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| Former Southampton full-back and Yugoslavian internationalist Ivan Golac was appointed as Jim McLean's successor, and his first job as manager was to finalise the sale of Duncan Ferguson to Rangers. The Glasgow club's bid of just under £4 million was too good to turn down, especially as Ferguson wanted away, and the deal broke the record transfer fee involving two British clubs. This was a fantastic piece of business by United, and helped fund the redevelopment of Tannadice as work began on the East Stand, which was to replace the Arklay Street terracing. As Golac came in, first team coach Paul Sturrock left the club for the first time in nearly 20 years to become the manager of St Johnstone. | ![]() |
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| After making his way back into the first team after a long illness, Michael O'Neill was another who wanted a transfer, and was sold to Hibs for £245,000. Golac brought in Chris Myers from his previous club Torquay, and signed Craig Brewster from Raith Rovers for £250,000, a player we all felt was destined for Tannadice one day. | ||||||
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Brewster made his debut in the first game of the new season in August where Billy McKinlay scored in a 1-1 draw with Aberdeen at Tannadice, and Paddy Connolly scored the only goal of the match against Hamilton in the 2nd round of the League Cup. Christian Dailly scored two goals in the 2-1 win over Partick Thistle and Billy McKinlay scored in a 1-1 draw with Paul Sturrock's St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. McKinlay scored again in a 1-0 victory at Love Street as United progressed to the quarter finals of the League Cup, which was followed by a 0-0 draw with Hearts at Tannadice. | |||||
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United
went 2-0 up against Falkirk in the League Cup quarter final at Tannadice,
but Richard Cadette scored two to take the game into extra-time. Cadette
put Falkirk in front before John Clark scored to take the tie to penalties.
Scott Crabbe scored the winning penalty and threw his boot into the Shed
as he celebrated!
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Since it had been just over a season since we had started the Supporters Club anew, we had brought in several new members, especially with an advert in nearly every Matchday Programme during that time. Because of this, we had to change our bus company from Altyre's Coaches, who didn't have anything bigger than a 16 seater, to Black's Coaches from Lochgelly. |
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With
newly promoted Raith Rovers playing in the top league for the first time
since 1970, the Glenrothes Arabs had the shortest bus trip possible in
September as we saw Billy McKinlay
and Jimmy Nicholl score two fantastic goals in a 1-1 draw at Starks Park.
An Andy McLaren header won the first Dundee derby of the season at Tannadice
before United set off for a trip to Copenhagen in the 1st round of the
UEFA Cup. After waiting 3 years for another trip abroad with the team,
many of us made the mistake of waiting for a later round, but Doddy, Shuggy
and Eileen made the bus trip (including two ferries) to see United go
down 2-0 to Brondby.
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| Billy McKinlay's impressive start to the season continued as he scored in a 1-1 draw with Celtic at Parkhead, but United did everything but score in the semi-final of the League Cup against Hibs at Tynecastle as Darren Jackson scored the only goal of the game. A 0-0 draw with Motherwell at Tannadice was followed by the 2nd leg of the UEFA Cup tie against Brondby. Billy McKinlay and Scott Crabbe scored to get United level, but as United looked for the winner in extra-time, Christiansen scored a wonder goal that meant United had to score another two. John Clark scored a consolation goal at the death as United went out on away goals - with most of us kicking ourselves for missing the trip to Denmark. | ||||||
| After starting our club again from scratch, we didn't have the numbers to hold our own Player of the Year Dance anymore, but we were invited to share with Jim Gardiner's Edinburgh Branch, and the night at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh was a big success. Several players turned up, including Dave Bowman, Paddy Connolly, Brian Welsh and Christian Dailly - we managed to get the latter slightly drunk and was seen dancing to the Time Warp! As a change from the usual trophies presented to the players, Bryan drew caricatures of the winning players, Alan Main, Paddy Connolly and Christain Dailly, and presented the frames pictures to the players on the night. | ![]() |
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In
October, United went down 2-0 to
a Hibs team including Darren Jackson and Michael O'Neill at Easter Road,
and Billy McKinlay scored his 7th goal of the season in a 1-1 draw at
Rugby Park as United played Kilmarnock in the League for the first time
in 10 years. A 3-1 defeat at home to Rangers saw Jim McInally sent off,
and Craig Brewster scored his first goal for the club in a 2-2 draw with
Partick Thistle at Tannadice. United lost 2-0 to Aberdeen at Pittodrie
before Brewster and McKinlay scored in a 2-0 win over St Johnstone as
Paul Sturrock came to Tannadice as the opposition for the first time.
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November started with a John O'Neil goal giving United a 1-1 draw at Tynecastle, before a bizarre week where United were twice pulled back after going 2-0 up, with 2-2 draws against Raith Rovers and Hibs, both at Tannadice. After months of trying, Ivan Golac finally managed to bring in defender Gordan Petric from another of his old clubs, Partizan Belgrade, and Petric stood out in his debut, a 2-0 defeat away to Motherwell where Guido Van de Kamp took over in goals from Alan Main. Paddy Connolly scored the winner in a 1-0 win over Celtic at Tannadice. | |||||
| A 0-0 draw at home to Kilmarnock in December was followed by a midweek 2-1 victory over Dundee at Dens with goals from Craig Brewster and Paddy Connolly. The next match at Ibrox was unforgettable, as goals from Dave Bowman, Paddy Connolly and Craig Brewster had United 3-0 up after 20 minutes! There was only about 15,000 Huns left by the start of the second half as we partied for another 45 minutes, and the result was made even better when Rangers' Ian Ferguson was sent off for spitting. But this wasn't to be our only victory over Rangers this season. As is usual with United, a good result against the Old Firm is followed up with a disappointing score, and they lost 1-0 away to Partick Thistle in the next game, where Craig Brewster had to go off for stitches after being kicked in the head by Chic Charnley. Aberdeen won 1-0 at Tannadice in the final match of the year. | ||||||
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Into
January, and new signing Jerren Nixon,
signed from Trinidad club ECM Motown, made his debut in a 3-0 win over
Hearts at Tannadice, and Craig Brewster scored two against his old club
in a 2-0 win over Raith Rovers at Starks Park. A 0-0 draw with Celtic
at Parkhead meant United had yet to lose to Celtic this season, and Craig
Brewster scored in a 1-1 draw at McDiarmid Park. United started their
Scottish Cup campaign at Gayfield, in a wind battered match against Arbroath,
where many supporters clubs met up before the match (VENUE?) for a few
drinks and mince rolls! United won 3-2, with Craig Brewster scoring a
wind assisted 30 yarder and Billy McKinlay scored the winner from the
penalty spot.
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February
started with Paddy Connolly scoring in a 1-1 draw with at home to Dundee,
and Motherwell won 2-1 at Tannadice a week later. In the same week, John
Clark had decided to leave United after 10 years at the club, and signed
for Joe Jordan's Stoke City. Motherwell were back at Tannadice again for
the 4th round of the Scottish Cup where Craig Brewster scored two fantastic
goals to put United 2-1 up, but a late Philliben goal took the game to
a replay. Jerren Nixon scored his first goal for United in a rare 1-0
win over Hibs at Easter Road.
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March
saw the midweek Scottish Cup replay at Fir Park, where a huge United support
saw Brian Welsh score to take United through to the quarter-finals. Dave
Narey had a fantastic match in one of his last games for United, but Scott
Crabbe was ruled out for the rest of the season after breaking his leg
in a challenge with future United keeper Sieb Dykstra. Back-up keeper
Brian Flies made his one and only appearance in a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock
at Rugby Park, and United's Scottish Cup quarter-final tie with Airdrie
at Broomfield ended 0-0 with Craig Brewster being sent off. As thousands
of United fans made the long walk back to the buses, Andy and Bryan were
harassed by the Strathclyde Police after they queried the reasoning behind
3 police vans and 2 motorcycles chasing one 15 year old Arab down the
street!
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The
replay at Tannadice saw Jerren Nixon kicked all over the park before having
to come off, but goals from Billy McKinlay and Andy McLaren took United
through to the semi-finals. Alex Cleland scored in a 2-2 draw with Partick
at home, and we took a bus through to Glasgow to see Billy McKinlay win
his first Scotland cap against Holland in a 1-0 defeat at Hampden. United
lost 1-0 to Aberdeen at Pittodrie, and Craig Brewster scored in a 1-1
draw with Dundee at Dens as United yet again failed to hold onto a lead.
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April
saw Celtic beat United for the first time this season, as Craig Brewster
scored in a 3-1 defeat at Tannadice, and a 0-0 home draw with Rangers
followed in midweek. The Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen seemed
to hold a lot of bad luck for our Supporters Club, as our bus broke down
on the way to Hampden. United lost an early goal as Shearer's shot squirmed
under Van de Kamp, and it looked all over before Brian Welsh rose at the
back post to head a Dave Bowman cross into the net with second to go.
The bad luck continued at the replay 4 days later, as Spoons missed the
bus by a whole hour and Bryan lost his wallet at the match, but it was
all worth it as Jim McInally scored the goal that took United through
to their 7th Scottish Cup Final.
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| Gordan Petric, Billy McKinlay and Craig Brewster scored in a 3-0 win over Hibs at Tannadice, but a Christian Dailly goal wasn't enough at Ibrox as United lost 2-1, where we were denied a penalty as Dailly was nearly broken in two by Dave McPherson in the box. A shock 3-1 defeat to Kilmarnock at a packed Tannadice was followed by a 0-0 home draw with St Johnstone. | ||||||
| May started with a midweek 2-1 win through at Motherwell, a result that meant United would stay clear of the relegation battle after an indifferent season in the Premier League. This match also saw Billy McKinlay yellow carded, which meant United would have one of their most influential payers missing for the Scottish Cup Final through suspension. A 2-0 defeat at Tynecastle took United's run there without a win to 18 games, and a home match against relegated Raith Rovers in the last game in the League saw United go 3-0 down before David Hannah and Craig Brewster scored to make it 3-2. Hardly an ideal result in preparation for the Scottish Cup Final against treble chasing Rangers! | ||||||
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On the 21st of May, the Glenrothes Arabs took two buses through to Glasgow for the Scottish Cup Final. Our pre-match piss up was at a fitness club near Hampden, Brown's Leisure Complex, not that any of us ever left the bar - apart from a sneeky we look at the sweaty, leotard wearing ladies in the gym! Our Glenrothes Arabs flag (made by Bryan, Kev and Kev's Mum!) made it's debut that day and can be seen if you watch the game on video! Apart from Alex Cleland being brought down in the box, not much else really happened in the first half. | |||||
| But, Spoons' bad luck continued as he was still in the toilet in the 47th minute as Christian Dailly charged down Maxwell kick, and Craig Brewster ran in to knock in his 20th, and most important goal of the season. Another 43 minutes of nerve jangling football followed, as Guido Van de Kamp, Gordan Petric and Brian Welsh stopped everything Rangers threw at them, but as the match ended, tears and wild celebrations began on a day that will be long remembered by anyone who was there. | ![]() |
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After returning to Glenrothes and walking into a pub full of disgruntled Rangers fans, we all decided to take a bus up to Dundee to carry on the jubilation, and spent the evening in The Phoenix Bar, with renditions of Dignity, We Are The Champion, Go West and Bohemian Rhapsody! The only break was when the entire pub stopped to watch the highlights on Sportscene! The party mood continued into the next day as we all travelled back up to Dundee for the presentation of the Cup at the City Halls, as Arabs danced in the fountains and hung from the Caird Hall roof! Then a few days later Andy, Kev, Spoons and Bryan went up to Tannadice for an opportunity to have photo's taken with the trophy and the man who won it, Craig Brewster. |
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Just days later, the Glenrothes Arabs won their first (and last!) trophy, winning the Angus Arabs Invitational 5-a-side Competition, beating a Manchester United supporters club from Aberdeen on the way to the final. The event was held in Arbroath and many United Supporters Clubs turned up and entered several teams (we had three Glenrothes Arabs teams, two of which met in the quarter-finals!). By the end of the season, Freddy Van der Hoorn had decided to return home to Holland after losing his place in the team, and Dave Narey turned down a coaching job at Tannadice as he wanted to continue playing. The Cup Final turned out to be Guido Van de Kamp's last match for United after he fell out with the club after a contract dispute, and he returned to Holland before eventually being released by the club. |
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