Dundee United F.C.

Dundee United ( officially: Dundee United Football Club ) - also known as The Tangerines or The Terrors - is a football club based in the Scottish city of Dundee. The club currently plays in the Scottish Premier League and is coached by Craig Levein. The followers are also known as The Arabs, which is becoming increasingly used in recent times by the British media as an additional nickname of the club.

Eddie Thompson since September 2002, President and principal shareholder of Dundee United, the supporters of the club are the second largest fractional ownership in the form of " ArabTRUST ".

Europe United is the fourth most successful Scottish club represents, took 22 times participate in European club competitions and completed while a total of 104 games. In the mostly English media is to this day often takes a confusion of Dundee United with local rivals FC Dundee.

Club history

Inspired by the clubs Hibernian and Celtic Glasgow founded the Irish Catholic community in Dundee in 1909 after the demise of the club " Dundee Harp" the new club under the initial name " Dundee Hibernian " and took over from the " Dundee Wanderers " the venue " Cleptington Park " ( then renamed in " Tannadice Park " ), where you against Hibernian Edinburgh the first game completed on 18 August 1909, it ended in a 1-1 draw. In October 1923, the club was saved by a group of businessmen from Dundee on the brink of, simultaneously being the new name " Dundee United" decided to give the club a greater appeal. Originally it the name " Dundee City " was favored, however the local rivals Dundee FC led to protests.

For many years the club then played in the lower classes of the Scottish league system and was only four seasons long represented in the top league, to 1959 Jerry Kerr was hired as the new coach. Kerr ended the 28- year absence from the Scottish Elite League by the rise of his new team, giving him the first year of his reign, with the runner-up in the Second Division succeeded. In the team of this era were some notable players, such as striker Dennis Gillespie and Jim Irvine, and defenders Doug Smith and Ron Yeats, with Yeats later matured in the 1960s, the team captain of Liverpool FC.

The subsequent season saw United in the top half of the table, placed himself there before the city rivals Dundee FC and remained with only a few exceptions in the following 35 years in the Scottish elite class. In the 1960s, was the playful strength of the team influenced by the Scandinavian actors Örjan Persson, Finn Seemann, Lennart Wing, Finn Døssing and Mogens Berg. These players also the first spectacular success was achieved in a European club competition, as Dundee United in 1966 sensational defending champion FC Barcelona from the Fairs Cup - the predecessor of the competition, " UEFA Cup " - eliminated.

During the summer breaks in 1967 and 1969 Lamar Hunt hired the team of United, to participate under the name Dallas Tornado in the game operation of the North American professional league.

The former coach of FC Dundee Jim McLean took over in 1971 by Jerry Kerr as coach and began henceforth the most successful era in the club's history. Until that time, the United significantly smaller and looser success of the two football clubs from Dundee had always been. This changed when McLean ( and sometimes the assistant coach Walter Smith) Dundee United in 1974, the Scottish Cup final. In the years 1978 and 1979 was followed by the third place in the final table of each rank highest championship in club history before then was followed by the first title wins. The Scottish League Cup was in 1980 and 1981 for the first time at Dundee United.

Probably the best game period witnessed Dundee United but then in the 1982/83 season, when the club won the Scottish championship with a former point - and Torrekordausbeute first time. Also in European club football, the club had already done before with wins over teams like AS Monaco, Borussia Mönchengladbach, PSV Eindhoven, Anderlecht and Werder Bremen a name.

The first participation in the European Champions Cup Dundee United drew one to the semi-finals and lost there just against AS Roma. A 2-0 first-leg victory in the home stadium was following a 0-3 defeat in their aftermath came to be known that the Italian club was punished for trying to bribe a referee.

As already twenty years earlier - - At the height of European merits of the 1986/87 season in which United was the first Scottish club reached the UEFA Cup final and the FC Barcelona during the way there has been had off by victories in return game, which to to this day no other British team succeeded in European club competition.

In the final, United defeated the Swedish club IFK Gothenburg in the lot applied in two games. Due to the particularly fair conduct of the " Arabs " during and after the game in Tannadice Park, the club but the first awarded by the FIFA Fair Play Award was given.

During these years, Dundee United broke through with FC Aberdeen the traditional predominance of the called " Old Firm " Teams Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic and founded the so-called " New Firm". Since the FC Dundee is also often stayed outside the top flight, the duel from the New Firm increasingly replaced the traditional " Dundee derby ".

The development of Dundee United at McLean of the practical insignificance to one of the leading Scottish football clubs lasted for almost 22 years and ended with McLean's resignation in June 1993 and his continued presence as president of the club.

In coaching positions now followed with Ivan Golac the first non -British team manager of a Scottish football club, who inherited a healthy team structure from its predecessor. His first action, however, was Duncan Ferguson for a transfer fee of four million British pounds - a former record sum for a transfer of two British clubs - for sale to the Glasgow Rangers. Nevertheless Golac could in his debut season helping his club win the Scottish Cup for the first after Dundee United had previously been unsuccessful in six playoffs. Due to the 1-0 final victory in 1994 against the Rangers - the decisive goal scored Craig Brewster - United completed so that the domestic trophy collection.

Nevertheless, the fortunes of the club used henceforth in a negative direction. After a mostly average running season 1994/95 resulted in a defeat series to a 0-1 home defeat in the last game against the Celtics for the descent into second-class First Division. The subsequent favorite position in the second division the club was not fully meet the following season and placed at the end just as runner-up. However, United rose after the playoff game against Partick Thistle, that the club was able to win after two games with 3-2 gates, on to the Premier League.

In the recent times, the club was able to celebrate, no material success and had, as many provincial clubs in Scotland, increasingly anxious to avoid relegation. In 2005 the club again scored a finals of the Scottish Cup, where the club but with 0:1 lost against Celtic.

After a long time it looked in the 2008 /09 season, as if you could qualify for a European competition after prolonged abstinence, it was a defeat on the final day - of all things on the day of the 100-year club anniversary - yet because of the goal difference from FC Aberdeen intercepted and finished the season in fifth place.

Current squad - 2013/14 season

(Updated: November 2, 2013)

Achievements

  • Scottish football champions ( 1): 1983
  • Scottish Cup Winners ( 2): 1994, 2010
  • Scottish League Cup (2): 1980, 1981
  • Finals in the UEFA Cup: 1986/87

Most famous football players

  • Craig Brewster
  • Christian Dailly
  • Duncan Ferguson
  • Kevin Gallagher
  • Richard Gough
  • Andy Gray
  • Paul Hegarty
  • Maurice Malpas
  • Jim McInally
  • Billy McKinlay
  • Jochen Müller
  • Mixu Paatelainen
  • Walter Smith
  • Paul Sturrock
  • David Narey
  • Łukasz Załuska
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