The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Tangerines boss stresses threat Bairns will pose in first league outing
No room for complacency Falkirk head for Tannadice
Dundee United manager Csaba Laszlo will remind his team they are playing a “big club” when Falkirk visit Tannadice.
While United have had their own problems this season, hence the decision to replace Ray McKinnon with Laszlo, they are nothing compared to what the Bairns have gone through.
The team that finished ahead of the Tangerines in second place in the Championship last season have won only one league match this campaign and had their own managerial switch when Paul Hartley took over from Peter Houston at the start of last month.
They sit second bottom of the table and this fixture is widely seen as a great chance for Laszlo to get a victory in his first league match in charge of United.
However, the Hungarian’s first task after seeing his own team exit the IrnBru Cup at the hands of Crusaders on Saturday was to tune in to see the Bairns lose narrowly to Inverness Caley Thistle in the same competition.
You get the feeling there will be zero room for complacency in the home dressing room on Sunday.
Asked if Falkirk are a better side than their league placing suggests, Laszlo replied: “Yes, I have said that to everybody.
“You have to respect every single team and I saw Falkirk play in the Challenge Cup game against Inverness and they look better than their league position shows.
“You definitely can’t go out thinking that you are playing against the second bottom team in the league.
“You need to remember that you are playing against a big club.
“They are a strong side that also wants to go up from this division so, for that reason, it will be a tough game.”
As well as checking out the opposition, Laszlo revealed he has been busy looking at footage of all United’s games this season.
“This is a part of my job,” he said. “I think, though, that the last two league games are the most important.
“Before that the team was up and down a lot but in the last two there was stability.
“So it is important to look and see with which players you had that stability.
“You maybe should try not to change a winning team but I don’t know yet if, 100%, it will be the same team that goes out on Sunday.”
They are a strong side that also wants to go up from this division so, for that reason, it will be a tough game. CSABA LASZLO