Dundee Utd 2
Celtic 3
League Cup (2nd Round 1st Leg)

Manager's Programme Notes

The Premier League gives way to the League Cup to-night when Billy McNeil's currently in form Celtic are visitors 'for our second round 1st leg tie. To say that any cup competition is important to us is m itself a gross understatement because to Dundee United to-night's clash is quite simply critical. Early exit from either of the domestic cup tournaments is something every provincial club dreads. The fact that it's Celtic we meet makes the tie resemble the final itself as far as we are concerned. Just imagine the confidence boosting opening few weeks of the season it will be if by next week-end we have managed to eliminate one of the major threats of the League Cup. Their record in the tournament over the last 14 years has been incredible but on the evidence of our own form of late we have nothing to fear. Against Aberdeen last Saturday I was really happy with the performance in general and rate us unlucky not to have taken the maximum reward for a dominating second half display.

In all three games so far, especially those against Hibs and Partick Thistle, that old failing in front of goal has cost us dearly. In fact I would go as .far as to say that with a break or two we might well have been sitting with six Premier League points instead of half that amount. Nevertheless, we can't just keep using the 'missed chances' excuse following every game — we must solve the problem ourselves. The chances are being contrived satisfactorily but at this standard of the game even the 'half chance' is of prime importance and therefore we must start cashing in on them. Percentages are what the game is all about in the opposition area — and up until now our rate is far from being adequate to compete with a view to honours. Still, the signs are there in all but the finishing department and I have high hopes that things will change for the better to-night against Celtic. They themselves, with twenty-five goals in seven competitive games so far, are obviously in fine form and this tends to suggest that to-night's meeting should be crowd pleasing.