2008–09 Dundee United F.C. season

Dundee United
2008–09 season
Chairman	Eddie Thompson (to 15 October 2008); Stephen Thompson (from 21 November 2008)
Manager	Craig Levein
Scottish Premier League	5th
Scottish Cup	Fifth round
League Cup	Semi-finals
Top goalscorer	League: ; Francisco Sandaza (10); All: ; Francisco Sandaza (10)
Highest home attendance	14,077 (v Rangers, 24 May 2009)
Lowest home attendance	5,926 (v Inverness, 14 February 2009)
Home colours	Away colours

The 2008–09 season covers the period from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 and is the club's one hundredth season, having been founded as Dundee Hibernian in 1909.

Review and events

The pre-season period began with a number of new signings at the club. Dundee midfielder Scott Robertson was one of three players to agree pre-contract deals in June and he was followed by fellow player Paul Dixon shortly afterwards. Willo Flood returned on a second successive season-long loan and fellow Cardiff City player Warren Feeney followed on a similar deal, with Spanish striker Francisco Sandaza and Irish forward Roy O'Donovan (loan) the final signings.

A number of players who were out of contract left the club following the end of the 2007–08 season, including Christian Kalvenes who moved to Burnley, and Mark Kerr, who followed Lee Mair, Stuart Duff and Lee Miller in recent years by signing for New Firm rivals Aberdeen. Last season's top scorer Noel Hunt left in July to join his brother Stephen at English side Reading.

Chairman Eddie Thompson died of prostate cancer on 15 October.

Chronological list of events

This is a list of the significant events to occur at the club during the 2008–09 season, presented in chronological order. This list does not include transfers, which are listed in the transfers section below, or match results, which are in the results section.

22 July: The club reject a £500,000 bid from Reading for striker Noel Hunt.[1]
23 July: Reading's increased offer for Hunt – thought to be about £600,000 – is considered.[2]
28 July: Former United player and manager Paul Sturrock announces he has Parkinson's disease, just days before United face his club Plymouth Argyle in a friendly.[3]
28 August: United reject an approach from former manager Craig Brewster – now at Inverness CT – for Darren Dods.[4]
31 August: Former United player Jamie Dolan dies of a heart attack whilst out jogging.[5]
04 September: Garry Kenneth scores in Scotland under-21s 3–1 win against Slovenia. David Robertson also appeared as a late substitute.[6]
06 September: Winger Craig Conway extends his contract until 2011.[7]
09 September: Garry Kenneth's eighth Scotland under-21 cap ends in disappointment as defeat in Denmark ends their hopes of qualifying for the 2009 European Championship.[8]
10 September: Director John Bennett resigns from the board with immediate effect.[9]
20 September: Defender Mihael Kovačević suffers a fractured cheekbone during the closing stages of the 1–0 win at Aberdeen.
15 October: Chairman Eddie Thompson dies after losing his battle with prostate cancer.[10] The match against Rangers, scheduled for three days later, is postponed as a mark of respect.
20 October: The club announce admission for the upcoming match against St Mirren will be only £5 to allow as many as possible to pay their respects to late chairman Eddie Thompson.[11]
22 October: The funeral of late chairman Eddie Thompson is held in Broughty Ferry with around 1,000 supporters attending.
03 November: Rangers chairman David Murray apologises after suggesting abuse between some United and Dundee fans on certain websites was "just as bad" as between Celtic and Rangers.[12]
05 November: Young striker Ryan Dow is named the SPL 'Rising Star' for September.[13]
14 November: Stephen Thompson, son of late chairman Eddie, is officially named as the club's new chairman.
15 November: Scott Robertson is named in the Scotland squad to play Argentina, being called up as a late replacement due to injuries.
18 November: David Goodwillie makes his Scotland under-21 debut as a half-time substitute in the friendly defeat to Northern Ireland.
19 November: Robertson becomes the 19th United player to be capped by Scotland, appearing as a 59th-minute substitute for Barry Ferguson.
28 November: Manager Craig Levein turns down an approach from Football League Championship side Watford.
02 December: Levein signs a new contract until May 2012, with coaches Peter Houston and Gary Kirk following suit.
18 December: Lukasz Zaluska announces he will leave the club at the end of his contract, expecting to join Celtic.
08 January: Captain Lee Wilkie signs a new three-year contract.
12 January: Full-back Sean Dillon joins Wilkie in signing a new three-year contract.
17 January: The contract renewals keep on coming with Garry Kenneth and David Goodwillie signing until May 2012, and David Robertson and Kevin Smith signing until May 2011.
22 January: The seventh, eighth and ninth contract extensions this year are announced, with new deals for Darren Dods, Prince Buaben and Morgaro Gomis.
12 March: The club announce Nike will be the official kit supplier for the next four seasons from 2009–10.
11 April: United's 1–0 victory at Hamilton Academical secures a top-six finish for the second successive season.[14]
18 April: Striker Kevin Smith suffers a broken leg and dislocated ankle while on loan at Raith Rovers, ruling him out for six months.[15]

Match results

Dundee United have played a total of 44 competitive matches during the 2008–09 season,[16] as well as six first team pre-season friendlies. The team finished fifth in the Scottish Premier League.

In the cup competitions, United lost to Celtic in the League Cup semi-final, while they were beaten by Hamilton Academical in the Scottish Cup fifth round.

Friendlies

The club began pre-season by winning the Keyline Cup in Oban on 12 July[17] before embarking on a short trip to Dublin where they played two friendlies against local sides.[18] Upon returning to Scotland, United beat Raith Rovers 4-0 and fellow Fife side Dunfermline Athletic 3-2[19] before a match against Barcelona for the second year running.[20] The friendlies culminated in a win at Plymouth Argyle where United faced former Terror Paul Sturrock.[21] United also sent sides to play in victories against Cowdenbeath,[22] Arbroath,[23] Forres Mechanics,[24] Dundee North End[25] and Blairgowrie.[26] A final friendly was planned against Lochee United[27] but was postponed due to heavy rain. In April, the club racked up an 8–0 win at Brora Rangers to mark the opening of the ground's new floodlights, with Andis Shala scoring a hat-trick.[28]

14 July 2008 Friendly	Univ. College Dublin	2–1	Dundee United	UCD Bowl
	McNally 54' (pen.) King 77'		Hunt 35'	Attendance: 500 Referee: D Coombes

16 July 2008 Friendly	Tolka Rovers	2–3	Dundee United	Frank Cooke Park
	Kelly 2' Connor 33'		Wilkie 11', 83' Hunt 85'

19 July 2008 Friendly	Raith Rovers	0–4	Dundee United	Stark's Park
			Feeney 8', 14', 60' (pen.) Hunt 70'

22 July 2008 Friendly	Dunfermline Athletic	2–3	Dundee United	East End Park
	Thomson 58' Phinn 67'		Sandaza 60', 63' Robertson 86'	Referee: S Finnie

26 July 2008 Friendly	Dundee United	1–5	Barcelona	Tannadice Park
	Buaben 25'		Henry 26' Messi 55', 76', 78' Eto'o 61'	Attendance: 12,000

2 August 2008 Friendly	Plymouth Argyle	0–1	Dundee United	Home Park
			Sandaza 47'	Attendance: 4,120 Referee: S Tanner

21 April 2009 Friendly	Brora Rangers	0–8	Dundee United	Dudgeon Park
			McCord 5' Shala 7', 31', 77' Swanson 13' Dillon 16' Goodwillie 54', 83'

Scottish Premier League

Action during the 2–0 SPL home win against St Mirren

League positions

United began the season with a televised match away to promoted Hamilton Academical, which – despite taking the lead – they lost 3–1. Subsequent 1–1 draws at home to Celtic – another televised match in which Francisco Sandaza scored his first goal – and away to Motherwell produced the first points of the season but a home defeat to Kilmarnock and narrow defeat away to Hibernian left United bottom of the league after five matches. United's third televised match of the season saw them pick up their first league win at Aberdeen and was the first of four successive league victories, preceding home triumphs against Hearts, Inverness CT and St Mirren. The run of victories saw first league goals for summer signings Scott Robertson and Roy O'Donovan, with three clean sheets for goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska. The St Mirren match was played three weeks after the Inverness match following the death of chairman Eddie Thompson, which led to the match against Rangers being postponed. As the St Mirren match was the first match following the death of the chairman, prices were reduced to just £5, prompting over 11,000 fans to attend and pay their respects with a minute's silence. United failed to make it five league wins in a row when they drew 0–0 at Falkirk but kept their unbeaten run going with an exciting 3–3 draw against Rangers at Ibrox and got back to winning ways with home wins over Aberdeen and Hibernian. A second successive 2–0 defeat to Kilmarnock – this time away from home – preceded a 1–1 draw at home to Hamilton, before wins at St Mirren and Inverness brought United back-to-back away victories for the first time since April 2007. United were involved in another high scoring match against Rangers in a 2–2 draw at Tannadice and followed it up by holding Hearts to a 0–0 draw at Tynecastle, closing 2008 with a home win against Falkirk.

2009 began with a draw at Celtic Park, despite being two goals behind but United's next match saw a 4–0 home collapse against Motherwell, only the club's second defeat in the previous 17 league matches. An exciting 3–2 win at home to St Mirren preceded a 2–0 defeat against Rangers at Ibrox, before draws at home to Inverness and away to Aberdeen. Rivals for third place Hearts won at Tannadice before United won away at Falkirk, with a defeat at Motherwell tempered by a home draw against Celtic. After conceding first at home for the seventh time in eight matches, United came from two goals down to draw with Hibernian, before beating Hamilton for the first time this season, securing a top six league finish. In the final match before the league split, United failed to gain further ground on Hearts for third place, being held at home by Kilmarnock to a goalless draw, ensuring United failed to score against the Ayrshire side all season. In the first match after the split, United's dominance of the entire match earned a win against Hibernian at Easter Road, before missing the chance to go third after a home draw against Aberdeen. United's final trip to Glasgow resulted in a narrow 2–1 loss against Celtic, with defeats against Heart of Midlothian and Rangers to close the season.

11 August 2008 SPL 1	Hamilton Academical	3–1	Dundee United	New Douglas Park
	Stevenson 29' McArthur 39' Graham 63'		McLaughlin 23' (o.g.)	Attendance: 4,385 Referee: S Dougal

17 August 2008 SPL 2	Dundee United	1–1	Celtic	Tannadice Park
	Sandaza 80'		Hartley 51'	Attendance: 11,648 Referee: C Richmond

23 August 2008 SPL 3	Motherwell	1–1	Dundee United	Fir Park
	Sutton 34'		Wilkie 40'	Attendance: 5,149 Referee: D McDonald

30 August 2008 SPL 4	Dundee United	0–2	Kilmarnock	Tannadice Park
			Skelton 40' Invincible 59'	Attendance: 6,823 Referee: M Tumilty

13 September 2008 SPL 5	Hibernian	2–1	Dundee United	Easter Road
	Fletcher 22', 63' Bamba 68'		Wilkie 45'	Attendance: 13,390 Referee: D Somers

20 September 2008 SPL 6	Aberdeen	0–1	Dundee United	Pittodrie Stadium
			Sandaza 47' (pen.)	Attendance: 11,041 Referee: C Murray

27 September 2008 SPL 7	Dundee United	3–0	Hearts	Tannadice Park
	Conway 39' Daly 50' S Robertson 60'		Jónsson 74'	Attendance: 8,004 Referee: D McDonald

4 October 2008 SPL 8	Dundee United	2–1	Inverness CT	Tannadice Park
	Daly 40' Wilkie 65'		Wilkie 89' (o.g.)	Attendance: 6,279 Referee: I Brines

25 October 2008 SPL 9	Dundee United	2–0	St Mirren	Tannadice Park
	O'Donovan 85' Conway 90'			Attendance: 11,378 Referee: B Winter

1 November 2008 SPL 10	Falkirk	0–0	Dundee United	Falkirk Stadium
			O'Donovan 57'	Attendance: 5,608 Referee: I Brines

4 November 2008 SPL 11	Rangers	3–3	Dundee United	Ibrox Stadium
	Davis 11' Papac 37' Thomson 90'		Sandaza 17', 28' Robertson 59'	Attendance: 48,686 Referee: C Thomson

8 November 2008 SPL 12	Dundee United	2–1	Aberdeen	Tannadice Park
	Sandaza 8' Feeney 14'		Mackie 66'	Attendance: 9,490 Referee: W Collum

12 November 2008 SPL 13	Dundee United	2–0	Hibernian	Tannadice Park
	Dods 54' Sandaza 60'			Attendance: 7,390 Referee: E Smith

15 November 2008 SPL 14	Kilmarnock	2–0	Dundee United	Rugby Park
	Hamill 45' (pen.) David Fernández 61'			Attendance: 4,652 Referee: E Norris

22 November 2008 SPL 15	Dundee United	1–1	Hamilton	Tannadice Park
	Easton 90' (o.g.)		Offiong 8' Mensing 84'	Attendance: 6,108 Referee: C Allan

29 November 2008 SPL 16	St Mirren	0–2	Dundee United	St Mirren Park
			Daly 37', 88' (pen.)	Attendance: 4,013 Referee: C Murray

6 December 2008 SPL 17	Inverness CT	1–3	Dundee United	Caledonian Stadium
	Rooney 73'		Daly 51', Conway 64', D Robertson 71'	Attendance: 3,560 Referee: B Winter

13 December 2008 SPL 18	Dundee United	2–2	Rangers	Tannadice Park
	Wilkie 50' Feeney 54'		Boyd 11' Lafferty 76'	Attendance: 11,362 Referee: I Brines

20 December 2008 SPL 19	Hearts	0–0	Dundee United	Tynecastle Stadium
				Attendance: 16,442 Referee: W Collum

27 December 2008 SPL 20	Dundee United	1–0	Falkirk	Tannadice Park
	S Robertson 21'		Barr 82'	Attendance: 7,972 Referee: C Boyle

3 January 2009 SPL 21	Celtic	2–2	Dundee United	Celtic Park
	Samaras 12', 57'		Dixon 59' Feeney 77'	Attendance: 59,558 Referee: S Conroy

18 January 2009 SPL 22	Dundee United	0–4	Motherwell	Tannadice Park
			Fitzpatrick 23' Klimpl 27' Clarkson 33' Porter 63'	Attendance: 7,090 Referee: E Smith

24 January 2009 SPL 23	Dundee United	3–2	St Mirren	Tannadice Park
	Feeney 71' (pen.), 84' Buaben 82'		Ross 17' Mehmet 73' (pen)	Attendance: 6,556 Referee: S O'Reilly

31 January 2009 SPL 24	Rangers	2–0	Dundee United	Ibrox Stadium
	Fleck 78' (pen.) Lafferty 90'			Attendance: 49,918 Referee: I Brines

14 February 2009 SPL 25	Dundee United	1–1	Inverness CT	Tannadice Park
	Wilkie 79'		Odhiambo 16' Duncan 71'	Attendance: 5,926 Referee: C Thomson

21 February 2009 SPL 26	Aberdeen	2–2	Dundee United	Pittodrie Stadium
	Severin 46' Diamond 72'		Sandaza 10' (pen.) D Robertson 56'	Attendance: 14,673 Referee: W Collum

28 February 2009 SPL 27	Dundee United	0–1	Hearts	Tannadice Park
	Sandaza		Stewart 62'	Attendance: 8,529 Referee: E Smith

3 March 2009 SPL 28	Falkirk	0–1	Dundee United	Falkirk Stadium
			Conway 27' (pen.)	Attendance: 4,385 Referee: D McDonald

14 March 2009 SPL 29	Motherwell	2–1	Dundee United	Fir Park
	Sutton 25' Clarkson 75'		Sandaza 51'	Attendance: 4,798 Referee: D McDonald

22 March 2009 SPL 30	Dundee United	2–2	Celtic	Tannadice Park
	Sandaza 47', 58'		McDonald 23' Naylor 81'	Attendance: 12,043 Referee: S Conroy

4 April 2009 SPL 31	Dundee United	2–2	Hibernian	Tannadice Park
	Conway Kenneth 53' Goodwillie 90'		Nish 6', 10'	Attendance: 6,623 Referee: E Smith

11 April 2009 SPL 32	Hamilton Academical	0–1	Dundee United	New Douglas Park
			Conway 4'	Attendance: 3,025 Referee: C Murray

18 April 2009 SPL 33	Dundee United	0–0	Kilmarnock	Tannadice Park
	Dixon 85'			Attendance: 6,627 Referee: W Collum

Post-split (Top six)

2 May 2009 SPL 34	Hibernian	1–2	Dundee United	Easter Road
	Fletcher 40' Hogg 85'		Feeney 28' Goodwillie 89'	Attendance: 10,591 Referee: S O'Reilly

7 May 2009 SPL 35	Dundee United	1–1	Aberdeen	Tannadice Park
	Goodwillie 38'		Miller 33' Kerr 75'	Attendance: 10,407 Referee: C Boyle

12 May 2009 SPL 36	Celtic	2–1	Dundee United	Celtic Park
	Loovens 22' Samaras 52'		D Robertson 57'	Attendance: 57,407 Referee: S Dougal

16 May 2009 SPL 37	Hearts	3–0	Dundee United	Tynecastle Stadium
	Wallace 11' Aguiar 26' Jónsson 79' (pen.)			Attendance: 15,664 Referee: B Winter

24 May 2009 SPL 38	Dundee United	0–3	Rangers	Tannadice Park
			Lafferty 6' Mendes 45' Boyd 52'	Attendance: 14,077 Referee: D McDonald

Upcoming Scottish Premier League fixtures are the intellectual property of the Scottish Premier League. For upcoming Premier League fixtures, see the official Dundee United FC website

Scottish Cup

United players warming up before the cup match against East Stirlingshire

United beat East Stirlingshire 4–0 at Ochilview Park in the Scottish Cup fourth round, with goals from Prince Buaben, Darren Dods, Jon Daly and Johnny Russell. Shortly before the match, United were drawn away to Hamilton Academical in the fifth round, where they were narrowly beaten 2–1, despite leading at half-time.

11 January 2009 Scottish Cup R4	East Stirlingshire	0–4	Dundee United	Ochilview Park
			Buaben 15' Dods 40' Daly 43' Russell 55' (pen.)	Attendance: 2,153 Referee: M Tumilty

7 February 2009 Scottish Cup R5	Hamilton Academical	2–1	Dundee United	New Douglas Park
	Swailes 47', 55'		Grainger 35'	Attendance: 3,058 Referee: C Richmond

League Cup

Last season's runners-up United began their League Cup campaign away to Cowdenbeath, where a hat-trick from Jon Daly helped them to a 5–1 win. In the third round, Airdrie United – who United faced in the second round of last year's competition – were beaten 2–0, before a quarter-final win at home to Dunfermline Athletic. United faced Celtic in the semi-finals in late January where they lost11-10 on penalties, a record for a Scottish cup match.

26 August 2008 League Cup R2	Cowdenbeath	1–5	Dundee United	Central Park
	J Dempster 74'		Daly 30', 47' Goodwillie 41', 60' (80)	Attendance: 1,423 Referee: E Norris

23 September 2008 League Cup R3	Dundee United	2–0	Airdrie United	Tannadice Park
	Goodwillie 33' S Robertson 42'			Attendance: 3,444 Referee: M Tumilty

28 October 2008 League Cup QF	Dundee United	1–0	Dunfermline Athletic	Tannadice Park
	S Robertson 16'			Attendance: 5,350 Referee: D McDonald

28 January 2009 League Cup SF	Celtic	p0 – 0p	Dundee United	Hampden Park
				Attendance: 19,228 Referee: C Murray

Player stats

During the 2008–09 season so far, United have used 26 different players on the pitch. Łukasz Załuska is the only player to have played every minute this season. The table below shows the number of appearances and goals scored by each player.[29]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Clydesdale Bank Premier League		Scottish Cup		Co-operative Insurance Cup
No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK		Łukasz Załuska	44	0	38	0	2	0	4	0
13	GK		Michael McGovern	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	DF		Sean Dillon	24	0	19	0	2	0	3	0
3	DF		Danny Grainger	12	1	10	0	1	1	1	0
4	DF		Lee Wilkie	39	5	35	5	1	0	3	0
5	DF		Darren Dods	23	2	19	1	1	1	3	0
18	DF		Garry Kenneth	29	1	25	1	2	0	2	0
23	DF		Paul Dixon	33	1	29	1	1	0	3	0
24	DF		Mihael Kovačević	19	0	17	0	1	0	1	0
6	MF		Willo Flood	23	0	19	0	1	0	3	0
6	MF		Paul Caddis	11	0	11	0	0	0	0	0
8	MF		Scott Robertson	25	5	22	3	0	0	3	2
10	MF		James Wesolowski	8	0	8	0	0	0	0	0
12	MF		David Robertson	23	3	19	3	2	0	2	0
14	MF		Danny Swanson	33	0	29	0	2	0	2	0
15	MF		Craig Conway	41	4	35	4	2	0	4	0
16	MF		Morgaro Gomis	43	0	37	0	2	0	4	0
25	MF		Prince Buaben	25	2	22	1	2	1	1	0
29	MF		Ryan McCord	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
7	ST		Warren Feeney	26	6	23	6	1	0	2	0
10	ST		Roy O'Donovan	13	1	11	1	0	0	2	0
9	ST		Jon Daly	26	9	22	5	2	1	2	3
11	ST		Francisco Sandaza	35	10	31	10	1	0	3	0
20	ST		Andis Shala	9	0	8	0	0	0	1	0
26	ST		David Goodwillie	17	6	15	3	0	0	2	3
30	ST		Johnny Russell	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	0

Stats

Francisco Sandaza was the top scorer with ten goals, with the team totalling 58 goals.[29] During the 2008–09 season, fifteen United players received at least one caution. In total, the team received 60 yellow cards.[29]

Name	Goals	Bookings	Dismissals
Prince Buaben	2	4
Paul Caddis		1
Craig Conway	4	5
Jon Daly	9	2
Sean Dillon		1
Paul Dixon	1	1	1
Darren Dods	2	4
Warren Feeney	6	5
Willo Flood		7
Morgaro Gomis		4
David Goodwillie	6	2
Danny Grainger	1	4
Garry Kenneth	1	2
Mihael Kovacevic		3
Roy O'Donovan	1	2	1
David Robertson	3	2
Scott Robertson	5	2
Johnny Russell	1
Francisco Sandaza	10	6
Andis Shala		1
James Wesolowski		3
Lee Wilkie	5	8
Own goals	2

Team statistics

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation[lower-alpha 1]
3	Heart of Midlothian	38	16	11	11	40	37	+3	59	Qualification for the Europa League play-off round
4	Aberdeen	38	14	11	13	41	40	+1	53	Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round
5	Dundee United	38	13	14	11	47	50	−3	53
6	Hibernian	38	11	14	13	42	46	−4	47

7	Motherwell	38	13	9	16	46	51	−5	48	Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round[lower-alpha 2]

Source: Scottish Professional Football League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:

Teams played each other three times (33 matches), before the league split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six) for the last five matches.
Scotland were awarded an additional Europa League place as the association finished in third place of the UEFA Fair Play ranking. Motherwell earned this place as winners of the Scottish Fair Play ranking.

Transfers

In

United signed eleven players during the season. Midfielder Scott Robertson agreed a pre-contract move from rivals Dundee on 3 June[30] and two players agreed similar moves on 17 June, with Northern Irish goalkeeper Michael McGovern agreeing to move from Celtic[31] and German striker Andis Shala arriving from VfR Mannheim.[31] Less than a week later, United signed a second player from Dundee when Scotland under-21 defender Paul Dixon arrived for around £25,000.[32] Willo Flood returned for a second successive season-long loan when terms were agreed with Cardiff City again on 1 July[33] and Cardiff colleague Warren Feeney followed in a similar deal a week later.[34] Shortly afterwards, Spanish striker Francisco Sandaza arrived on a three-year contract from Valencia Mestalla.[35] In August, Craig Levein's pursuit of Roy O'Donovan ended with a season-long deal for the Sunderland striker,[36] although he was recalled in January, as was Willo Flood, ahead of his transfer to Celtic. On transfer deadline day, Paul Caddis moved from Celtic Park until the end of the season, with Australian midfielder James Wesolowski joining on a similar deal from Leicester City although his spell was cut short by injury. Youngster Jennison Myrie-Williams joined in June following his release from Bristol City.

Date	Player	From	Fee (£)
1 July 2008	Paul Dixon	Dundee	£25,000
1 July 2008	Willo Flood	Cardiff City	Loan
1 July 2008	Michael McGovern	Celtic	Bosman
1 July 2008	Scott Robertson	Dundee	Bosman
1 July 2008	Andis Shala	VfR Mannheim	Bosman
8 July 2008	Warren Feeney	Cardiff City	Loan
11 July 2008	Francisco Sandaza	Valencia Mestalla	Bosman
8 August 2008	Roy O'Donovan	Sunderland	Loan
2 February 2009	Paul Caddis	Celtic	Loan
2 February 2009	James Wesolowski	Leicester City	Loan
12 June 2009	Jennison Myrie-Williams	Bristol City	Free

Out

The club sold only one player during the season, with Noel Hunt joining his brother Stephen at English side Reading for around £600,000.[37] Young striker Kevin Smith moved on loan to Raith Rovers until January,[38] with fellow youngsters Johnny Russell and John Gibson moving to Forfar Athletic on similar temporary deals.[39][40] Young left back Sean Fleming followed suit shortly afterwards when he joined Peterhead for four months.[41] Gibson's loan was subsequently extended until the end of the season, with young first team squad member Keith Watson joining him on a short-term loan, shortly afterwards Marco Andreoni undertook a similar deal with Albion Rovers. Sean Fleming moved back out on loan, joining Andreoni at Albion while young midfielder Ryan McCord moved short-term to Stirling Albion and Gordon Pope headed to Montrose. Kevin Smith went back to Raith after returning to Tannadice for a few weeks, with Johnny Russell returning to Forfar in similar fashion. Towards the end of February, midfielder Greg Cameron moved on loan to Irish outfit Shamrock Rovers, managed by former United player Michael O'Neill and Fraser Milligan departed to Montrose on a similar deal shortly afterwards. Youth goalkeeper Gibson signed a one-year deal with Dundee on his return to Tannadice. Similarly, Fleming, Pope and Milligan all penned two-year deals with Montrose at the end of May.

Date	Player	To	Fee (£)
23 July 2008	Noel Hunt	Reading	£600,000
25 July 2008	Kevin Smith	Raith Rovers	Loan
20 August 2008	Johnny Russell	Forfar Athletic	Loan
28 August 2008	John Gibson	Forfar Athletic	Loan
30 August 2008	Sean Fleming	Peterhead	Loan
10 December 2008	Marco Andreoni	Albion Rovers	Loan
2 January 2009	Keith Watson	Forfar Athletic	Loan
6 January 2009	Ryan McCord	Stirling Albion	Loan
6 January 2009	Sean Fleming	Albion Rovers	Loan
23 January 2009	Gordon Pope	Montrose	Loan
23 January 2009	Kevin Smith	Raith Rovers	Loan
23 February 2009	Greg Cameron	Shamrock Rovers	Loan
6 March 2009	Fraser Milligan	Montrose	Loan
15 May 2009	John Gibson	Dundee	Free
29 May 2009	Sean Fleming	Montrose	Free
29 May 2009	Gordon Pope	Montrose	Free
29 May 2009	Fraser Milligan	Montrose	Free

Awards

Rising Star

Ryan Dow: 1

September 2008

Playing kit

Home colours

Away colours

The jerseys were sponsored for the first time by JD Sports' Carbrini Sportswear label,[42][43] with the firm also sponsoring the shorts. Kitmaker Hummel supplied their last strip after the club announced in March 2009 that Nike would begin a four-year deal for the 2009–10 season.

The club has no third strip, with the last third strip used in the 2002–03 season.

References

Roache, Ian (22 July 2008). "United reject £500,000 bid for Hunt". The Courier. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
"Reading increase offer for Hunt". The Courier. 22 July 2008. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
"Argyle's manager has Parkinson's". BBC Sport. 28 July 2008. Archived from the original on 29 July 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
"Inverness Dods approach rejected". BBC Sport. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
"Motherwell mourn death of Dolan". BBC Sport. 1 September 2008. Archived from the original on 3 September 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
"U21 NEWS – SCOTLAND 3, SLOVENIA 1". Scottish FA. 4 September 2008. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
"Conway agrees new Tannadice deal". BBC Sport. 6 September 2008. Archived from the original on 12 September 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
"U21 NEWS – DENMARK 1, SCOTLAND 1". Scottish FA. 9 September 2008. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
Roache, Ian (10 September 2008). "Departing Bennett in Dens link". The Courier. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2008.
"Dundee Utd chairman Thompson dies". BBC Sport. 15 October 2008. Archived from the original on 18 October 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
"StMirren game announcement". Dundee United F.C. 20 October 2008. Archived from the original on 25 October 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
"Murray apologises to Dundee clubs". BBC Sport. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
"Dow named Rising Star". Scottish Premier League. 5 November 2008. Archived from the original on 17 November 2008. Retrieved 5 November 2008.
Conaghan, Martin (11 April 2009). "Hamilton 0-1 Dundee Utd". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
"Double injury will rule out Smith until October". Press and Journal. 22 April 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
"2008-09 - First Team Fixtures & Results". Dundee United F.C. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2008.
"Saturday round-up". Hamilton Academical F.C. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
"2008–09 - First Team Fixtures & Results". Dundee United F.C. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2008.
"Dunfermline 2 Dundee United 3". Dunfermline Athletic F.C. 22 July 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
"Barca face Hibs and Dundee United". BBC Sport website. 20 May 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2008.
Dey, Graeme (22 May 2008). "Levein can enjoy Barca visit". The Courier. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
"Cowdenbeath 2, Dundee United XI 4". Cowdenbeath F.C. 19 July 2008. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
Dey, Graeme (7 June 2008). "Black Cats for Gayfield". The Courier. Archived from the original on 1 July 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
"UNITED X1 DEFEAT FORRES MECHANICS". Dundee United F.C. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2008.
"Sandaza southbound". Evening Telegraph. 31 July 2008. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2008.
"U19 X1 DEFEAT BLAIRGOWRIE 3-2". Dundee United F.C. 5 August 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
Dey, Graeme (5 August 2008). "Dingwall win was delight for Rae". The Courier. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
"United turn on the style under Brora floodlights". Press and Journal. 22 April 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2009.
"Dundee Utd 2008–09 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
"Dundee United seal Robertson deal". BBC Sport. 3 June 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
"Dundee United confirm signings". Dundee United FC. 17 June 2008. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
"Dixon delights in Dundee Utd move". BBC Sport. 23 June 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
Etherson, Brian (1 July 2008). "Agent confirms Flood return". Setanta Sports. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
"Feeney signs Dundee Utd loan deal". BBC Sport. 8 July 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
"Sandaza signs for United". Dundee United F.C. 11 July 2008. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2008.
"O'Donovan in Tannadice loan deal". BBC Sport. 8 August 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2008.
"Dundee Utd sell Hunt to Reading". BBC Sport. 23 July 2008. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
"Striker Smith joins Raith Rovers". BBC Sport. 25 July 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
"JOHNNY RUSSELL ON LOAN TO FORFAR ATHLETIC". Dundee United F.C. 20 August 2008. Archived from the original on 23 August 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
"United loan goalkeeper to Forfar". BBC Sport. 28 August 2008. Archived from the original on 31 August 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
Third, Paul (30 August 2008). "Peterhead grab versatile United ace Fleming". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
Roache, Ian (14 April 2008). "United unveil new sponsor". The Courier. Archived from the original on 6 May 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
Wood, Zoe (13 April 2008). "JD Sports scores Scots shirt deal". The Observer. Retrieved 14 April 2008.

External links

Official site: 2008/09 Fixtures
BBC – Club stats
Soccerbase – Results | Squad stats | Transfers

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[30] Teams played each other three times (33 matches), before the league split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six) for the last five matches.

[table_note_res_EL1Q0.34483795955071-31] Scotland were awarded an additional Europa League place as the association finished in third place of the UEFA Fair Play ranking. Motherwell earned this place as winners of the Scottish Fair Play ranking.

[1] Roache, Ian (22 July 2008). "United reject £500,000 bid for Hunt". The Courier. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2008.

[2] "Reading increase offer for Hunt". The Courier. 22 July 2008. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2008.

[3] "Argyle's manager has Parkinson's". BBC Sport. 28 July 2008. Archived from the original on 29 July 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2008.

[4] "Inverness Dods approach rejected". BBC Sport. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2008.

[5] "Motherwell mourn death of Dolan". BBC Sport. 1 September 2008. Archived from the original on 3 September 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2008.

[6] "U21 NEWS – SCOTLAND 3, SLOVENIA 1". Scottish FA. 4 September 2008. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2008.

[7] "Conway agrees new Tannadice deal". BBC Sport. 6 September 2008. Archived from the original on 12 September 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2008.

[8] "U21 NEWS – DENMARK 1, SCOTLAND 1". Scottish FA. 9 September 2008. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2008.

[9] Roache, Ian (10 September 2008). "Departing Bennett in Dens link". The Courier. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2008.

[10] "Dundee Utd chairman Thompson dies". BBC Sport. 15 October 2008. Archived from the original on 18 October 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2008.

[11] "StMirren game announcement". Dundee United F.C. 20 October 2008. Archived from the original on 25 October 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.

[12] "Murray apologises to Dundee clubs". BBC Sport. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2008.

[risingstar-13] "Dow named Rising Star". Scottish Premier League. 5 November 2008. Archived from the original on 17 November 2008. Retrieved 5 November 2008.

[14] Conaghan, Martin (11 April 2009). "Hamilton 0-1 Dundee Utd". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2009.

[15] "Double injury will rule out Smith until October". Press and Journal. 22 April 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2009.

[results-16] "2008-09 - First Team Fixtures & Results". Dundee United F.C. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2008.

[oban-17] "Saturday round-up". Hamilton Academical F.C. Retrieved 12 July 2008.

[friendlies-18] "2008–09 - First Team Fixtures & Results". Dundee United F.C. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2008.

[19] "Dunfermline 2 Dundee United 3". Dunfermline Athletic F.C. 22 July 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2008.

[barca-20] "Barca face Hibs and Dundee United". BBC Sport website. 20 May 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2008.

[21] Dey, Graeme (22 May 2008). "Levein can enjoy Barca visit". The Courier. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2008.

[22] "Cowdenbeath 2, Dundee United XI 4". Cowdenbeath F.C. 19 July 2008. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 20 July 2008.

[23] Dey, Graeme (7 June 2008). "Black Cats for Gayfield". The Courier. Archived from the original on 1 July 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2008.

[24] "UNITED X1 DEFEAT FORRES MECHANICS". Dundee United F.C. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2008.

[25] "Sandaza southbound". Evening Telegraph. 31 July 2008. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2008.

[26] "U19 X1 DEFEAT BLAIRGOWRIE 3-2". Dundee United F.C. 5 August 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2008.

[27] Dey, Graeme (5 August 2008). "Dingwall win was delight for Rae". The Courier. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2008.

[28] "United turn on the style under Brora floodlights". Press and Journal. 22 April 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2009.

[stats-29] "Dundee Utd 2008–09 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 24 May 2009.

[robertson-32] "Dundee United seal Robertson deal". BBC Sport. 3 June 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2008.

[mcgov-shala-33] "Dundee United confirm signings". Dundee United FC. 17 June 2008. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2008.

[34] "Dixon delights in Dundee Utd move". BBC Sport. 23 June 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2008.

[35] Etherson, Brian (1 July 2008). "Agent confirms Flood return". Setanta Sports. Retrieved 1 July 2008.

[36] "Feeney signs Dundee Utd loan deal". BBC Sport. 8 July 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2008.

[37] "Sandaza signs for United". Dundee United F.C. 11 July 2008. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2008.

[38] "O'Donovan in Tannadice loan deal". BBC Sport. 8 August 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2008.

[39] "Dundee Utd sell Hunt to Reading". BBC Sport. 23 July 2008. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008.

[40] "Striker Smith joins Raith Rovers". BBC Sport. 25 July 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2008.

[41] "JOHNNY RUSSELL ON LOAN TO FORFAR ATHLETIC". Dundee United F.C. 20 August 2008. Archived from the original on 23 August 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2008.

[42] "United loan goalkeeper to Forfar". BBC Sport. 28 August 2008. Archived from the original on 31 August 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2008.

[43] Third, Paul (30 August 2008). "Peterhead grab versatile United ace Fleming". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 30 August 2008.

[44] Roache, Ian (14 April 2008). "United unveil new sponsor". The Courier. Archived from the original on 6 May 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2008.

[45] Wood, Zoe (13 April 2008). "JD Sports scores Scots shirt deal". The Observer. Retrieved 14 April 2008.