Dundee fans may have to show some patience over the next few crucial Premiership matches.
That’s the warning from recently-appointed manager Mark McGhee as he plots a route to top-flight survival.
McGhee’s Dens Park bow on Wednesday was postponed, meaning Saturday’s home clash with Livingston will be his first chance to show the home support what the future holds under his leadership.
That’s then followed quickly by another home fixture with Hibs travelling up from Edinburgh on Wednesday night.
Resolute Dundee
And the experienced manager admits getting supporters onside will be “vital”, though it might not happen straight away.
He said: “The home crowd will be important over the next couple of games.
“We have young players in the team and the patience of the home fans will be vital to us.
“We are looking at a situation where we have one of the worst defensive records in the league.
“The first thing we have to do is to make sure we stop goals from going in.
“To do that we need to be a little bit more resolute in our approach. We won’t be going out to be expansive and looking to beat teams 5-4.
“That is not what we will be doing.
“The fans will need to be patient with us because we need to build and make ourselves harder to beat, first and foremost.
“Hopefully, it will be from the first home game on Saturday.
“Yes, we will be determined not to concede but we also know we will be looking to make chances and to score goals.
“The fans will be vital in everything we can do to turn this situation around.”
‘I’ve met a few fans’
McGhee’s appointment was met with plenty of scepticism from Dundee fans due to his relationship with technical director Gordon Strachan and the length of time since he managed in Scotland.
However, McGhee hasn’t had any problems with supporters.
And he admits keeping things positive will only come by getting results on the pitch.
“I’ve met a few fans,” he said.
“The good thing is that I have had a positive response from all the fans I met.
“There have been absolutely no issues.
“I think they have seen some of the positives from the performance at Celtic on Sunday.
“We now have to reproduce that sort of performance, with those same commitment levels to keep the fans on side.
“If we can do that then we will all have a good chance of being happy at the end of the season.”
