As Paul Hartley strives to oversee an upturn in fortunes for the Dark Blues, Courier sports writers Eric Nicolson and Ian Roache discuss Mixu, Ciftci, Deila, Campbell and an on-song Dunfermline outfit….
Q Team Courier Sport has been in the “don’t panic” camp as far as Dundee are concerned.are any of you changing your minds?
IR: I confess I have been firmly in the confident camp up to now and the reason is that Dundee can look a good, attacking side at times. This winless run is worrying but victory at home to Hamilton for me, a draw isn’t enough surely isn’t beyond them.
EN: When Dundee were racking up all those draws Paul Hartley could (justifiably) accentuate the positive, and it was an unbeaten run. Now that there have been a couple of defeats it’s very much a winless run. What’s going on below them is definitely the focus (possibly only for a couple of weeks) rather than what’s going on above.
Q How does Paul Hartley go about turning their form around?
IR: Answers on a postcard to: The Gaffer (initial capital letters essential in football-land), Dundee Football Club, Dens Park Stadium, Sandeman Street, Dundee, DD3 7JY. PS Should it not be an email in this day and age?
EN: That’s an easy one. Make sure I’m covering their game. I haven’t seen Dundee lose this season. Unfortunately, I’ll be at Inverness on Saturday though. Any bribes to be in the press box at Dens Park for the New Year derby will be considered.
Q Greg Stewart didn’t play well at Fir Park by all accounts and he’s starting to be heavily linked with a move away from Dens. Coincidence?
IR: The problem for Stewart the last time I saw him, which was against Aberdeen, was that he wasn’t getting the ball often enough. The supply wasn’t there and that’s frustrating. Also, you would think if a player is looking to attract a new club he would be playing his best stuff, no?
EN: I’m sure it is a coincidence because he hasn’t hit the heights for a while now. A bit like the team as a whole, there have been flashes of excellence over the last couple of months, but nothing sustained. His form wasn’t affected at Cowdenbeath when he was being linked with moves, so a bit of speculation shouldn’t be a factor.
Q I notice Gary Harkins has had a bit more game time recently. Should he be a starter on Saturday?
IR: I would give Harkins a go in a home game against Hamilton. The Dens men should take the match to Accies on their own pitch and enjoy most of the possession. That will suit him.
EN: I’m with Ian on that one. This could be a perfect game for Harkins. Accies don’t have the quickest back-line in the league so diagonal balls turning their defenders would be a good tactic for Dundee, and there’s no-one more accurate with his delivery than Harkins.
Q It might be easier to ask you to find a cure for the common cold, but how does Mixu Paatelainen get his United players believing they can start getting the wins they need?
IR: The players should know themselves what is required of them and it’s down to the individual as much as the manager’s motivational skills. Remember they are professionals getting well paid to do a job. Feeling sorry for yourself is not an option.
EN: It must be tough for United players to get their heads round what’s going on, particulary the ones who have been at the club for a few seasons and known nothing but cup finals and top six finishes. Belief is a huge factor at play. A sports pyschologist? Anything’s worth a try.
Q United have just come through a run of games that had the look of “must-win” ones. Now it gets even tougher, starting with Inverness away. Would a point be decent?
IR: Sadly, “must-win” turned into “cannae-win.” Taking three points away from the Highlands would be a shock result but, who knows, maybe the victory every United fan craves will come when we least expect it.
EN: Even though it might see them further adrift at the bottom, a point would be a positive result. A few weeks of getting three points at home and one away would work wonders for United’s situation. Sounds easy when you say it quickly.
Q United old-boy Nadir Ciftci found a way to score against St Johnstone at last. Do you think he could yet become a Celtic success?
IR: Probably like every other journalist who dealt with him, I came to really like Nadir and do wish him well in his career. To his credit, he took his opportunity against St Johnstone with Leigh Griffiths out injured. I just don’t think the Hoops fans rate him though.
EN: I don’t think he’ll get enough football. Ciftci suffered from being Celtic’s main summer signing up front, and he wasn’t ready for that. The odd start will be his lot, and he’ll probably end up in the English Championship.
Q Does Ronny Deila deserve credit for the record of 10 games won after European matches?
IR: I think it would have been better if it were a record of 10 European games won.
EN: I’m pretty sure he won’t get the chance to make it 11. Deila will go in the summer, I expect, if not before. However, there have been plenty of potentially tough matches for Celtic after Thursday night excursions (Sunday was certainly one of them) that Deila has negotiated. When you take into account the fact that they’ve often been crushing defeats, bouncing back so quickly is a feather in his cap.
Q Are we counting St Johnstone out of the title race now?
IR: Is this the “best of the rest” title race we are talking about? If so, then they will do well to catch Aberdeen but they can finish ahead of Hearts, starting with a win against them this weekend.
EN: I would have liked to have seen the look on Tommy Wright’s face if they had won on Sunday and somebody had asked him “are you in the title race, Tommy?” Joking apart, I’ve got a feeling Aberdeen will probably be too far in the distance, but I would expect Saints to keep pace with Hearts.
Q Saturday’s match is a big one, though isn’t it? Beat Hearts and they’re into third.
IR: It’s a cracker and Hearts shouldn’t take any confidence from St Johnstone going down to Celtic. Saints still played well, created some excellent chances and outplayed the Hoops for the first half- an-hour or so.
EN: If it’s anything like their match on day one it will be a thriller for the fans and a shocker for the managers. That still has to be the most un-St Johnstone like performance I’ve seen. Saturday would be the perfect time for an old school Saints’ 1-0 win.
Q Dick Campbell has been sacked by Forfar. Surprised? Mistake?
IR: What did surprise me was that he was sacked rather than a “by mutual consent” agreement reached. I think he deserved that at the very least for his superb service to Forfar. Only time will tell if the board have made a mistake.
EN: I can genuinely see both sides of this one. Forfar’s results have been poor for a while now and there’s definitely an argument that, however good a manager you are, players benefit from hearing a new voice. But a hangover from the heartbreak of last year’s play-off final was inevitable and getting back into the play-offs is still a realistic goal. On balance, I think the sacking was a bit premature.
Q There aren’t many Courier country teams prospering this season, but Dunfermline are an exception. That’s twice they’ve beaten Ayr in the last few weeks. Do you expect them to put some daylight between themselves and the rest now?
IR: All praise to the Pars! It will be wonderful for the supporters if Dunfermline can now power towards the title. They boast an unbeaten league record of 11 matches second only to Hibs in Scotland – so fingers crossed they can keep it up.
EN: Ayr are up at Peterhead this weekend, and I don’t expect them to win there. So, yes, I can see the gap stretching, though probably not far enough to make it a title procession for Dunfermline. I might put myself down for Pars v Ross County in the Scottish Cup because that could be a great game.