Jamie McGrath opens up on Dundee Utd’s ‘attitude’ despite Aberdeen defeat

Dundee United showed energy, they played well and their attitude – despite a 3-1 defeat by Aberdeen – was spot on.

“It was a very disappointing night,” he said. “I thought we showed a good attitude from the first minute and we were there from the start. The atmosphere behind us was electric. We really felt that excitement on the pitch.

“In the first half we could have been two or three of those out of sight if we got to the green. Of course we can take positives from that, but the most important thing was our attitude from minute one.

“I thought we were brilliant and showed a lot of energy. Hopefully if we continue to show that now and at the end of the season we can start scoring points.”

While this should encourage them to hit the drop, it also puts a big fat elephant in the room. With 11 games remaining and two managers already gone, where has that attitude and enthusiasm gone lately?

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Liam Fox could certainly have used some of this, Jack Ross too. McGrath’s emphasis on the application layer could be read as a passive admission that this hasn’t always been the case in recent weeks.

That’s not meant to single out the Ireland midfielder, it’s rather a broader reflection on the Tannadice squad and what has transpired in what has been a largely miserable season so far. Regardless, confirmation that this group is now ready for a fight for survival is a tick on Jim Goodwin’s to-do list.

Next, they need to be prevented from sending soft goals somehow. As terrific as Duk’s finish was in the opening game, the only opportunity presented to him was Ryan Edwards’ hesitation. The defender was defeated again for a third time while the Aberdeen players were unchallenged near the penalty spot before Ross McCrorie swept home.

“Yeah, it’s a big deal,” McGrath admitted. “The gaffer stressed that in our first session we need to stop losing goals to give ourselves a chance in games. We can’t score two or three goals to stay in a game.

“We should have done that tonight and I missed opportunities myself. It’s not a pointer, it’s a collective – how we press from above, how we lose goals from behind. We have to play together, it’s not the time to point fingers or analyze.”

It was more than a touch of irony that Aberdeen banished their away-day blues the moment they faced their former manager. The away team’s celebrations felt particularly loud when the goals fell, perhaps compounded by the element of surprise – they haven’t had much to celebrate on their travels this season. But they will take heart as they see their team ready to go to war against an increasingly desperate foe.

“You have to show that side in this league,” said Graeme Shinnie. “United are fighting for their lives at the bottom and we knew they were going to get a new manager and we knew it was going to be a game like that.

“They were good in the first half and we wanted to try and put pressure on them because they had a run. I think we showed what we’re about in the second half. We fought and we beat and the quality has showed itself.” At the end.”

Replacing Goodwin, interim manager Barry Robson was put in charge of the archetypal task of stabilizing ships. The Dons have now won three of their last four, inevitably turning the conversation to the prospect of his caretaker role becoming permanent.

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“It’s hard to comment on,” Shinnie said. “For me personally, it was fun playing for him. I played with Baz. He’s a great guy, it was great sharing the dressing room with him and he was a top notch manager.

“Steve [Agnew] getting in was another class too. We’re moving in the right direction. What happens, happens – but we will keep fighting and wrestling for the manager. It’s a different style of training and a different week preparing for the games.

“Obviously every manager has different ways of working and Barry was very detailed and very good. The guys know what he expects from us. He was very good.”