OH SPARE US STATS. WE CAN FIGURE IT OUT
No need for number crunchers.. we know what’s required says Mulgrew
insists there’s no need to hit Dundee United with a stat attack as the players already know they need to rediscover their winning formula.
United’s stunning start to the season has hit the buffers in recent weeks with the clattering from Celtic on Sunday making it just one win in seven on Tayside.
Mulgrew reckons the form guide can be twisted to fit any tale but he’s not shirking the fact his team have gone off the boil.
Thomas Courts’ side are still in the top half and are determined to remain there.
But Mulgrew admits United need to revert back to the strengths behind their early-season success story.
He said: “You can’t just accept things, there are things we need to work on. We know what the problems are and we need to do better with them.
“At the same time, overall, we’ve done well. But we need to go again and pick up results, not just rest on our laurels.
“You can dress the stats up however you like. You can take it to 12 games and it looks better for us or you can look at three games and it’s worse.
“You can look at the stats however you like and we don’t look into them too much.
“We all know we need to do better, it’s as simple as that, start performing better and picking up wins.” It could have been far worse than 3-0 for United on Sunday and most sides would have struggled to contain Ange Postecoglou’s men on that kind of form.
But Mulgrew refused to roll over and accept the defeat as he insisted United were their own worst enemies at times.
He said: “The over-riding feeling is disappointment with the result. It was a sore one to take.
“You need to try to keep Celtic out as long as you can and then hopefully you can get a goal.
“Maybe get them on the break or keep it at 1-0 and get a goal. But we just never did that.
“Through their great play, and our not so great play, it didn’t happen for us. Credit where it’s due to Celtic, they won the game. But we need to pick ourselves up.”
United held the Hoops at Parkhead earlier in the season when they were solid at the back and carried a goal threat.
It was a different story at the weekend and Mulgrew admitted his old club gave them a headache.
He said: “They started well from kick-off and got into good positions. There wasn’t a disappointment in their team but with us we can all be disappointed with certain things.
“To an extent you’re only as good as a team will let you be – and Celtic played well.
“We feel there’s a lot we could’ve done better.
“We came up against a class side but we’ve got to look at ourselves and it’s about what we do.
“We came into the game and didn’t expect it to be that one-sided. But that can happen against Celtic. They are a good team.
“We probably didn’t get close enough to them. But it’s hard. They took positions all the time.
“When they had the ball one pops out of position and another pops in. It’s not easy to deal with.
“Maybe if you get them on an off day then you can get close to them.
“But we didn’t this time and we’re gutted about that. We have to move on quickly.”
We know what problems are and need to do better CHARLIE MULGREW RECOGNISES UNITED’S FAILINGS