1987–88 Dundee United F.C. season explained

Club:	Dundee United
Season:	1987–88
Manager:	Jim McLean
Chairman:	George Fox
Stadium:	Tannadice Park
League:	Scottish Premier Division
League Result:	5th
Cup1:	Scottish Cup
Cup1 Result:	Runners-up
Cup2 Result:	Quarter-finals
Cup3 Result:	Second round
League Topscorer:	Iain Ferguson (11)
Season Topscorer:	Iain Ferguson (16)
Highest Attendance:	20,846 vs Rangers (27 February)
Lowest Attendance:	5,703 vs Motherwell (12 December)
Prevseason:	1986–87
Nextseason:	1988–89

The 1987–88 season was the 79th year of football played by Dundee United, and covers the period from 1 July 1987 to 30 June 1988. United finished in fifth place, securing UEFA Cup Winners' Cup football for the following season, despite their Scottish Cup final defeat to Celtic (Celtic qualified for European competition as league winners).

Match results

Dundee United played a total of 60 competitive matches during the 1987–88 season.^[1] The team finished fifth in the Scottish Premier Division.

In the cup competitions, United lost in the final of the Scottish Cup to Celtic and lost in the Skol Cup quarter-finals to rivals Dundee. Czechoslovakian side Vítkovice ensured United wouldn't repeat last season's UEFA Cup run, beating them in the second round.

Legend

Win	Draw	Loss

All results are written with Dundee United's score first.

Premier Division

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
8 August 1987	Rangers	A	1–1	39,120	Beaumont
12 August 1987	Motherwell	H	1–1	6,633	Redford
15 August 1987	Morton	H	3–1	6,641	McInally, Redford, Sturrock
22 August 1987	Hearts	A	1–4	14,548	Ferguson
29 August 1987	Aberdeen	A	1–1	16,000	Redford
5 September 1987	Celtic	H	0–0	16,192
12 September 1987	Hibernian	H	1–2	7,920	Hegarty
19 September 1987	St Mirren	A	0–2	3,807
26 September 1987	Falkirk	H	3–0	6,240	G McLeod, Sturrock (2)
3 October 1987	Dundee	A	1–1	11,497	Ferguson
6 October 1987	Dunfermline	A	0–0	7,558
10 October 1987	Rangers	H	1–0	18,214	Ferguson
17 October 1987	Aberdeen	H	0–0	11,281
24 October 1987	Celtic	A	2–1	31,032	Ferguson, Clark
28 October 1987	Hibernian	A	1–0	9,250	McKinlay
31 October 1987	St Mirren	H	2–3	7,607	Ferguson, Paatelainen
7 November 1987	Motherwell	A	1–2	2,927	Ferguson
14 November 1987	Dunfermline	H	1–0	8,699	Paatelainen
18 November 1987	Hearts	H	0–3	14,258
21 November 1987	Morton	A	1–0	3,000	Ferguson
24 November 1987	Falkirk	A	1–4	4,000	G McLeod
28 November 1987	Dundee	H	1–3	13,625	Clark
5 December 1987	Rangers	A	0–1	41,159
12 December 1987	Motherwell	H	3–1	5,703	G McLeod, Paatelainen, Ferguson
16 December 1987	Hibernian	H	1–2	6,095	Ferguson
19 December 1987	St Mirren	A	1–2	3,517	McPhee
26 December 1987	Celtic	H	1–0	18,458	French
2 January 1988	Aberdeen	A	0–0	21,500
9 January 1988	Falkirk	H	0–0	6,617
16 January 1988	Dundee	A	2–0	13,651	Bannon, Paatelainen
3 February 1988	Hearts	A	1–1	13,710	Redford
6 February 1988	Morton	H	2–0	6,566	Redford (2)
13 February 1988	Dunfermline	A	3–0	7,159	Gallacher (3)
27 February 1988	Rangers	H	1–1	20,846	Paatelainen
5 March 1988	Hibernian	A	0–0	8,401
19 March 1988	Aberdeen	H	0–2	10,403
26 March 1988	Celtic	A	0–0	34,933
30 March 1988	St Mirren	H	5–1	6,294	Bowman, Ferguson, French, Irvine (2)
2 April 1988	Dundee	H	1–0	13,874	French
16 April 1988	Motherwell	A	2–4	3,822	Clark, J McLeod
23 April 1988	Dunfermline	H	2–2	8,263	McInally, Ferguson
30 April 1988	Morton	A	4–0	2,000	Paatelainen (4)
4 May 1988	Falkirk	A	2–1	4,500	Welsh, Gallacher
7 May 1988	Hearts	H	0–0	9,820

Scottish Cup

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
30 January 1988	Arbroath	A	7–0	5,905	Malpas, Bannon, Irvine (2), Paatelainen French, Redford
20 February 1988	Airdrieonians	A	2–0	6,727	Hegarty, Bannon
12 March 1988	Dundee	A	0–0	19,355
15 March 1988	Dundee	H	2–2	17,055	Bannon (2)
28 March 1988	Dundee	A	3–0	19,152	Redford, Ferguson, McLeod
9 April 1988	Aberdeen	N	0–0	20,488
13 April 1988	Aberdeen	N	1–1	17,288	Paatelainen
20 April 1988	Aberdeen	N	1–0	19,048	Ferguson
14 May 1988	Celtic	N	1–2	74,000	Gallacher

Skol Cup

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
19 August 1987	Partick Thistle	H	2–0	6,075	McPhee, Ferguson, Gallacher, Sturrock
25 August 1987	Raith Rovers	A	2–1	6,500	Sturrock, Malpas
2 September 1987	Dundee	A	1–2	19,817	Ferguson

UEFA Cup

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
16 September 1987	Coleraine	A	1–0	6,500	Sturrock
30 September 1987	Coleraine	H	3–1	8,430	Clark, Gallacher, Sturrock
21 October 1987	Vítkovice	H	1–2	8,938	Ferguson
4 November 1987	Vítkovice	A	1–1	12,549	Clark

Player details

During the 1987–88 season, United used 31 different players comprising four nationalities. Maurice Malpas featured in all but one of United's 60 matches. The table below shows the number of appearances and goals scored by each player.^[2] |}

Goalscorers

United had 19 players score with the team scoring 83 goals in total. The top goalscorer was Iain Ferguson, who finished the season with 16 goals.^[3]

League	Cups	Total
11	5	16
9	2	11
6	2	8
3	4	7
3	3	6
3	2	5
1	4	5
3	1	4
2	2	4
3	0	3
3	0	3
2	0	2
1	1	2
1	1	2
1	1	2
0	2	2
1	0	1
1	0	1
1	0	1
1	0	1

Discipline

During the 1987–88 season, two United players were sent off. Statistics for cautions are unavailable.^[4]

Name	Dismissals
	1
	1

Team statistics

League table

Transfers

In

The club signed three players during the season with a total public cost of at least £200,000 (one figure unknown).

Date	Player	From	Fee (£)
August 1987			Unknown
August 1987			£0,100,000^[5]
30 October 1987			£0,100,000^[6]

Out

Four players were sold by the club during the season with a public total of at least £80,000 (some figures unavailable).

Date	Player	To	Fee
September 1987			Unknown^[7]
September 1987			Unknown^[8]
11 February 1988			£0,080,000
February 1988			Unknown^[9]

Playing kit

The jerseys were sponsored by Belhaven Beers for the first time.

External links

Glenrothes Arabs 1987–88 season review

Notes and References

Web site: Match results 1987/1988. Arab Archive. 14 November 2016.
Web site: 1987–88. Glenrothes Arabs. 4 February 2008.
Web site: 1987–88. Glenrothes Arabs. 6 February 2008.
Web site: 1987–88. Glenrothes Arabs. 6 February 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080703194339/http://www.dirtyarab.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/History/1980s/1987-88/87-88page.htm . 3 July 2008. dead.
Web site: Player A to Z: Alan Irvine. Glenrothes Arabs. 6 February 2008.
Web site: Player A to Z: Mixu Paatelainen. Glenrothes Arabs. 6 February 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080828225305/http://www.dirtyarab.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Player%20a-z/Paatelainen%20M.htm . 28 August 2008. dead.
Web site: Player A to Z: John Holt. Glenrothes Arabs. 6 February 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081015114526/http://www.dirtyarab.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Player%20a-z/Holt%20J.htm . 15 October 2008. dead.
Web site: Player A to Z: Billy Kirkwood. Glenrothes Arabs. 6 February 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080828225920/http://www.dirtyarab.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Player%20a-z/Kirkwood%20B.htm . 28 August 2008. dead.
Web site: Player A to Z: Paul Kinnaird. Glenrothes Arabs. 6 February 2008.

League	Cups	Total
11	5	16
9	2	11
6	2	8
3	4	7
3	3	6
3	2	5
1	4	5
3	1	4
2	2	4
3	0	3
3	0	3
2	0	2
1	1	2
1	1	2
1	1	2
0	2	2
1	0	1
1	0	1
1	0	1
1	0	1

League	Cups	Total
11	5	16
9	2	11
6	2	8
3	4	7
3	3	6
3	2	5
1	4	5
3	1	4
2	2	4
3	0	3
3	0	3
2	0	2
1	1	2
1	1	2
1	1	2
0	2	2
1	0	1
1	0	1
1	0	1
1	0	1