1st = Celtic, 2nd = Kilmarnock, 3rd = Dunfermline.
In my opinion, those are Dundee United`s bogey sides – the teams that United always struggle against and can never seem to beat.
Every football supporter dreads playing certain opposition teams, because they know that the result will always go against them. It doesn`t matter how well they play, how much possession or dominance, those bogey sides will always steal all 3 points.
Even if Dundee United are 2-0 up, with only 30seconds of real time remaining, I know that Celtic are more than capable of scoring 3 times in stoppage time to sneak a 3-2 win.
I also know that Kilmarnock will always beat us 2-0, even if Roger Boli has scored 2 goals in the first 10 minute of the game, only for them to both be chalked off for offside.
And I am aware that Dunfermline have enjoyed much success against United, ever since the 2 sides battled for the Scottish 1st division title, during that season United spent in the lower league.
But, emotions aside and looking at the actual evidence, which opposition clubs really are Dundee United`s bogey sides.
I looked at all of Dundee United results against Scottish teams in both League or Cup competitions since the 1st of January 2000, to find of which clubs were statistically most likely to win and some of the results were quite surprising.
Dundee United haven`t beaten Celtic since Gary McSwegan`s 89th minute strike on the 1st of February 1997, so I wasn`t shock to find out that Celtic topped the table with a staggering 84% win record since the 1st January 2000.
However, I was surprised to find out that United`s 2nd bogey side is actually Hearts with 57%, closely followed by Rangers with 56% – I always thought that Dundee United had a good record against the Gers, but obviously its not that impressive a record!
Out of the 29 Scottish clubs that have played United since 2000, I was very surprised to find Kilmarnock were only 9th in the list with a 47% win record and an average score line of 1-1, while Dunfermline were in 10th with 46%.
Gretna, Ayr United, Falkirk and St Johnstone have had more success against us in recent years, but which sides have had the worst win record against United?
Well, there are several sides that haven`t won against us in recent years – including Partick Thistle, Airdrie United and Dumbarton – but the SPL club with the worst record is actually St Mirren, the team that United beat 2-0 at the weekend, with 2 goals from Jon Daly!
Next question is…. which sides have Dundee United got the best win record against? (Answers coming your way very soon!)
Full results (Including average score in brackets):
1st, Celtic, 84.4% (1-3)
2nd, Hearts 57.1% (1-2)
3rd, Rangers 55.9% (1-2)
4th, Falkirk 53.8% (0-0)
5th, Gretna 50.0% (3-2)
6th, Saint Johnstone 50.0% (1-1)
7th, Ayr United 50.0% (1-2)
8th, Hibernian 47.1% (1-2)
9th, Kilmarnock 46.7% (1-1)
10th, Dunfermline 46.4% (1-1)11th, Aberdeen 45.7% (1-2)
12th, Dundee 38.9% (1-2)
13th, Livingston 35.0% (1-1)
14th, Caley Thistle 33.3% (1-1)
15th, Motherwell 28.6% (1-1)
16th, Hamilton 25.0% (2-1)
17th, St Mirren 18.8% (2-1)
18th, Greenock Morton 0.0% (3-1)
19th, Airdrie United 0.0% (2-0)
20th, Clyde 0.0% (3-0)
21st, Partick Thistle 0.0% (1-0)
22nd, Queen Of The South 0.0% (3-0)
23rd, Ross County 0.0% (2-1)
24th, Alloa 0.0% (3-0)
25th, Queens Park 0.0% (4-1)
26th, Stranraer 0.0% (3-1)
27th, Cowdenbeath 0.0% (5-1)
28th, Dumbarton 0.0% (3-0)
29th, Montrose 0.0% (2-0)
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