Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Goodnight Vienna United net famous
But McLean’s Liverpool dreams dashed for semi-finals
DUNDEE United manager Jim McLean was dreaming of Liverpool after reaching the European Cup semifinal in 1984.
United fans invaded the pitch 40 years ago after McLean’s side defeated Rapid Vienna by the narrowest of margins.
The Terrors qualified for the last eight after putting six past Hamrun Spartans and four past Standard Liege without reply.
Rapid won the first leg 2-1 in Austria on March 7 with goals from Max Hagmayr and Zlatko Kranjcar, after Derek Stark opened the scoring for McLean’s men.
United were defeated but left with a vital away goal.
In those days, in the event that a two-legged home and away tie finished level, the team that scored more away goals would progress.
McLean didn’t need to give a team talk for the second leg at Tannadice on March 21, after being left incensed by Rapid manager Otto Baric’s post-match remarks.
“I am confident we will score in Dundee and win the tie there,”
Baric said. “We were streets ahead of them, although they are a welldisciplined side.
“I thought they were very ordinary. In fact, one of the poorest sides we have played in Europe.”
McLean stuck his comments up on the dressing-room wall. He wanted his players to show Baric how good they were.
Goalkeeper Hamish McAlpine became involved in the psychological warfare just before the players were leaving the dressing room.
He told his teammates: “Half of us are not good enough to play in the World Cup. This is our World Cup. Let’s go out and win it.”
United made one change from the first leg as Tommy Coyne made his European debut in place of Ralph Milne, who was on the bench.
Rapid’s talented team included European Golden Boot winner Hans Krankl, regarded as Austria’s greatest player.
United started off confidently before a noisy 17,442 crowd and put Rapid under pressure, with goalkeeper Herbert Feurer looking shaky as he struggled to handle simple crosses.
The atmosphere at Tannadice was electric but play was scrappy before Feurer did well to save a volley from Richard Gough after Eamonn Bannon’s freekick on 19 minutes.
The crowd were giving the home side plenty of encouragement.
On 21 minutes, the pressure paid off.
Gough took a throw-in on the right and collected a return pass from Coyne before his cross found Stark running into the box.
The midfielder played a pass to Davie Dodds, who struck the ball with his left foot on the turn and high into the roof of the net from six yards for his eighth goal in European football.
Rapid needed to score to progress and started to look dangerous, with Czech international Antonin Panenka going close with a 29th-minute volley.
United might have put the game out of sight on 35 minutes when Kirkwood sent a low drive into the goalmouth and Dodds just failed to connect.
The hosts almost scored again after the break when Stark collected a pass from Paul Sturrock and his shot from 25 yards struck the post on the way past.
McAlpine had to make his first real save of the game from a powerful drive by Christian Keglevits on 62 minutes, with Rapid going for the goal to take them through.
On 66 minutes, the Austrian keeper pulled off a magnificent save from Dodds when he touched the ball over for a corner.
Krankl shot over the bar at the other end from a good position.
Feurer then made a tremendous save from substitute Milne with play now going back and forth.
McAlpine saved at the death
when Keglevits burst through following a solo run before United saw the game out to go through on the away goals rule.
Courier writer Tommy Gallacher said: “Derek Stark, who always seems at his best in Europe, made a massive contribution.
“He was involved in everything. He ran and tackled and passed as though his life depended on it and, over the two games, his was the most memorable display of dedicated endeavour.
“As the scorer in Vienna and provider of the pass for the winner in Dundee, the Fifer stamped his name on the tie as a whole.”
The jubilant supporters continued the celebrations in the city’s pubs and clubs.
McLean said the triumph came very close to the thrill that winning the Premier League title had given him in 1983.
He said: “This is a magnificent result against a side I rate very highly, but in no way was it our best performance in Europe.
“But the whole team worked their hearts out, and we can all be very proud of the achievement in reaching the semi-final of the European trophy for the first time.
“It’s a great night for Dundee United.”
Dinamo Bucharest, Liverpool and
Roma were possible adversaries in the semi-final.
“Years ago we would have felt inferior being in the draw with teams like Liverpool, Roma and Dinamo Bucharest and, strictly speaking, we have no right to be there, if you are speaking about resources,” he said.
“But we have every right to be there on our performances.”
McLean made no secret of who he wanted in the last four.
“I would like Liverpool from the travelling point of view, if for nothing else,” he said.
“Kenny Dalglish has always said we would meet at some stage of the competition. I hope he is right.
“I know we can give them a good game and while I also know they could beat us, I feel we are also quite capable of beating them.”
He did not want to face Roma, whose side included Brazilian World Cup stars Roberto Falcao, Toninho and Cerezo, and Italian winger Bruno Conti.
“It’s my opinion that AS Roma are the best side left of the three others,” he said.
But United were, of course, drawn against Roma and it would all go wrong in the most controversial of circumstances.
However, that’s a story for another day.