Dundee Utd 4
Motherwell 0
League (Premier Division)

Manager's Programme Notes

I think that like most of you, as you read through today's programme, you'll reflect on the happenings at Dens Park on the final day of the season. It certainly was the greatest day of my footbaTling career and our success must be especial'y pleasurable for the older United supporters who can recall United in the humbler surroundings of the Second Division. I, too, can remember coming to Tannadice as a player with Hamilton Accies and trying to get in the one bath in the visitors dressing room at Tannadice. The unfurling of the League flag ceremony before today's match is a measure of how far the club have progressed in the last quarter of a century. The two League Cup wins were important but it was a magnificent achievement to carry off the Premier title last year and that and today's ceremony will be events that are often recalled to our grand-children in years to come. No one can deny that the honour wasn't deserved. It must be somewhat unique for a side to win their first championship with a record points total, record goals and having equalled the record fewest defeats, the players deserve the highest accolade for their feats last season.

I make no apology for once again expressing my appreciation for your support. The League title was tangible reward for your efforts. However, I am still hopeful of increased support in the future even though I doubt if any set of supporters in Britain can have been entertained with such a consistently high level of football over the past two or three seasons and witnessed so many quality goals. For our part we will be striding to improve further, though as you'll appreciate this is becoming harder to achieve in view of our improving standards. These notes were written prior to 'Spurs visit on Wednesday night and I would suspect that. everyone here last Saturday, like myself, took considerable pleasure in our performance, especially in the second half. Our encounters with West Ham always seem to fulfil the pre-match expectation and this one was no exception. I would like to single out Billy Kirkwood who I felt had one his finest performances ever for the club. Obviously as we start out in the defence of our title it is vital that we get off on the right footing with a win over Motherwell who curiously provided the opposition in our final home match of last season. Jock Wallace's side will naturally be anxious to knock us off our pedestal, an opposition attitude we can expect in every match from now on.