scored his 5th goal in three games, and he scored again as Rangers visited Tannadice the following week, as United won 2–1 with Steven Pressley scoring from the penalty spot. This month saw Craig Easton win the Young Player of the Month award for October.

Wins, a Cup Final and defeats

Kjell Olofsson scored twice as United came from behind to beat Hibs 3–1 at Easter Road on the first day of November, and the manager bought yet another Scandinavian, with Mikael Andersson coming to Tannadice from Örebro. Aberdeen had failed to beat United since 1996, and their run got worse as United hammered them 5–0 at Tannadice with goals from Olofsson (2), McLaren, Zetterlund and Easton, with Dean Windass shown the red card three times before he left the pitch.

Roy Aitken followed Alex Smith, Willie Miller and Alex Miller by becoming the next Aberdeen manager to be sacked following a defeat at the hands of United. After falling out of favour with manager Tommy McLean, midfielder Grant Johnson was transferred to Huddersfield Town after spending a few months out on loan. United showed their fighting spirit in the next match against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. After falling behind 1–0 and struggling to get back into the match, Mark Perry's scrambled equaliser sparked United into life and goals from Olofsson and McSwegan gave United their 6th straight win. Next up was the League cup final rehearsal, as United travelled through to Glasgow to face Celtic at Parkhead. a 4–0 hammering was not the best warm up for the Cup final the following week and also put an end to United's unbeaten run. Manager Tommy McLean then brought in former Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Siggi Jónsson but he would spend most of the season in and out of the first team due to injury.

United made the journey through to the West again just a week later, this time for the League Cup Final, held at Ibrox due to restructuring works at Hampden. After five appearances in the final of this competition during the 1980s, this was the club's first League Cup final in 11 years, and thousands of Arabs travelled through for the club's first major final since the Scottish Cup win in 1994. The United fans were in fine voice and there was a carnival atmosphere at the stadium, but the game itself was a disaster, as Celtic won easily 3–0.

Into December and United failed to score in their next three games, making it five games in a row without a goal. 0–0 draws against Dunfermline and Hearts at Tannadice was followed by a 1–0 defeat against Motherwell at Fir Park, but the side returned to winning ways with a 2–1 victory over St. Johnstone at Tannadice with goals from Andy McLaren and Kjell Olofsson. The Christmas week match saw United travel through to Glasgow yet again, with another demoralising defeat, this time losing 4–1 to Rangers at Ibrox.

New Year

The first game in January saw United's first defeat to Aberdeen since 1995, with a 1–0 loss at Pittodrie, which was followed by a 1–1 draw with Kilmarnock at Tannadice where Robbie Winters scored for United. Winters scored again in the next match for his 16th goal of the season with the only goal of the game against Aberdeen at Tannadice, giving the team only their second win in 10 games. Kjell Olofsson scored as United were narrowly beaten 2–1 by Celtic at Tannadice, which was followed by a 2–0 defeat against Hearts at Tynecastle. Another signing brought ex-Trabzonspor striker Jean Jaque Misse-Misse back to Tannadice on a short-term contract, after impressing Tommy McLean in the UEFA Cup match back in August, but he failed to impress further and was released a couple of months later.

February started with a 1–0 win over Motherwell at Tannadice with Kjell Olofsson scoring his 15th goal of the season and United also saw off Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3–2 in a Scottish Cup replay. Gary McSwegan scored twice in a 2–2 draw with Dunfermline at East End Park, before an Andy Dow own goal gave United a 1–1 draw with Hibs at Tannadice. Robbie Winters scored in a 1–1 draw with St. Johnstone which gave United a six-game unbeaten run during the month of February.

The first match in March saw Celtic come to Tannadice for the 4th round of the Scottish Cup. A fantastic match saw Kjell Olofsson put United in front before Celtic went 2-1 up. Olofsson looked to have taken the tie to a reply with an equaliser, but a late Erik Pedersen own goal put Celtic through as United narrowly lost 3–2. After six straight defeats to Celtic in all competitions, a late Kjell Olofsson goal at Parkhead gave United a much deserved 1–1 draw in the league.

The good result in Glasgow was followed by two bad ones, with 1–0 defeats against Hearts and Motherwell. The game at Motherwell saw Iain Jenkins and Julian Alsford make their debuts after arriving from Chester City. Tommy McLean would also bring in Emanuel Omoyimni, Wayne Gill and Oscar Valle - all on loan or short term deals - but none would make an impact on the first team.

Relegation battle

April started with another 2–2 draw with Dunfermline, with Maurice Malpas and Kjell Olofsson scoring at Tannadice, which was followed by a 0–0 home draw with Aberdeen and a 1–0 defeat away to Kilmarnock. a 2–0 defeat at home to St. Johnstone meant that United had won only 3 in 22 League matches, and were now facing a tough relegation battle with Hibs with only two games to go, with Hibs being the next opponents.

If United were to lose the match at Easter Road, they would have to take all three points from Rangers in the last game to have any chance of survival. With the League title yet to be decided, Rangers could still win the championship at Tannadice, so a United victory at Easter Road was vital. Kjell Olofsson yet again showed what a crucial part of the team he was as he scored twice as United fought back from 1–0 down to win the match, survive relegation and put Hibs down.

The final game of the season in May was now not so important to United after their win over Hibs, but Rangers still had the chance of winning the League. Rangers won 2–1, but Celtic's 2–0 victory won them the League Championship, and stopped Rangers from winning their 10th title in a row.

Match results

Dundee United played a total of 49 competitive matches during the 1997–98 season.[1] The team finished seventh in the Premier Division, consigning Hibernian to relegation - and saving themselves - in the penultimate match of the season

In the cup competitions, United lost narrowly in the quarter-finals of the Tennent's Scottish Cup to Celtic, although were soundly beaten by the same team in the final of the Coca-Cola Cup.

Legend

Win Draw Loss

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

Scottish Premier League

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
02 Aug 1997 St. Johnstone A 1–1 6,592 Olofsson
17 Aug 1997 Hibernian H 1–1 7,344 Winters
23 Aug 1997 Rangers A 1–5 48,599 Pressley
30 Aug 1997 Aberdeen A 1–1 12,060 Winters
13 Sep 1997 Kilmarnock H 1–2 6,883 Olofsson
20 Sep 1997 Hearts A 1–2 13,415 Olofsson
27 Sep 1997 Celtic H 1–2 11,376 Olofsson
04 Oct 1997 Dunfermline A 3–3 5,829 Winters (2), McLaren
18 Oct 1997 Motherwell H 4–0 7,337 Olofsson, Winters, McSwegan, McLaren
25 Oct 1997 Rangers H 2–1 12,335 Winters, Pressley
01 Nov 1997 Hibernian A 3–1 11,110 Olofsson (2), McSwegan
09 Nov 1997 Aberdeen H 5–0 7,893 Olofsson, Zetterlund, McLaren, Easton
15 Nov 1997 Kilmarnock A 3–1 7,402 Perry, McSwegan, Olofsson
22 Nov 1997 Celtic A 0–4 48,581
06 Dec 1997 Dunfermline H 0–0 6,685
09 Dec 1997 Hearts H 0–0 10,402
13 Dec 1997 Motherwell A 0–1 4,555
20 Dec 1997 St. Johnstone H 2–1 7,342 McLaren, Olofsson
27 Dec 1997 Rangers A 1–4 50,317 Olofsson
03 Jan 1998 Aberdeen A 0–1 17,025
10 Jan 1998 Kilmarnock H 1–1 7,541 Winters
27 Jan 1998 Celtic H 1–2 14,004 Olofsson
31 Jan 1998 Hearts A 0–2 14,414
07 Feb 1998 Motherwell H 1–0 6,532 Olofsson
21 Feb 1998 Dunfermline A 2–2 5,250 McSwegan (2)
24 Feb 1998 Hibernian H 1–1 7,989 Own goal
28 Feb 1998 St. Johnstone A 1–1 5,637 Winters
15 Mar 1998 Celtic A 1–1 48,656 Olofsson
21 Mar 1998 Hearts H 0–1 10,300
28 Mar 1998 Motherwell A 0–1 5,012
07 Apr 1998 Dunfermline H 2–2 7,769 Olofsson, Malpas
11 Apr 1998 Aberdeen H 0–0 9,155
18 Apr 1998 Kilmarnock A 0–1 7,246
25 Apr 1998 St. Johnstone H 0–2 8,045
29 Apr 1998 Hibernian A 2–1 13,413 Olofsson (2)
9 May 1998 Rangers H 0–1 14,200

Tennent's Scottish Cup

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
24 Jan 1998 Aberdeen H 1–0 11,488 Winters
14 Feb 1998 Inverness CT H 1–1 8,770 Olofsson
18 Feb 1998 Inverness CT A 3–2 5,821 Olofsson, McSwegan, Zetterlund
08 Mar 1998 Celtic H 2–3 12,640 Olofsson (2)

Coca-Cola Cup

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
09 Aug 1997 Queen of the South A 4–2 2,438 McSwegan (3), Thompson
20 Aug 1997 Hibernian H 2–1 7,692 Zetterlund, McSwegan
09 Sep 1997 Rangers A 1–0 44,440 McSwegan
15 Oct 1997 Aberdeen N 3–1 10,459 Winters (2), Easton
15 Oct 1997 Celtic N 0–3 49,305

UEFA Cup

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
23 Jul 1997 CE Principat A 8 – 0 700 Winters (4), McSwegan (3), Zetterlund
30 Jul 1997 CE Principat H 9-0 8,695 McSwegan (3), Winters (2), McLaren,
Olofsson, Zetterlund, Thompson
12 Sep 1997 Trabzonspor A 0–1 16,000
26 Sep 1997 Trabzonspor H 1–1 10,232 McLaren

Youth Cup

The club reached the Final of the Youth Cup this season, playing Heart of Midlothian on 12 May at Tynecastle Park, losing 2-0. The squad from the semi-finals included future professionals Kevin McDonald, Paul Gallacher, Jim Paterson, Craig Easton and Stephen McConalogue. In addition, players such as Gareth Dailly, Barry Donachie, Steven Fallon, Paul McIlravey and Chris Devine played in lower league football. It remains the last time the club reached the Final, having played in three successive Finals between 1989 and 1991, winning in 1990 and 1991.[2]

Round Opponent Venue Result Scorers
R2 Livingston H 3–1 McConalogue, Bryers, Devine
R3 Ayr United A 2–2* Easton (2)
QF Rangers H 2–0 Easton, McConalogue
SF Celtic H 1–0 Paterson

Player details

During the 1997–98 season, United used 30 different players comprising 11 nationalities. The table below shows the number of appearances and goals scored by each player.[3]

No. Nat Pos Player Total Scottish Premier Division Tennent's Scottish Cup Coca-Cola Cup UEFA Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
GK Sieb Dijkstra 49 0 36 0 4 0 5 0 4 0
DF Julian Alsford 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DF Neil Duffy 10 0 7 0 0 0 1 0 2 0
DF Iain Jenkins 7 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DF Maurice Malpas 44 1 31 1 4 0 5 0 4 0
DF Stewart McKimmie 7 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
DF Erik Pedersen 45 0 32 0 4 0 5 0 4 0
DF Mark Perry 45 1 32 1 4 0 5 0 4 0
DF Steven Pressley 41 2 29 2 4 0 5 0 3 0
DF Siggi Jónsson 17 0 15 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
DF Magnus Sköldmark 25 0 19 0 4 0 2 0 0 0
MF Mikael Andersson 6 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0
MF Dave Bowman 28 0 19 0 1 0 4 0 4 0
MF Jimmy Crawford 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MF Jamie Dolan 35 0 26 0 3 0 3 0 3 0
MF Craig Easton 35 2 29 1 1 0 4 1 1 0
MF Wayne Gill 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
MF Ray McKinnon 12 0 9 0 2 0 1 0 0 0
MF Andy McLaren 39 6 27 4 4 0 4 0 4 2
MF Emmanuel Omoyinmi 5 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
MF David Sinclair 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
FW Gary McSwegan 42 17 31 5 3 1 4 5 4 6
FW Göran Marklund 4 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
FW Jean-Jacques Missé-Missé 6 0 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
FW Kjell Olofsson 45 23 32 18 4 4 5 0 4 1

Goalscorers

United had 10 players score with the team scoring 78 goals in total. The top goalscorer was Kjell Olofsson, who finished the season with 23 goals.[4]

Name League Cups Total
Olofsson, KjellKjell Olofsson 18 5 23
Winters, RobbieRobbie Winters 9 8 17
McSwegan, GaryGary McSwegan 5 12 17
McLaren, AndyAndy McLaren 4 2 06
Zetterlund, LarsLars Zetterlund 2 4 06
Pressley, StevenSteven Pressley 2 0 02
Easton, CraigCraig Easton 1 1 02
Thompson, StevenSteven Thompson 0 2 02
Malpas, MauriceMaurice Malpas 1 0 01
Perry, MarkMark Perry 1 0 01

Discipline

United had three players sent off and seventeen players received at least one caution, replicating last season's statistics. In total, the team received three red cards and 61 bookings.[5]

Name Cautions Dismissals
Malpas, MauriceMaurice Malpas 7 1
Pedersen, ErikErik Pedersen 6 1
Bowman, DaveDave Bowman 5 1
McSwegan, GaryGary McSwegan 6
Dolan, JamieJamie Dolan 5
McLaren, AndyAndy McLaren 5
Jonsson, SiggiSiggi Jónsson 4
Perry, MarkMark Perry 4
Skoldmark, MagnusMagnus Sköldmark 4
Zetterlund, LarsLars Zetterlund 4
Dijkstra, SiebSieb Dijkstra 3
Easton, CraigCraig Easton 2
McKinnon, RayRay McKinnon 2
Alsford, JulianJulian Alsford 1
Andersson, MikaelMikael Andersson 1
Thompson, StevenSteven Thompson 1
Winters, RobbieRobbie Winters 1

UEFA Cup statistics are not available

Transfers

In

Date Player From Fee (£)
16 Aug 1997 Marklund, GoranGöran Marklund Vasalunds IF Unknown[6]
19 Sep 1997 Skoldmark, MagnusMagnus Sköldmark Dalian Wanda Free[7]
03 Nov 1997 Andersson, MikaelMikael Andersson Örebro Unknown[8]
21 Nov 1997 Jonsson, SiggiSiggi Jónsson Örebro £0,075,000[9]
03 Jan 1998 Misse-Misse, Jean-JacquesJean-Jacques Missé-Missé Trabzonspor Free[10]
20 Feb 1998 Omoyinmi, EmmanuelEmmanuel Omoyinmi West Ham United Loan[11]
20 Feb 1998 Crawford, JimmyJimmy Crawford Newcastle United Loan[12]
26 Mar 1998 Alsford, JulianJulian Alsford Chester City £0,100,000[13]
26 Mar 1998 Jenkins, IainIain Jenkins Chester City £0,100,000[14]
31 Mar 1998 Gill, WayneWayne Gill Blackburn Rovers Loan[15]

Out

Date Player To Fee
09 Sep 1997 Keith, MarinoMarino Keith Falkirk £0,040,000[16]
15 Nov 1997 Johnson, GrantGrant Johnson Huddersfield £0,090,000[17]
03 Dec 1997 Andersson, MikaelMikael Andersson Released Free[8]
13 Mar 1998 ZMisse-Misse, Jean-JacquesJean-Jacques Missé-Missé Chesterfield Free[10]

Playing kit

Home colours
Away colours
Third colours

The jerseys were sponsored for a second season by Telewest.

Trivia

References

  1. ^ "Dundee Utd 1997/1998 results and fixtures". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/results2.sd?teamid=740&seasonid=127. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  2. ^ "SCOTTISH FA YOUTH CUP PREVIOUS WINNERS". Scottish FA. http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scotland_matches.cfm?curpageid=522. Retrieved 2008-07-01. 
  3. ^ "Dundee Utd 1997/1998 player appearances". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/squad_season.sd?teamid=740&seasonid=197. Retrieved 2007-12-14. 
  4. ^ "1997–98". Glenrothes Arabs. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080511202610/http://www.dirtyarab.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/History/1990s/1997-98/97-98page.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-17. 
  5. ^ "Dundee Utd 1997/1998 player appearances". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/squad_season.sd?teamid=740&seasonid=197. Retrieved 2007-12-17. 
  6. ^ "The Internet Soccer Database: Göran Marklund". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=12200. Retrieved 2007-09-27. 
  7. ^ "The Internet Soccer Database: Magnus Sköldmark". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=12360. Retrieved 2007-09-27. 
  8. ^ a b "The Internet Soccer Database: Mikael Andersson". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=13237. Retrieved 2007-09-27. 
  9. ^ "The Internet Soccer Database: Siggi Jonsson". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=13456. Retrieved 2007-09-27. 
  10. ^ a b "The Internet Soccer Database: Jean-Jacques Misse-Misse". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=12486. Retrieved 2007-09-27. 
  11. ^ "The Internet Soccer Database: Emanuel Omoyinmi". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=5993. Retrieved 2007-09-27. 
  12. ^ "The Internet Soccer Database: Jimmy Crawford". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=1747. Retrieved 2007-09-27. 
  13. ^ "The Internet Soccer Database: Julian Alsford". Glenrothes Arabs. http://www.soccerbase.com/players_detail.sd?playerid=135. Retrieved 2007-09-26. 
  14. ^ "The Internet Soccer Database: Iain Jenkins". Glenrothes Arabs. http://www.soccerbase.com/players_detail.sd?playerid=3898. Retrieved 2007-09-26. 
  15. ^ "The Internet Soccer Database: Wayne Gill". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=2866. Retrieved 2007-09-27. 
  16. ^ "The Internet Soccer Database: Marino Keith". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=9392. Retrieved 2007-09-27. 
  17. ^ "The Internet Soccer Database: Grant Johnson". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players_details.sd?playerid=9391. Retrieved 2007-09-27. 
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