Why are United thriving away from Tannadice?
· Yahoo Sports
They say there's no place like home. So far this season, though, Dundee United seem to be taking the opposite view.
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We're heading into October and the team are yet to register a home league win. You could make a case we should have beaten Rangers and Falkirk at Tannadice, but we didn't. And let's not even bother mentioning the Dundee derby.
On the road, however, we're sitting at a 50% win rate. An in-form Hearts saw us off comfortably, while we had to contend with only having 10 men for the best part of 80 minutes against Motherwell. Tough asks, both.
The trips to Kilmarnock and St Mirren, though, produced two magnificent performances. For a newly-assembled team, that's hugely encouraging. When it clicks, it really clicks, and it's an absolute joy to watch.
Which got me thinking, is there simply less pressure on the players when they're away from home?
Tannadice on match days can be an unforgiving place. An early mistake can be greeted with an audible groan from a crowd that is, understandably, expectant.
Unfortunately, that reaction doesn't always help. Some players can retreat into their shells and once that happens, confidence can be difficult to find.
Away from home, the atmosphere feels different. The travelling support seems a little more sympathetic, a little more forgiving of mistakes, and perhaps that gives the players the freedom to play without quite so much weight on their shoulders.
There's something to be said for that.
If only we could bottle up the atmosphere from Kilmarnock and Paisley, stick a cork in it and crack it open at Tannadice every other Saturday, because there's clearly a good team in there. We've seen it.
Now we just need to convince them that home really can be where the heart is.