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Dundee United A - Z ( N )
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| Dave NAREY (born 1956) |
Dave was one of manager Jim McLean’s first signings in January 1972 and began as an apprentice the following year. He made his first-team debut in 1973 at the age of 17 and quickly matured into a defender of great distinction, a fact recognised by the representative honours he gained at all levels. He holds the unique distinction of becoming the first ever Dundee United player to win a full cap for Scotland, which he achieved in 1977.
In 22 years Dave established the record number of appearances for the club with 866, as well as records in the individual competitions. Given modern trends and the effects of the Bosman judgment, it is very possible that these will never be exceeded.
An era came to an end in 1994 when he left Tannadice on a free transfer to join Raith Rovers, adding to his impressive array of honours by helping them win the Coca Cola Cup and the First Division championship.
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| Jerren NIXON (born 1973) |
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Signed by Ivan Golac from ECM Motown of Trinidad in December 1993, he was a left-sided striker with a wicked turn of speed, which frequently left defenders with no option but to pull him down. Excellent ball skills, too, often took him past three or four defenders, although he did have a tendency to want to beat one too many. One of four 20 year-olds in the Scottish Cup-winning side, along with Dailly, Hannah and McLaren, he came on as a substitute in the latter stages. He was less impressive during 1994/95, the season which culminated in United dropping to the First Division. New manager Billy Kirkwood decided that Nixon was a luxury at that level and he was transferred to FC Zurich during the close season of 1995 for £200,000.
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| NORTH AMERICAN SOCCER LEAGUE (NASL) |
United’s exploits in their first season of European competition – victory over Barcelona and honourable defeat by Juventus – brought them an invitation to participate in the NASL.
The competition was spread over six weeks between the end of May and early July and involved clubs from Europe and South America, each of which represented the NASL club from the city in which they were based. United played as Dallas Tornado and met Aberdeen (Washington), ADO Hague (San Fransisco), Bangu of Brazil (Houston), Cagliari (Chicago), Cerro of Uruguay (New York), Glentoran (Detroit), Hibernian (Toronto), Shamrock Rovers (Boston), Stoke City (Cleveland), Sunderland (Vancouver), and Wolverhampton Wanderers (Los Angeles).
Bangu were the only club United played twice, but they did not exactly cover themselves in glory, winning three, drawing three and losing six of the matches. Perhaps the most notable aspect of their visit was that they played in Dallas Tornado’s tangerine shirts and shorts; two years later these were adopted as United’s official club colours.
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| NORTHERN IRELAND |
See also Ireland and Republic of Ireland
United have met only three clubs from Northern Ireland, though one of them, Glentoran, on no fewer than four occasions.
The first encounter took place in United’s Second Division days. Portadown were the visitors to Tannadice for a friendly on the Dundee October fast holiday in 1958, United winning 5–1. Nine years later saw the first meeting with Glentoran, in the unlikely setting of Detroit. It was a North American Soccer League match in June 1967 which saw the Irish side triumph 1–0.
Two further decades passed before United finally ventured to the Six Counties. It was a first-round tie in the Uefa Cup of 1987/88, and the draw took the previous season’s finalists to Coleraine. United made heavy weather of it, an Iain Ferguson goal the only one of the first leg, but a 3–1 margin at Tannadice saw them through comfortably.
In 1989, the draw gave the club its second visit to the province, this time to Belfast to meet Glentoran. United had waited 22 years to erase the memory of that defeat in Detroit, and they made the most of it, winning 3–1 at The Oval and 2–0 at Tannadice. The friendship formed between the clubs over these two ties led to United returning to The Oval a year later to play a testimonial for two Glentoran players. The match ended 2–0 to United.
The first player from Northern Ireland to join the club was Michael O’Neill* - who had played against United in those UEFA Cup ties – and he became the club’s record signing when he joined from Newcastle United for £350,000 in August 1989. He was capped for his country on 12 occasions as a United player and three of his compatriots were also internationals while at Tannadice : Iain Jenkins won 3 caps between 1998 and 2000; Darren Patterson 5 between 1998 and 2000; and Danny Griffin 16 between 2000 and 2004.
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| NORWAY |
United’s first connection with Norway came during World War Two. Many members of the Norwegian armed forces were stationed in Scotland and among them were the international footballers Boye Karlsen and John Sveinsson. They guested for United on a number of occasions and were popular with Tannadice fans. Both also played against United as members of a Norwegian Forces XI, in a challenge match at Tannadice in April 1944 which United won 6-0.
Two decades later, Dundee United’s Scandinavian colony included Finn Seemann. A seasoned international signed from Lyn Oslo in 1965, Seemann was a strong, attacking winger who had three seasons at Tannadice before joining DWS Amsterdam for £25,000 in July 1968. He later played for FC Utrecht, then returned to Norway and his original club. He was tragically killed in a car crash in September 1985 at the age of only 40.
International midfielder Erik Pedersen was one of Tommy McLean’s first signings for the club. He joined from Viking Stavanger in October 1996 and made an immediate impact.
Seemann’s old club was one of three faced by United on an end-of-season tour to Norway in 1968; they were also one of two clubs (Brann Bergen was the other) who beat United. The single victory came against Viking Stavanger, who would be United’s opponents on the club’s next visit to the country in 1982 for a Uefa Cup first-round tie, which United won 3–1 on aggregate, though as all the goals came in the first leg in Stavanger, the Tannadice return was not one of their better European performances.
That remains the only occasion on which United have met Norwegian opposition in a competitive setting, although a return was made to the country for a pre-season tour in 1987.
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