Our Fault!

United manager Roy Walker, writing in today's programme laid the blame for United's poor home form at the feet of United's long suffering supporters. I used to marvel years ago at Manchester United's Roy Keane, who would berate his team-mates for not trying hard enough, therefore deflecting criticism for his own poor form. So I and the United fans tried show positivity today, but it was blooming hard I can tell you and done no good. In fact on today's showing we should've booed them from start to finish and we would've been within our rights, they were that bad. I was amazed by Roy's team selection, picking the 'fat and slow' Conor Downey, ahead of lithe and speedy Sparky. I could tell Conor Downey has put on about stone from our first match of season, so why can't Roy. The answer is Roy only sees what he wants to see and Downey is one of his men.

Six minutes was on the clock when the United defence failed to deal with a long throw-in (not for the first time in the last 3 seasons) and they stood idly by and let Curtis Allen pick his spot. We bounced back almost immediately, when Archie of all people good his head to Ally Teggart's corner kick. That was as good as it got for United and we were giving a football lesson from the Coleraine scum. The United defence committed another defensive clanger on 21 minutes, when Tony Kane instead of booting the ball into touch, tried to hit across his own box, hit his own man with the ball, the ball fell to kindly to a scum player who set up Leon Knight to give his team a 2-1 lead. Somehow we survived to halftime without losing any more goals, but in my heart of hearts, I knew we had only delayed the inevitable.

2nd Half
United were being over-ran in midfield but Roy was reluctant to change and he when he did finally act, I got the impression he was trying to keep the score down, rather try to get something going forward. This was epitomised by taking off Mike Smith and replacing him with Gavin Taggart, a real negative move. The scum increased their lead, not with a penalty as UTV, BBC and Carling Premiership are inferring, but with Curtis Allen getting a deflection on a shot from some other scum player. Next Walker took off Downey bringing on Eamon Murray, but it was too little too late. Débutante keeper Wayne Drummond, had made two brilliant stops when the United back four went to sleep, but he even couldn't stop Knight notching the scum's fourth goal on 66 mins.

Roy reaction was to take Dick Vauls off, as if he was responsible for the terrible holes in our defence and bring on big Denver and Archie moved to leftback. If this was supposed to plug the gaps, it didn't and in fact they just got greater and greater. We actually carved out a chance in the 80 minute, but when clean through, Gavin Taggart, could only lift his shot over the bar. Drummond made another two stops from Scullion but the former Glens man completed the rout in the 88th minute to make the score 5-1, a dismal result for a dismal day. Although United were booed off the field I didn't see anyone calling for Roy Walker's head and I think it's a sad reflection on how low we have sunk, we think that's our lot now!

Drummond (6), Kane (4), Vauls (4)(Sub: Denver 5,), Watson (4), Archie (5), Baker (4), Jenks (4), Downey (4)(Sub: Murray 5,), Ally (5), Smith (5)(Taggart 4,), Cutch (4)

Man of the match: Wayne Drummond