Courts hails connection between Dundee United players and fans

Tam Courts hailed a growing connection between his Dundee United side and their fans following their stunning 3-0 victory over Hibernian.

A first-half strike from Nicky Clark and goals after the break from Ryan Edwards and Kieran Freeman earned the Tannadice side a thoroughly-deserved win at Easter Road.

The Tangerines are now up to third in the Premiership but Courts is refusing to get carried away and, instead, is happy to see the supporters getting behind his new regime.

The United manager said: “The longer we work together, the better an understanding that the players have got of what is expected of them from a shape and formation perspective.

“The boys are giving it absolutely everything for each other so it’s nice to see them getting a reward.

“I don’t really pay attention to the league table because what we are trying to do is be mindful of our own targets.

“So the weekly league position is not really what we are paying attention to.

“I think the fans are enjoying first and foremost the players being committed to each other and giving absolutely everything, regardless of whether they are playing against teams at the top or bottom.

“Their efforts and energy levels are through the roof every game and that’s the minimum that the fans expect.

“And the fans are responding to the effort and it’s good to send them away happy.

“There’s a good connection there. Like fans at any football club their expectations are pretty simple – they just want people to give absolutely everything, which these players do.”

By contrast, Hibs counterpart Jack Ross was scathing in his criticism of his side, who have now suffered back-to-back defeats to slip to fifth in the table.

He said: “It was the worst version of ourselves. We strive a lot to be the best version but today we were lazy, slow and selfish in our play.

“When you do that you produce that type of performance and subsequently the result.

“I’ve no qualms over the result. We deserved to lose the game and we deserved to lose it in that manner.

“It was way below the standards we’ve been at for a long time, and now we’ve got to respond to that.

“Don’t dramatise it. Lazy is an expression to say they haven’t worked hard enough, and I’ve told them that.

“I’m just giving an answer to the question because they didn’t work hard enough in all aspects of their play.

“Why? That’s the question I’ll have to find the answer to over the course of the week.

“It was just way below the standards we’ve been at and have been fairly consistently.”