We’re fired up for Xmas
QoS v DUNDEE UTD Scobbie sure United will hit red-hot festive form
TAM SCOBBIE insists high-flying Dundee United are only warming up – and are all set to catch fire over the festive period.
Csaba Laszlo’s league leaders head for Dumfries today on the back of two wins over Dunfermline and Morton which have propelled them to the top of the Championship.
Today’s game against Queens is followed by clashes with promotion rivals Livingston and St Mirren as the race for the flag hots up.
And skipper Scobbie said: “If we play like we can I don’t think anyone can really match us.
“There’s definitely more to come. In the games against Falkirk and Dunfermline we’ve looked a real threat going forward. That has been the case since the manager came in.
“Right now, with the players we’ve got, they just seem to be ticking all the boxes. Once you’re in the team you need to perform at a high level to stay there.
“There’s competition for places, especially in that forward line. So there’s a real hunger to do well and that’s being reflected on the park.
“We have players who can set a game on fire at any point – from Scott Fraser to Sam Stanton and Billy King. They can all do the business which is great from our point of view.”
United go into today’s clash brimming with confidence thanks to their 2-0 win at Cappielow.
And former St Johnstone defender Scobbie is urging them to develop more of a killer instinct as Christmas approaches.
He said: “It was a massive win at Ton. We did well in tricky conditions. If we were clinical we might have scored another two or three.
“Something the manager has been speaking about since he came to the club is the number of chances we’ve been creating without taking them.
“It’s something I’m sure he’ll be working on and we’ll get better at it in the weeks ahead.
“It’s not just about putting down a statement in these next two games. Instead it’s about trying to do the business all throughout the Christmas period.
“We’ve got some tough games coming up against teams in the top four or five. It’s going to be hard but we can take positives from the likes of last Saturday down at Morton.
“We came away with a another clean sheet and our record in that regard has been pretty good so far this season, especially since the new manager came in.”
Queens boss Gary Naysmith has been forced to prepare his players indoors this week due to the weather but he insists his men are ready.
He said: “At least we’ve been able to do a lot of work and allowed the players to train pretty much as normal ahead of such a big game.
“Dundee United will be difficult opponents so I’m glad we’re able to take them on in good shape.
“They were the pre-season favourites to gain automatic promotion back to the Premiership and so far they’ve justified that tag.
“We had a good, tight game at Tannadice back in August when they edged it by the odd goal in three, so this is a challenge we are very much looking forward to.”