Dundee boss Tony Docherty on January transfer plans and player who put fitness tracker on his DOG

Dundee plan to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window says manager Tony Docherty.

The Dark Blues have struggled for form in recent weeks, losing nine of their last 11 matches in league and cup.

Docherty admits it’s a tough learning curve for his young side this season with too many defensive errors costing the side.

“I’ve got a very young team right now,” Docherty told PLZ.

“Particularly when it’s a young defensive structure, they will make mistakes.

“You need to realise that is part of their education.

“It’s how they learn from that.

“It is about how much leeway you give them if that impinges on you losing football games.

“It’s about going through the process trying to eradicate the mistakes and learn from them.”

Season aim

Docherty is, though, certain that will happen and he hopes so when the team gets back to Premiership action at home to Hibs next Saturday.

Despite their struggling form, the Dark Blues remain seventh in the table and can move back into the top six with a win over the Hibees.

Asked what the target is for this season, Docherty responded: “I said this last year, I don’t want to make any great claims.

“I just want to be competitive, make sure in every game we are competitive and see where that takes us.

“I think it would be folly to set yourself up just now to say we’ll do this or that.

“We want to be competitive in the league. We got to the quarter-final of the League Cup, put out by Rangers, I want to be really competitive in the Scottish Cup as well.”

‘We want to strengthen’

Docherty reiterated that contract extensions with a number of the 13 players out of contract next summer are ongoing.

But he also plans to busy in January.

“We want to strengthen,” he replied when asked about the upcoming transfer window.

“We have fallen victim to some injuries right now.

“It is a work in progress. We have a young, young team but it is our job to improve them.

“If we can continue in the same vein as last season it is exciting.”

The dog

Docherty says Dundee are on an “upward trajectory” with the newly-approved plans for a training centre on Riverside Drive “a game-changer” for the club.

With a new training complex to call home, he may be able to keep a closer eye on his players’ fitness regimes.

Talking of training, Docherty recalled a funny incident of one player trying to fool the system. He didn’t, though, reveal whether it was a Dundee player or one from a previous club.

“You know when players get given their belt over an international break so they do a session and sports science will monitor it,” he said.

“We had a player, who will remain nameless, who used to get the belt and wrap it round his dog.

“And he’d throw the ball back and forward for the dog!

“The results would come back and sports science would say ‘oh, he’s working hard’!

“But it was the dog!”