It is up to Dundee’s players to get the club out of relegation trouble.
I always try to put a positive slant on things and have done over the past couple of seasons with managers and players at Dens.
But there’s nothing positive you can say about Saturday’s 4-0 at home to Livingston.
There was obviously a very good relationship between former manager James McPake and the playing squad.
And him going will affect their mindset, no question.
But the players have to remember they play for the club, not the manager.
Managers get sacked all the time and players have to get on with the job, this time the job is to keep Dundee in the Premiership.
Inexcusable
There are big players in that squad, very experienced players, who should be able to deal with the situation.
At the very least there should be pride in any performance by a professional athlete.
I didn’t see any of that against Livingston on Saturday.
It is up to the players, they need to show so much more between now and the end of the season.
The complete lack of intensity in a match of that magnitude, especially after a decent showing at Celtic, is inexcusable.
You have to be battling for every single ball and I didn’t see that at all.
The first goal showed exactly that, there was absolutely no intensity or desire to stop Livingston scoring a goal there.
That sort of thing is the basics of a relegation fight.
Previously they’ve had bad results but those have come from poor defending, individual mistakes.
You couldn’t really fault the attitude, it was a quality issue.
Saturday was the first time I was really disappointed with the way the team went about things.
Fan reaction
And that translated to the crowd, too.
Obviously there was plenty of dissatisfaction with the appointment of Mark McGhee.
Sacking James McPake wasn’t the issue for me. The timing of it was so poor, however.
It was the wrong moment to change managers.
The supporters know that and that’s where the fury comes from.
You expect a reaction from the players when a new manager comes in.
The performance against Livingston showed that things are not going well with the change.
Still time
However, there is still time to get things right.
Dundee still have a game in hand on St Johnstone – they have the capability to get off bottom spot.
The play-offs have to be the target now.
The quality in that squad is good enough to see them stay up through that route.
But, for now, they have to focus on winning a couple of games.
They face Hibs tomorrow, a side not firing on all cylinders.
I think they are a team that can be got at if you press with intensity.
If Dundee play anything like they did on Saturday, though, it won’t matter who they are playing.
Much more is required.
