Dundee United: One win in 10 – should fans be worried?

Runs of form like the one United are currently enduring will naturally trigger fear among the support.

However, they remain eight points of the foot of the table and have a four-point cushion between themselves and city rivals Dundee in 11th.

It is certainly not the time to be hitting any panic buttons. In a congested top flight, the complexion of United’s season could again change quickly.

Had Goodwin’s side not conceded a 98th-minute penalty to draw 2-2 with Rangers last week, you would not be reading this right now.

“The only way out of it is for us to stick together,” former Aberdeen boss Goodwin told BBC Scotland on Saturday. “We deserve all the criticism that comes our way.”

That criticism has intensified over the course of United’s current six-game winless run that includes a 3-0 home loss to Premiership newcomers Falkirk.

Goodwin’s defence has looked vulnerable, failing to keep a clean sheet in their past 10 matches, and the shaky form of goalkeeper Yevhen Kucherenko, who has come out of the team since a calamitous display in that defeat by Falkirk, has not helped.

“They are finding it difficult to replicate the form they had last season and a lot of it is down to the defending,” said Sportscene host and former United forward Steven Thompson.

“They look fragile and they are gifting goals to teams.”