As one of Dundee”s longest-serving players, Craig McKeown is well-placed to assess the position of the team in its current guise.
Following Saturday’s goalless draw with Ross County a game which the Dark Blues could easily have won or, by that token, lost it is clear Gordon Chisholm’s line-up remains firmly a work-in-progress.
That it should be so three weeks into the division one season is, of course, not ideal but it is unavoidable considering the overhaul to the playing staff deemed necessary after last season’s failure to win promotion.
Against the backdrop of a significant cut in resources, Chisholm has had to fashion a team by wheeling and dealing. Indeed, the signing of three players on consecutive Fridays, just 24 hours before matches, demonstrates the piecemeal approach he has had to take.
McKeown, outstanding in defence against energetic County, accepts the fans’ frustrations again heard at full-time and realises that perhaps the support do not display the same enthusiastic buzz as last season but is confident that positive things will begin to take shape.
“Last season we had brought a lot of players in, the fans were excited because there were a few big names in there,” he said.
“Obviously this season, with the financial cutbacks the manager has had to make, when the fans don’t see the same level of activity and maybe not the well-known names coming in it’s understandable they’d maybe be a wee bit downhearted.
“The crowd feel frustrated, we understand that, but this team will need a wee while to get together.
“We had Matt Lockwood making his debut, and he was outstanding, as well as boys like Charlie Grant, Nicky Riley and Jamie Adams who have all just joined us.
“So we’re still getting to know each other’s strengths.
“I know it’s all very well talking about patience, the fans hear that sort of thing all the time, and it’s up to us to take the positives. There is an onus on us to give the fans something to shout about.
“Maybe we’ve not delivered the goals they want to see yet. There were a few chances wee Doddsy would have put away in his day.
“But if we all pull together the club will go in the right direction.”
Dundee were lucky not to fall behind after just six minutes when Adams, deployed in an unfamiliar centre-back role, was dispossessed by Michael Gardyne but even though the Dundee-born midfielder fed striker Garry Wood he dithered on the ball and was tackled by McKeown.
Gary Harkins looked like copying his stunning free-kick against Queen of the South with another on this occasion but the ball cracked back off the crossbar after Craig Forsyth was chopped down 25 yards from goal.
Then, in one of the game’s two major moments, striker Colin McMenamin was denied twice by goalkeeper Michael McGovern.
Attacking a Leigh Griffiths cross, the forward looked certain to score and he did everything right by getting his header on target but the one-time Dundee United keeper somehow plucked it from the top corner.
The danger was not completely averted, as McMenamin followed up but his second effort was also blocked by McGovern and bought enough time for County’s defence to regroup.
As much as that was a major chance to win the contest, Dundee had to thank their own custodian, Rab Douglas, for keeping the score level.
Faced with a swerving Gardyne shot he managed to make a block and then heroically threw himself at Wood on the edge of the area eventually saving with his elbow to deny a certain goal.
Denied the services of Mickael Antoine-Curier, Dundee lack a physical threat in attack and it was evident in their play.
While McMenamin and Griffiths, who was targeted by a section of the support and responded by shouting back at them, tried gamely their talents do not lie in battering their way through defences.
“With Mickael Antoine-Curier injured we need to get someone up front to give us a physical presence,” he said.
“It was easy for County to dominate us because we don’t have any real height in our attack and it meant the ball kept coming back to us.”
County boss Derek Adams, said, “We were unfortunate not to win but Dundee are a formidable side and to get a point here is a good result.”