United's £250,000 reason to beat Celtic

DUNDEE United manager Craig Levein has dismissed suggestions that they have nothing to play for in tonight's SPL match at Tannadice against Celtic which could see the visitors crowned league champions.

With Celtic and Rangers tied on points, but Celtic enjoying a four-goal advantage in goal difference, all Rangers' hopes are pinned on Dundee United taking at least a point from the defending champions in the final match of the season, and Rangers taking full points against Aberdeen at Pittodrie.

Levein went so far as to put a price on the difference between success and failure for his team tonight, stating that Dundee United will lose a quarter of a million pounds if they fail to hold on to fourth place in the league and drop to sixth place at 9:45pm tonight. That £250,000 figure might not sound much in terms of football today, but to a team like Dundee United it represents the annual wage of up to five very capable players. Levein used this argument to convince anyone who might need convincing that his side are serious in their attempt to defeat Celtic, no matter the consequences at the top.

In the professional game, of course, it is an affront to suggest a lack of commitment. Stories have emanated from Tannadice in recent days about training ground spats, as if the players themselves are concerned about questions being asked of their desire. Lee Wilkie and Mihael Kovacevic had to be pulled apart last week while Morgaro Gomis and Jim O'Brien were involved in a training ground bust-up too. If the United players are already in 'holiday-mode', then it appears they have each booked a week in a war zone somewhere.

"This is a big game for us," stressed Levein. "There is £250,000 at stake in terms of league placings. It has a direct effect on what I have to spend next season. There is a direct effect on the players, too. There is a league position bonus, there is a league points bonus. That's a lot of money at stake for them."

Also helping galvanise United is the sense of injustice which Levein says he and his team still feel after referee Mike McCurry's performance in the match between United and Rangers earlier this month. Levein's subsequent outburst was not aimed at Rangers, but sought to highlight the problem teams have when playing the Old Firm. He makes no distinction between green and white and blue and white. Victory tonight would in a small way provide compensation for what Levein still contends was the theft of three points.

The fears of fretting Rangers fans have also not been soothed by knowledge of United's trials against Celtic, and not just in recent years. The Tannadice side have not beaten Celtic since 1999, when Billy Dodds and Craig Easton scored in a 2-1 victory. This was 34 matches ago.

United's recent record against Rangers has been excellent by anyone's standards. They have lost only six of their last 15 fixtures against the Ibrox team, and pushed Rangers hard in the CIS Cup final in March. Their most recent league clash was a thrilling 3-3 draw in which United were pegged back on three occasions. Levein, although not aware of the full extent of United's struggles against Celtic, prefers to look only to recent events, and suggests this is the most reliable guide to how his team will fare this evening.

"Our last game against Celtic was at Celtic Park, and we drew 0-0," he pointed out. "That's not bad. We lost 2-0 here earlier in the season when two set-pieces cost us. 1999 was the last time we won here? Well, that's another reason why we want to win. I am not a huge believer in these kind of statistics. People will see a determined, skilful United team doing their best to win a match. If we don't win it, and Celtic are better then us, then so be it."

The only evidence that tonight matters less to United than it does to the opposition is supplied by confirmation that Wilkie will be named on the substitutes' bench. The centre-half is a booking away from a three-match suspension, although he has hurt his back in any case.