Dundee’s under-performing class of 2018/19 could go down as worst ever

Dundee’s under-performing class of 2018/19 could go down as the worst seen at Dens Park in the modern era.

And if the confirmation of relegation from the Premiership that came with Saturday’s home defeat at the hands of Hamilton Accies was painful, the statistics of this miserable season are excruciating.

The weekend loss saw Jim McIntyre’s team equal a 120-year record of 10 consecutive defeats in one top-flight season.

And the numbers attached to this miserable campaign are just as depressing.

Since the first variation of the Premier League, or Premiership as it is now, was introduced in the mid-1970s, the Dark Blues have now gone down on seven separate occasions.

None of the six previous failures to survive, however, have been as abject as this.

So much so that, even in the unlikely event of the remaining two fixtures against Livingston and St Mirren being won, Dundee will only be able to match their lowest ever top-flight tally of 24 points.

And that’s only because when they went down in the 1989/90 season, there was still only two points awarded for a win.

Victories over the next two weekends would see them escape the ignominy of also finishing with the lowest number in the wins column, also recorded in that campaign almost 30 years ago when only five were managed.

Then, though, the season lasted 36 games – the number this team have already completed.

What’s already confirmed is the current bunch have conceded more goals than in any of those previous relegation years.

The 75 that have gone past Jack Hamilton, Elliott Parish and Seny Dieng to date represents two more than were conceded in the 1979/80 campaign.

The goals for column makes almost as miserable reading and one goal is needed to avoid being stuck on the same number, 28, as the 2012/13 side that was put together for the second tier before being catapulted up by Rangers’ financial meltdown.

The number of defeats is another statistic that’s already an unwanted record. The 26 losses so far is already three more than the previous worst, set in a 44-game season back in season 1993/94.

And the history of the past 40-plus often troublesome years suggests for the long-suffering supporters more woe could lie ahead.

Of those previous six drops to the second tier, only twice have Dundee bounced back to the top division at the first time of asking – under the guidance of Donald Mackay in 1980/81 and when Paul Hartley took over from John Brown late on in 2013/14 and got the team over the finish line by the skin of their teeth.

That shows the task facing managing-director John Nelms and team boss McIntyre, if his services are retained, in rebuilding the team from the rubble of this term.

And it means Nelms and owner Tim Keyes will have plenty to discuss when they get together in Texas over the next few days for what was a scheduled face-to-face between the two Americans but has now surely become a crisis meeting.

While they come with a “don’t read alone” warning, here are the stats of those previous miserable seasons that led to relegation from the top flight.

1975/76: P36 W11 D10 L15 F49 A62 Pts – 32.

1979/80: P36 W10 D6 L20 F47 A73 Pts – 26.

1989/90: P36 W5 D14 L17 F41 A65 Pts – 24.

1993/94: P44 W8 D13 L23 F42 A57 Pts – 29.

2004/05: P38 W8 D9 L21 F37 A71 Pts – 33.

2012/13: P38 W7 D9 L22 F28 A66 Pts – 30.