Peter Houston is indeed going through a tough time. The continuous string of losses has put him under immense pressure. The club management has issued an ultimatum: if he cannot win the next two games, he may have to consider leaving the club.
The reason they set the next two rounds as the deadline, rather than the very next match, is that Dundee United has a very low probability of winning their upcoming league game. This gives Houston a bit of breathing room and room to maneuver.
On September 11th, in the fourth round of the Scottish Premiership, Dundee United traveled to Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, to challenge one of the two dominant teams of the Scottish league, Rangers.
In the Scottish league, Celtic and Rangers are in a league of their own. Both teams feature players who have competed in the top five European leagues, giving them a considerable advantage over other clubs.
Dundee United ultimately suffered a heavy 0-4 defeat at Ebrooks Stadium in Glasgow. Just eight minutes into the game, full-back Dillon scored an own goal while attempting to intercept a pass from Croatian striker Jelavic. Before the first half ended, Kenny Miller, a striker who had previously played for Derby County and Wolves in the Premier League, had already scored twice. Later, a substitute striker came on in the second half and added another goal, completely removing any suspense from the match.
Bruce remained on the bench for the second consecutive game.
He didn't think much of it; after all, his performances in the previous two matches had been underwhelming, and the head coach was under tremendous pressure. Houston probably wouldn't risk giving a newcomer the chance to gain experience.
After losing another game, Peter Houston appeared grim on the bus back to Dundee from Glasgow, and the others were hesitant to speak.
But back in Dundee, Houston still had to prepare seriously for the upcoming fixtures. A week later, in the fifth round of the league, the new derby—Dundee United versus Aberdeen—would be his last lifeline.
The Scottish Premiership has long been dominated by two giants, Celtic and Rangers. Even when other teams occasionally rise to the top and claim the championship, it is difficult for them to challenge these two powerhouses over an extended period.
However, in the 1980s, two teams emerged in Scotland that broke this pattern: Aberdeen and Dundee United. These clubs not only stole the spotlight from the traditional leaders in the league but also made a significant mark in European competitions.
In the league, Aberdeen won the title three times, and Dundee United won it once, giving the two teams a combined total of four league titles in the 1980s. This decade can be considered the most "tragic" for the old guard, as Celtic and Rangers won only six of the league titles, losing four to these rising clubs.
Generally, among Scottish teams competing in European tournaments, only Celtic and Rangers have historically been contenders for top honors. Other teams, even if they qualify for European competitions, are often regarded as cannon fodder on the continental stage.
The two teams that emerged in the 1980s were different. Dundee United reached the semi-finals of the Champions League and the finals of the UEFA Cup within just a few years. Although they did not win either title, these achievements were remarkable—especially when compared with Rangers, whose best Champions League result was only a single semi-final appearance.
Aberdeen, meanwhile, may not have excelled in the Champions League, but they caused a series of upsets in the 1982/83 European Cup Winners' Cup. They eliminated powerhouse clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich to reach the final.
In the final, Aberdeen defeated Real Madrid—a club with a century-long history—2-1 to claim the championship, becoming the third Scottish team to win a European competition.
By winning the Cup Winners' Cup and qualifying for the European Super Cup that year, Aberdeen once again demonstrated their dark horse potential, defeating that year's Champions League winner Hamburg 2-0 to become the only Scottish team to win the European Super Cup.
Dundee United and Aberdeen were rising to prominence at the same time, both showing a strong tendency to challenge and overthrow the established clubs in the league and European competitions. In addition, both teams were located in the eastern part of Scotland, and their matches against each other were fiercely contested, resulting in intense and exciting battles. Therefore, they were dubbed the "New Club Derby," echoing the historic rivalry between Celtic and Rangers.
Although both new-age teams declined rapidly after the 1980s, the New Club Derby has endured and has become the second most important derby in the Scottish league, after the traditional Old Firm derby.
For Dundee United, the New Club Derby is even more significant than their city derby against their arch-rivals, Dundee FC. This also serves as the bottom line for Dundee United's management. After a series of losses, they will not allow themselves to lose the New Club Derby again. If they fail to win this match, head coach Peter Houston will undoubtedly face dismissal.
It's worth mentioning that Aberdeen's rise to prominence was largely due to their legendary manager at the time, Bruce Ferguson, who later went on to coach in England and achieved great success there as well.
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On September 18, 2010, the fifth round of the Scottish Premiership kicked off, with Dundee United hosting the first new-brand derby of the season at home.
Even before the match started, the atmosphere inside Tannadice Park was already electric.
When Bruce entered the field, he didn't receive as much applause as he did during his first home league appearance, but there were still fans clapping for him.
Head coach Peter Houston was met with a huge chorus of boos as he stepped onto the field. Last season, Houston had been just an assistant coach for Dundee United. However, after the season ended, the original head coach moved to the Swedish league, and Houston was promoted to head coach.
Since the start of the new season, Dundee United had performed poorly. While their elimination from the UEFA Cup could be partly attributed to a draw against Liverpool, Houston was definitely to blame for their league struggles.
After four rounds of league play, Dundee United had managed only two points from two draws and two losses, placing them second to last in the standings. Fortunately, the Scottish Premiership currently had only one relegation spot, which meant Dundee United had not yet slipped into the relegation zone.
However, the current results were completely unsatisfactory to the fans, and calls for Houston to be sacked were growing louder.
"Dundee United's situation is quite dire right now, and I'm sure their old rivals Aberdeen won't let this opportunity to kick them while they're down slip by. I think Aberdeen will win this match," the BBC's Scottish commentators began their analysis.
"No, quite the opposite. I think Dundee United will win at home," the commentators' usual diametrical disagreement began again.
"Many teams, when they're struggling, often find their form in an important game and get back on track. I think this match could very well be the turning point for Dundee United."
"Moreover, this is a derby. In a derby, it's not always about having the strongest team or being in the best form that you win. Derbies are full of surprises."
"In the season when Barcelona won the treble, they still lost 1-2 to Espanyol in the city derby at home. Do you really think Espanyol was that strong? No—it was a derby, and anything can happen."
"Manchester United won the double in the 2007/08 season, but they were surprisingly defeated twice by Manchester City in the league's derby, both home and away. At that time, Manchester City had not yet been taken over by Middle Eastern tycoons and was not considered a strong team…"