Character test awaits Dundee Utd after Hearts humbling

[BBC] What will we learn a lot about this newly assembled Dundee United squad over the next few weeks? We should certainly get a flavour of the character it possesses. Romanian left-back Kevin Ciubotaru last week became manager Jim Goodwin's 11th summer signing. While a lot of United's transfer business was done earlier in the window, given the size of the player overhaul it is still fair to assume it could take this new-look squad time to gel. That said, they made an encouraging start to the Premiership campaign, drawing 1-1 with Rangers at Tannadice in a game they could have won. However, the optimism that followed suffered an almighty jolt as they crashed to a 4-0 defeat at Hearts at the weekend. While nothing is won in the first few months of the season, a narrative can be set. Goodwin will be hoping it can still be a positive one, despite what happened in the capital. It is the old football cliche that you learn more about your players amid adversity, so how they respond to that Hearts humbling will be intriguing. Going back to that word - character - it will be needed in abundance going into a really tough-looking quartet of fixtures. First up is a home date with Celtic in the League Cup, which is then followed by a Tannadice Premiership derby with Dundee. After that it is back-to-back league away days at Kilmarnock and Motherwell. If they can get through those games relatively unscathed, then that positive narrative will continue to be built. If they struggle, the United fans - who are hoping for an improvement on last season's seventh-placed finish - will undoubtedly start to let their frustrations be known.