United finished the Scottish Premier Division 1997–98 season in7th place with37 points, in the final season before the revamped SPL. Despite finishing 3rd in the previous season, 7th would be the club's best finish for the next six years.

The domestic cup campaigns brought defeats byCeltic: a quarter-final defeat in theTennent'sScottish Cup and a disappointing 3–0 defeat in theCoca-Cola Cup final. In theUEFA Cup, United exited in the 1st round toTrabzonspor.

United's season started in July, with a trip into thePyrenees to play againstCE Principat fromAndorra in the UEFA Cup. United notched up an 8–0 lead in the first leg, withRobbie Winters andGary McSwegan both scoring hat-tricks. The home leg was won 9–0, which left United just one goal short of Rangers' 18–0 aggregate score against Maltese teamValletta in 1983.

The league started in August withKjell Olofsson giving United a 1–1 draw with St. Johnstone at McDiarmid Park, before Gary McSwegan scored his 3rd hat-trick in 4 games in a 4–2 win over Queen of the South at Dumfries in the League Cup. After the successes of Olofsson, Pedersen and Zetterlund during the season before, managerTommy McLean returned toScandinavia several times during the course of the season to add to the squad.Thomas Tengstedt andGöran Marklund were the first two to arrive, but neither player would make an impact on the first team.

The next round of the UEFA Cup saw United drawn against Turkish outfit Trabzonspor, with the away leg up first where United went down 1–0. United then drew 1–1 at home toHibernian, before beating them after extra-time in theLeague Cup three days later. The next game in the League was againstRangers atIbrox, whereMarco Negri equalledPaul Sturrock's record of scoring five goals in one match, as Rangers won 5–1.

Andy McLaren scored in the 2nd leg of the UEFA Cup tie against Trabzonspor at Tannadice, but the Turks scored again to win the tie 2–1 on aggregate and put an end to United's European adventure. United also drew 1–1 atPittodrie againstAberdeen.

September started with a surprise 1–0 win at Ibrox in the League Cup quarter-finals. United then lost the next three league games 2–1, withKjell Olofsson scoring in each. During this time, Tommy McLean brought formerÖrebro defender Magnus Sköldmark to Tannadice after a spell in China, and formerDundee managerJocky Scott was appointed as first team coach.

The first match in October was a remarkable game againstDunfermline atEast End Park, where United went 3–0 up in the first half in gale force conditions. But playing with the wind in the 2nd half, Dunfermline pulled it back to 3–3 andDave Bowman was sent off. United then took on Aberdeen atTynecastle in the semi-finals of the League Cup, where Robbie Winters scored twice andCraig Easton scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win to take United through to the final.

This result saw United go on an unbeaten run, similar to the previous seasons run, as United beat Motherwell 4–0 at Tannadice in the next game. Robbie Winters scored his 5th goal in three games, and he scored again as Rangers visited Tannadice the following week, as United won 2–1 withSteven Pressley scoring from the penalty spot. This month saw Craig Easton win the Young Player of the Month award for October.

Kjell Olofsson scored twice as United came from behind to beat Hibs 3–1 atEaster Road on the first day of November, and the manager bought yet another Scandinavian, withMikael Andersson coming to Tannadice from Örebro. Aberdeen had failed to beat United since 1996, and their run got worse as United hammered them 5–0 at Tannadice with goals from Olofsson (2), McLaren, Zetterlund and Easton, with Dean Windass shown the red card three times before he left the pitch.

Roy Aitken followedAlex Smith,Willie Miller andAlex Miller by becoming the next Aberdeen manager to be sacked following a defeat at the hands of United. After falling out of favour with manager Tommy McLean, midfielderGrant Johnson was transferred toHuddersfield Town after spending a few months out on loan. United showed their fighting spirit in the next match against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. After falling behind 1–0 and struggling to get back into the match, Mark Perry's scrambled equaliser sparked United into life and goals from Olofsson and McSwegan gave United their 6th straight win. Next up was the League cup final rehearsal, as United travelled through to Glasgow to face Celtic at Parkhead. a 4–0 hammering was not the best warm up for the Cup final the following week and also put an end to United's unbeaten run. Manager Tommy McLean then brought in formerArsenal andSheffield Wednesday midfielder Siggi Jónsson but he would spend most of the season in and out of the first team due to injury.

United made the journey through to the West again just a week later, this time for the League Cup Final, held at Ibrox due to restructuring works at Hampden. After five appearances in the final of this competition during the 1980s, this was the club's first League Cup final in 11 years, and thousands of Arabs travelled through for the club's first major final since the Scottish Cup win in 1994. The United fans were in fine voice and there was a carnival atmosphere at the stadium, but the game itself was a disaster, as Celtic won easily 3–0.

Into December and United failed to score in their next three games, making it five games in a row without a goal. 0–0 draws against Dunfermline and Hearts at Tannadice was followed by a 1–0 defeat againstMotherwell atFir Park, but the side returned to winning ways with a 2–1 victory overSt Johnstone at Tannadice with goals from Andy McLaren and Kjell Olofsson. The Christmas week match saw United travel through to Glasgow yet again, with another demoralising defeat, this time losing 4–1 to Rangers at Ibrox.

The first game in January saw United's first defeat by Aberdeen since 1995, with a 1–0 loss at Pittodrie, which was followed by a 1–1 draw with Kilmarnock at Tannadice where Robbie Winters scored for United. Winters scored again in the next match for his 16th goal of the season with the only goal of the game against Aberdeen at Tannadice, giving the team only their second win in 10 games. Kjell Olofsson scored as United were narrowly beaten 2–1 by Celtic at Tannadice, which was followed by a 2–0 defeat against Hearts at Tynecastle. Another signing brought ex-Trabzonspor striker Jean Jaque Misse-Misse back to Tannadice on a short-term contract, after impressing Tommy McLean in the UEFA Cup match back in August, but he failed to impress further and was released a couple of months later.

February started with a 1–0 win over Motherwell at Tannadice with Kjell Olofsson scoring his 15th goal of the season and United also saw offInverness Caledonian Thistle 3–2 in a Scottish Cup replay. Gary McSwegan scored twice in a 2–2 draw with Dunfermline at East End Park, before an Andy Dow own goal gave United a 1–1 draw with Hibs at Tannadice. Robbie Winters scored in a 1–1 draw with St. Johnstone which gave United a six-game unbeaten run during the month of February.

The first match in March saw Celtic come to Tannadice for the 4th round of the Scottish Cup. A fantastic match saw Kjell Olofsson put United in front before Celtic went 2–1 up. Olofsson looked to have taken the tie to a reply with an equaliser, but a lateErik Pedersen own goal put Celtic through as United narrowly lost 3–2. After six straight defeats to Celtic in all competitions, a late Kjell Olofsson goal at Parkhead gave United a much deserved 1–1 draw in the league.

The good result in Glasgow was followed by two bad ones, with 1–0 defeats against Hearts and Motherwell. The game at Motherwell saw Iain Jenkins and Julian Alsford make their debuts after arriving fromChester City. Tommy McLean would also bring in Emanuel Omoyimni, Wayne Gill andÓscar Valles – all on loan or short term deals – but none would make an impact on the first team.

April started with another 2–2 draw with Dunfermline, withMaurice Malpas and Kjell Olofsson scoring at Tannadice, which was followed by a 0–0 home draw with Aberdeen and a 1–0 defeat away toKilmarnock. a 2–0 defeat at home to St. Johnstone meant that United had won only 3 in 22 League matches, and were now facing a tough relegation battle with Hibs with only two games to go, with Hibs being the next opponents.

If United were to lose the match at Easter Road, they would have to take all three points from Rangers in the last game to have any chance of survival. With the League title yet to be decided, Rangers could still win the championship at Tannadice, so a United victory at Easter Road was vital. Kjell Olofsson yet again showed what a crucial part of the team he was as he scored twice as United fought back from 1–0 down to win the match, survive relegation and put Hibs down.

The final game of the season in May was now not so important to United after their win over Hibs, but Rangers still had the chance of winning the League. Rangers won 2–1, but Celtic's 2–0 victory won them the League Championship, and stopped Rangers from winning their 10th title in a row.

Dundee United played a total of 49 competitive matches during the 1997–98 season.^[1] The team finished seventh in thePremier Division, consigningHibernian to relegation – and saving themselves – in the penultimate match of the season

In the cup competitions, United lost narrowly in the quarter-finals of the Tennent'sScottish Cup toCeltic, although were soundly beaten by the same team in the final of theCoca-Cola Cup.

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

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
23 July 1997	CE Principat	A	8–0	700	Winters (4),McSwegan (3),Zetterlund
30 July 1997	CE Principat	H	9–0	8,695	McSwegan (3),Winters (2),McLaren, Olofsson,Zetterlund,Thompson
12 September 1997	Trabzonspor	A	0–1	16,000
26 September 1997	Trabzonspor	H	1–1	10,232	McLaren

The club reached the Final of the Youth Cup this season, playingHeart of Midlothian on 12 May atTynecastle Park, losing 2–0. The squad from the semi-finals included future professionalsKevin McDonald,Paul Gallacher,Jim Paterson,Craig Easton andStephen McConalogue. In addition, players such asGareth Dailly, Barry Donachie,Steven Fallon, Paul McIlravey and Chris Devine played in lower league football. It remains the last time the club reached the Final, having played in three successive Finals between 1989 and 1991, winning in 1990 and 1991.^[2]

• United won 4–1 on penalties

During the 1997–98 season, United used 30 different players comprising 11 nationalities. The table below shows the number of appearances and goals scored by each player.^[3]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Scottish Premier Division		Tennent'sScottish Cup		Coca-Cola Cup		UEFA Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	NED	Sieb Dijkstra	49	0	36	0	4	0	5	0	4	0
	DF	ENG	Julian Alsford	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	SCO	Neil Duffy	10	0	7	0	0	0	1	0	2	0
	DF	NIR	Iain Jenkins	7	0	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	SCO	Maurice Malpas	44	1	31	1	4	0	5	0	4	0
	DF	SCO	Stewart McKimmie	7	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	DF	NOR	Erik Pedersen	45	0	32	0	4	0	5	0	4	0
	DF	SCO	Mark Perry	45	1	32	1	4	0	5	0	4	0
	DF	SCO	Steven Pressley	41	2	29	2	4	0	5	0	3	0
	DF	ISL	Siggi Jónsson	17	0	15	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
	DF	SWE	Magnus Sköldmark	25	0	19	0	4	0	2	0	0	0
	MF	SWE	Mikael Andersson	6	0	3	0	3	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	SCO	Dave Bowman	28	0	19	0	1	0	4	0	4	0
	MF	IRL	Jimmy Crawford	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	SCO	Jamie Dolan	35	0	26	0	3	0	3	0	3	0
	MF	SCO	Craig Easton	35	2	29	1	1	0	4	1	1	0
	MF	ENG	Wayne Gill	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	SCO	Ray McKinnon	12	0	9	0	2	0	1	0	0	0
	MF	SCO	Andy McLaren	39	6	27	4	4	0	4	0	4	2
	MF	NGA	Emmanuel Omoyinmi	5	0	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
	MF	SCO	David Sinclair	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	SCO	Gary McSwegan	42	17	31	5	3	1	4	5	4	6
	FW	SWE	Göran Marklund	4	0	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	CMR	Jean-Jacques Missé-Missé	6	0	4	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
	FW	SWE	Kjell Olofsson	45	23	32	18	4	4	5	0	4	1

Goalscorers [edit] United had 10 players score with the team scoring 78 goals in total. The top goalscorer wasKjell Olofsson, who finished the season with 23 goals.[4] Name League Cups Total Kjell Olofsson 18 5 23 Robbie Winters 9 8 17 Gary McSwegan 5 12 17 Andy McLaren 4 2 06 Lars Zetterlund 2 4 06 Steven Pressley 2 0 02 Craig Easton 1 1 02 Steven Thompson 0 2 02 Maurice Malpas 1 0 01 Mark Perry 1 0 01

Discipline [edit] United had three players sent off and seventeen players received at least one caution, replicating last season's statistics. In total, the team received three red cards and 61 bookings.[5] Name Cautions Dismissals Maurice Malpas 7 1 Erik Pedersen 6 1 Dave Bowman 5 1 Gary McSwegan 6 Jamie Dolan 5 Andy McLaren 5 Siggi Jónsson 4 Mark Perry 4 Magnus Sköldmark 4 Lars Zetterlund 4 Sieb Dijkstra 3 Craig Easton 2 Ray McKinnon 2 Julian Alsford 1 Mikael Andersson 1 Steven Thompson 1 Robbie Winters 1 UEFA Cup statistics are not available

In [edit] Date Player From Fee (£) 16 August 1997 Göran Marklund Vasalunds IF Unknown[6] 19 September 1997 Magnus Sköldmark Dalian Wanda Free[7] 3 November 1997 Mikael Andersson Örebro Unknown[8] 21 November 1997 Siggi Jónsson Örebro £0,075,000[9] 3 January 1998 Jean-Jacques Missé-Missé Trabzonspor Free[10] 20 February 1998 Emmanuel Omoyinmi West Ham United Loan[11] 20 February 1998 Jimmy Crawford Newcastle United Loan[12] 26 March 1998 Julian Alsford Chester City £0,100,000[13] 26 March 1998 Iain Jenkins Chester City £0,100,000[14] 31 March 1998 Wayne Gill Blackburn Rovers Loan[15]

Out [edit] Date Player To Fee 9 September 1997 Marino Keith Falkirk £0,040,000[16] 15 November 1997 Grant Johnson Huddersfield £0,090,000[17] 3 December 1997 Mikael Andersson Released Free[8] 13 March 1998 Jean-Jacques Missé-Missé Chesterfield Free[10]

Home colours

Away colours

Third colours

The jerseys were sponsored for a second season byTelewest.

• GoalkeeperSieb Dykstra played every minute of the 1997–98 season (49 matches)

• Dundee United F.C. seasons
• Scottish football clubs 1997–98 season

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