Dundee may now be propping up the Premiership table following last Saturday’s defeat against Hearts but without a shadow of a doubt, it is far too early to be pushing any panic buttons.
Tynecastle is always an enjoyable if tough venue to go to but Dark Blues boss Paul Hartley is probably still trying to work out how his side managed to hit the woodwork no less than four times during the game and still come away empty handed.
Let’s not forget though that Hearts are a good side sitting third top of the table and Dundee deserve a lot of credit for creating so many chances.
On another day, one or two of them might have gone in instead of hitting the post or crossbar.
I think Paul would be worried if his players weren’t carving out opportunities and I can honestly see them going to St Johnstone on Sunday and getting something from the game.
I know Saints will be looking to respond after last weekend’s disappointing slip-up at home to Kilmarnock but Dundee are more than capable of securing a positive result.
As I said, it is far too early to be overly concerned about Dundee’s position, especially as the Premiership below the top three or four looks like being close again this season – at the moment there are only three points separating Paul’s side and Motherwell in sixth.
There were also seven summer arrivals playing for Dundee at Tynecastle and all these new faces take time to gel.
However, Dundee need to start being more clinical and it would be good to see strikers Faissal El Bakhtaoui, Yordi Teijsse or Rory Loy hitting the goal trail.
After St Johnstone, Dundee play Partick Thistle, Hamilton and Motherwell and there is every chance they could shoot up the table after those games.
However, if they are still toiling come January, then the club’s board really have to back Paul.
They sold the crown jewels in Kane Hemmings and Greg Stewart for big transfer fees and they need to reinvest if it’s required in the window.
Meanwhile, across the road at Tannadice, it looks like United are building a bit of momentum.
Manager Ray McKinnon had a huge rebuilding job during the summer and all credit to him, it looks like his hard work is paying off.
Hibs made a great start to the season but it really is an incredibly-tough league and United have clawed points back in recent weeks.
Saturday’s game against Dumbarton – who beat them at the start of the league season – will probably show just how far they have progressed.
Shorty or Sparky, Griffiths deserves a chance
I have to admit I was baffled when I saw Gordon Strachan’s comments about Leigh Griffiths earlier this week.
The Scotland boss was asked about “Sparky” only being a substitute in the recent World Cup qualifiers against Lithuania and Slovakia with Strachan opting to play Chris Martin and Steven Fletcher.
He answered by saying: “You need to have a certain amount of height in international football teams to defend set plays.”
That saw Sparky respond by changing his Twitter name to #Shorty.
It’s all a bit strange especially as Martin and Fletcher failed to score in either game.
However, knowing Sparky from our time at Dens together, he will not let it worry him.
All he wants to do is play football and score goals. That’s his thrill in life and given the chance, I’m sure he would do it for the national team.
