United by The Gold

It’s not a great time to be a Dundee United supporter.

Last month the club marked the 40th anniversary of their one and only League Championship title - a feat that will never be repeated in my or anyone else’s lifetime - with a gala dinner featuring some of the players from that 1982-83 team.

That same day United lost at home to St Johnstone, cementing their position at the bottom of the Scottish Premier League.

The following week they lost 4-0 to Ross County, their nearest relegation rivals, and promptly sacked the manager who had only been appointed in September, the previous manager having been dismissed after just ten weeks and seven matches, two of which were 7-0 and 9-0 defeats.

Under their third manager of the season, United have lost once and drawn twice and are still bottom of the division and in serious danger of relegation.

I mention this because over the past six weeks something rather quirky has been happening on television, although most viewers will be unaware of it.

If you’ve been watching The Gold, you’ll know that it’s based on the 1983 Brink’s-Mat robbery and if you can overlook the Robin Hood conceit that underpins the script, it’s been very enjoyable.

Neil Forsyth, The Gold’s writer, is like me a Dundee United supporter and the series is peppered with at least six references to the club and its former players, some more subtle than others.

In the most obvious example, a Spanish extra is seen wearing an Eighties style club shirt.

In a prison scene several inmates are named after legendary United players and in another scene a football commentary can be heard in the background.

The game? United versus Barcelona in the UEFA Cup in 1987, a match (and tie) United won.

Even the production company, Tannadice Pictures, is named after the club’s ground.

The final episode of The Gold is on BBC One tonight. As it happens I watched the whole series on iPlayer several weeks ago but if you haven’t seen it I do recommend it.

And watch out for those football references. As a Dundee United supporter it’s the only thing we’ve got to cheer about!

PS. ‘Jousting with Jim’ is a beautifully written piece by Forsyth, published in Nutmeg magazine in March 2019 and mentioned by me here following the former Dundee United manager’s death in December 2020.

‘Remembering Ralph’ is another wonderful article by Forsyth about Ralph Milne, a member of that title-winning United side who died, aged 54, in 2016 after battling alcohol and gambling addiction.

Fabulous writing. And The Gold’s not too shabby either.

Above: A Spanish extra wearing a United style shirt in The Gold