Utd have to handle the tag of favourites

THE, slightly, OTT reaction to Dundee United’s recent hiccups in the Championship brings home two things.

First, it shows, as clear favourites for promotion this term, each time not everything goes to plan for the Tangerines it will be seen as a crisis.

Second, the anxiety of the fans demonstrates they realise how massive a season this is.

Ironically, on paper the start is nothing to panic about.

United are sitting with 10 points from five games, just two off top spot, and, in a cut-throat league like the second tier, that really isn’t the end of the world.

They are a new team and there is every reason to believe the more games they play the better they will get.

If I was gaffer Ray McKinnon, that’s the message I would be hammering into my players.

Those are the positives but there are also some negatives and there is no getting away from that.

The last three league performances have not been good, producing just one victory.

Add to that two of those games were at home against opposition they were expected to beat comfortably.

They did better Brechin but struggled in that game, and Saturday saw them lucky to get a draw with the other part-time outfit in the division, Dumbarton.

In a league that can often be decided by who has the best home form, that’s a worry because there will be tougher tests to come at Tannadice.

And, for me, whoever United are facing they have to accept that, as favourites, teams are going to lift their games against them.

So far they haven’t seemed comfortable with that status but I see it as something they should embrace and relish.

I’d even like to see them playing with a touch of arrogance and going out each week determined to show they are better than the rest.

That hasn’t happened, the team has looked anxious and that’s got through to the fans.

They booed their team off at half-time on Saturday and that’s not like them.

But they know if United don’t get up this season, they are in danger of becoming just another second-tier outfit.

That would be a disaster.

Dumbarton made life extremely difficult for Dundee United at Tannadice on Saturday.