Dundee United v St Mirren stats: Mikael Mandron the dangerman
Courier Sport spotlights a few facts and figures ahead of a crunch showdown.
Dundee United could punch their ticket to Europe this weekend.
If the Tangerines beat in-form St Mirren at Tannadice – opening an unassailable gap of eight points with two games left to play – then continental qualification will be assured for Jim Goodwin's side.
It would be a laudable achievement for the Terrors, given they are newly promoted and continuing to work with a modest budget following the excesses of the 2022/23 campaign.
United have used the second-fewest players in the league this term.
However, the Buddies will be aiming to pile the pressure on the Terrors, who are without Ross Graham and have THREE further injury doubts in the heart of defence.
If the Paisley side win, just two points will separate the teams in the race for Europe. Manny Adegboyega celebrates United's crucial second goal in a win over St Mirren in November. Image: SNS
Here, Courier Sport spotlights some of the key stats ahead of a potentially season defining contest, courtesy of Opta. 5 Dundee United vs St Mirren stats Mikael Mandron has scored four goals in his last three away league starts for St Mirren, while 83% of his Scottish Premiership goals this season have come on the road. That is the highest ratio of ANY of the 41 players with five or more goals in the league.
Dundee United have won all three of their league games against St Mirren this season. The last side the Tangerines won four times against in a single top-flight campaign were Aberdeen in 1998/99.
St Mirren have only suffered one defeat in their last six league games (W3 D2) – that was in their last away game at Dundee in April (0-2).
St Mirren have only lost one of their last five away league games at Dundee United (W3 D1), although that was their most recent one, in November this season (0-2).
Dundee United are aiming to avoid a third successive Premiership defeat, something that has only happened one other time this season, losing to Rangers, Kilmarnock and Celtic during January and February.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
25 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Why I totally underestimated Leicester Tigers
Some aspects of this domestic campaign have been difficult to rationalise, but we know one thing for sure: Premiership coaches take heed of this website. In the wake of his side's loss to Bath on Friday night, Pat Lam suggested that Bristol Bears had overachieved because 'everyone predicted we'd be eighth this season'. Less than 24 hours later, Michael Cheika revealed that one of the Leicester Tigers analysts had shown him a headline forecasting Sale Sharks to be in the Premiership final. The combative Australian had also been made aware of a misguided mid-April article speculating that Leicester, who were third at the time, would finish as low as sixth. Well, the attention is flattering and accountability is a good thing. We get a fair bit right. But I am happy to admit that I drastically underestimated this Tigers team. Of four critical Premiership fixtures since the Six Nations, I thought they would lose on the road to Northampton Saints and Bristol as well as in both home games against Sale. They won all of them; the first three handily and the latest, Saturday's semi-final, despite spurning nine points off the tee as well as three more after a skewed drop-goal attempt from Handre Pollard. Leicester have responded remarkably to a truly insipid Champions Cup defeat by Glasgow Warriors on April 5, landing five victories from six to navigate a congested league table and set up a defining date with Bath. No doubt they will relish praise being piled on to their opponents during the build-up, even if it is justified. Tigers thrive with a chip on their shoulder. They are better when a little bitter. In that respect, Cheika has been a fitting figurehead for a resurgent, restorative season. This term was never going to be dull and has not been without turbulence. Matt Everard, a hard-working and well-regarded defence coach, was dismissed abruptly following thrashings by Bristol and Toulouse in the space of a month. Leicester conceded 134 points across those two grisly games. Off the field, Cheika opted not to extend his contract and the search for his successor was not easy. Recruiting a fly-half to replace Pollard, a hunt that brought them to James O'Connor, became trickier as a result. Perhaps that uncertainty made it easier to forget that the current Tigers roster still represented a potent blend of youth and experience; a squad pressing up against the ceiling of the salary cap that has ripened. To use the Eddie Jones theory of maturation cycles, they are close to 12 on the clock face and reaching a peak. Nicky Smith, the Wales loosehead prop, always looked an excellent signing last summer and the January addition of electric wing Adam Radwan from Newcastle Falcons has been transformative – a coup for which general manager Richard Wilks deserves praise. Alex Sanderson, the Sale boss, commended Cheika's Tigers for an astute and accurate display on Saturday. Ferocity was a non-negotiable, especially at home, but Leicester were undeniably smart. Crucially, there is a balance to their front-line team now as well. Freddie Steward at full-back is an ideal foil for Radwan and Ollie Hassell-Collins, with the latter enjoying a fine campaign on the left wing. He has plundered 13 tries while growing more assured in defence and as an aerial operator. In the back row, the rangy Hanro Liebenberg and Tommy Reffell complement one another nicely. Nobody could have replicated Jasper Wiese's savagery, though Olly Cracknell has been thunderous at No 8. Solomone Kata's powerful carrying in midfield aids his forwards. Equally, the poise and intelligence of Joseph Woodward at centre has alleviated pressure on Pollard as a playmaker. Another youngster to emerge, Emeka Ilione, is revelling in a defined role; to arrive off the bench and cause carnage at the breakdown. If Cheika has no other lasting legacy in English rugby union, trusting those two will have been worthwhile. His own experience is valuable when stakes are high. Two replacements, Ben Volavola and Izaia Perese, combined for the match-winning try against Sale within seconds of Cheika introducing them. Other moments encapsulated a performance of intuition and subtlety as well as primal commitment. Radwan's first try came from a defence that has been steeled by Kiwi coach Dave Kidwell. Cam Henderson and Liebenberg wrapped up Jean-Luc du Preez at a restart and forced a rushed offload that was coughed up by Raffi Quirke: A dominant scrum ensued, Kata clattered over the gain-line and Jack van Poortvliet spun to feed the speed of Radwan as quickly as possible. Minutes later, George Ford sent Ben Curry through the middle of the Tigers line. Reffell bust a gut to retreat and track Quirke, discouraging an inside pass to the supporting scrum-half that could have yielded seven points. Cracknell eventually snaffled a loose ball: In the second period, after Radwan and Steward had combined to fell Arron Reed, Woodward dropped to the back-field cleverly to claim a Quirke box-kick and call for a mark: Three precious points were eked out when Henderson was alert enough to complete a tackle Joe Carpenter and Reffell bustled in. Bevan Rodd could only clear from the side: Ollie Chessum is another huge asset to Leicester. The sky is the limit for their sole British and Irish Lion of 2025 (so far) should fitness allow and he has won nine of his 10 Premiership appearances this season. Respect for the set piece is a staple of Tigers tradition and with Chessum, Henderson and Liebenberg in a match-day 23, they should always run a polished line-out operation for 80 minutes, securing possession and frustrating rivals with steals. The same applies to the scrum. There are one-two punches at loosehead, with Smith and James Cronin, and at tighthead, with Joe Heyes and Dan Cole. Deputy hookers do not come more reliable and robust than Charlie Clare either and another replacement against Sale was Matt Rogerson, the erstwhile captain of London Irish. George Martin was sitting in the stands and Tigers still fielded an imposing pack. Spearheading it was skipper Julián Montoya, among their departing heroes. A belligerent yet classy competitor, he and Reffell walked directly to the Sale bench to commiserate amid the chaos of Saturday's finale. Montoya's existing relationship with Cheika from their period together at the helm of Argentina has seemed significant. The standing ovation Montoya received from Welford Road as he dragged his battered body over the touchline with 10 minutes remaining in the semi-final was touching and served to reinforce the galvanising force of goodbyes. Pollard, Cole and Ben Youngs are also ending their Tigers careers, as are popular team men like Dan Kelly and James Whitcombe. There is deep familiarity with the final stretch of the Premiership calendar, with several survivors from the 2022 title. While Pollard has not yet won silverware for Leicester, his composure – the Sale aberration notwithstanding – is a big plus. Individuals will grasp for motivation anywhere they can and Cheika is admired for his man management. Van Poortvliet has spoken about his empty feeling at being dropped for the decider against Saracens three years ago. Steward will be burning for further England caps. Collectively, Tigers will feel written off; just the way they like it. And yet, they have the tools to stand firm at Twickenham in key areas: scrum, line-out, breakdown, gain-line and kicking exchanges. Bath are 10-point favourites with the bookies and I am one of many who believe their time has come. By this stage though, Leicester fans almost certainly prefer predictions like that.
Scotsman
26 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Rangers target €15m-rated striker amid 'serious' Sunderland link as ex-Ibrox favourite agrees surprise deal
Rangers have been linked with an interest in the 14-goal striker. Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Rangers are considering a transfer move for highly-rated Croatian forward Matija Frigan this summer, according to reports in his homeland. After confirming the appointment of Russell Martin as their new head coach last week, the Ibrox hierarchy will now turn their attention to the transfer market as they look to bolster their squad ahead of the new Scottish Premiership season, which is scheduled to start in just 53 days. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Linked to Leicester City's Conor Coady, Southampton's Flynn Downes and Maccabi Tel Aviv striker Dor Turgeman over the weekend, the name of Frigan has now reportedly been added to their transfer wish list, as sporting director Kevin Thelwell and new club chairman Andrew Cavenagh look to make their first moves in the transfer market. The 22-year-old is said to have caught interest from the likes of Hamburg and clubs in La Liga after he bagged 14 goals in all competitions for Belgian Pro League side KVC Westerlo last season. Strongly linked with a potential loan-to-buy move to Sunderland during the January transfer window, Frigan admitted the Black Cats held a 'serious' interest in him, with the Stadium of Light side believed to have eyed up a potential €15million deal. Addressing links to Sunderland, who won promotion back to the English Premier League last month via the EFL Championship playoffs, Frigan told Croatian outlet Germanijak: "Yes, it is true that Sunderland is interested, and they are quite serious. I don't want to go into details, but it's nice to know that such a club is following me. The most important thing is that I play as well as possible at Westerlo, and then we'll see what happens next." Moving to Het Kuipje in the summer of 2023 following a prolific stint for HNK Rijeka in the top tier of Croatian football, he signed a five-year deal upon his arrival at the club. However, his form in front of goal has resulted in rising interest in his services, with a departure away from Belgium mooted this summer. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The summer is coming, maybe a opportunity will arrive,' he told Germanijak, adding: 'the most important thing is that I play as well as possible at Westerlo, and then we'll see what happens next.' Elsewhere, former Rangers loan hero Abdallah Sima has agreed a surprise new deal with English Premier League side Brighton, despite having yet to play for the Seagulls since his arrival at the club four years ago. The 23-year-old forward moved to the south coast from Slavia Prague for an undisclosed fee back in the summer of 2021, but has spent each of the last seasons on loan to various clubs, including a impressive spell at Ibrox in the 2023/24 season where he scored 16 goals in 39 appearances. Abdallah Sima had a successful spell on loan at Rangers during the 2023/24 season, scoring 16 goals. | Getty Images
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
Joining Larne was the best move I made, but I'm home for my daughter, says ex-Accies ace
Shaun Want is back in Scotland and looking for a club after three years in Northern Ireland Rutherglen ace Shaun Want says moving to Larne in Northern Ireland was the best decision of his career – but needs a return to Scotland after the birth of his infant daughter. Larne finished second in the Northern Ireland Football League Premiership, qualifying for the Europa Conference League play-off, but Want is out of contract after three years at the club. A contract extension offer was on the table, but 28-year-old Want has opted to return home for family reasons. Larne's Player of the Year, Players' Player of the Year, and also the recipient of three fans' Player of the Year awards, wants a return to Scotland, following the birth of daughter Amelia seven months ago. He said: 'I'm out of contract, and they've offered me one, but I'm not long having a baby, I have a seven-month old daughter, so I'm looking at my options. 'There's more to life than football, now, when you have a wee one. I've been living away and for seven months I've been back and forth. 'I've got to the stage now that I just want to be closer to home and be with my daughter every day. 'It has been brilliant at Larne – if it was a different situation I'd still be here, because I've loved every minute of it. 'It was a good season. We finished second in the league and qualified for Europe, and it was a good season for me, personally, with all the awards. 'We reached the league phase of the Conference League last season, which was an added bonus, and with us finishing second, we qualified for the play-offs for the Conference League.' Want came up through the youth set-up at Hamilton Accies, but left there for Larne in 2022. He said: 'It's the best decision I've made for me, personally, in my career. Playing in Europe and winning leagues is something I never thought I'd be able to achieve. 'I was at Hamilton for 13 years, and there were ups and downs, but I think it got to the point where I needed a fresh start. 'I think I went at the right time and I got that fresh start, I was there for so long, but I have nothing bad to say about the club. I wasn't playing every week at Hamilton, because I'd been there for so long I think I ended up being part of the furniture, and I think it was just the right thing for me to get a fresh start. 'I went to Larne, basically as an unknown, and I've loved every minute. 'Going there was a whole different experience, but my circumstances have changed, and I need to get back home for the family.' Want added: 'If I'm coming back to Scotland, I'm coming back a better player and a much better person, too. 'I'm realistic enough to know that Premiership would be hard to get, so I'm probably looking for an opportunity in the Championship. 'I want an opportunity to come back to Scotland and prove my ability here, because I've been over in Northern Ireland for three or four years. 'I feel that I would be coming back as a better player.' A statement from Larne read: 'We can confirm that Shaun Want will depart the club upon the expiry of his contract this month, returning to Scotland for family reasons. 'The club respects Shaun's decision to put family first and wishes him the best of luck at his next club. Thank you for your time as an Inver Red.'
