Dundee United’s Callum Morris believes the verbal clash between two of his fellow defenders hasn’t upset the team spirit at Tannadice.
Ryan McGowan and Mark Durnan had a heated exchange during the Tangerines’ home defeat to Partick Thistle last Saturday.
Fingers were pointed and words were traded before the pair got around to defending a freekick that had just been conceded by McGowan for a foul on Steven Lawless, with the Australian appearing to think Durnan should have challenged the Jags player himself.
It wasn’t pretty but Morris insisted it’s all done and dusted now and everyone is looking forward to facing Inverness Caley Thistle in the Highlands today.
Morris declared: “If there is something that needs to be said then I think it should be said.
“Obviously, on Saturday the lads were getting something off their chests in that moment in the game.
“Once you get back to the changing room you can talk it out and see what the different points of view are.
“That is it all done, though, and it’s been dealt with.
“I think every day in training and in every game there are going to be disagreements.
“However, there is nothing there that has affected the squad.
“Everyone is pulling the same way and just wants to improve the team.
“The dressing room is still buoyant and everyone is positive.
“We are taking all the positives out of the games.
“We are now champing at the bit to go out and get the three points up at Inverness.”
For a man whose side is now eight points adrift of second-bottom Kilmarnock and about to face one of the trickiest trips in Scottish football, Morris is upbeat.
He added: “The gap is there but if we can get a run together, a few wins, then we can jump straight back up there.
“If you look at the squad we have, if we can get the confidence even higher than it is at the minute then it will take a good team to stop us going on a run.
“I don’t think about stats I approach each game on its own merits.
“You look at who you are playing the following Saturday and gear up for that all week.
“I will be doing everything I can to keep the club in this league and I’m sure come the end of the season we won’t be near the bottom of the table.
“I am 100% confident that we can get out of this. I don’t think we will be near it.
“It has been about small margins for us and I think we can go to Inverness full of confidence that we can win.”
Morris only returned from injury against Partick so he has been looking on from the sidelines as United have struggled to get points on the board.
He said: “It has been frustrating sitting in the stand, given the results we have been getting, so I just wanted to get out there to help the lads out.
“Even watching the last few games and I have been to pretty much every one this season I have seen the boys put on some pretty good performances.
“It’s just that we have struggled in either goalmouth, giving away soft goals and the finishing hasn’t been up to scratch either.
“If we can get those two things right then we can get the results we need.”
United will be without hamstring injury victim Florent Sinama Pongolle, with boss Mixu Paatelainen confirming: “It is not as bad as it could have been but he will still be out for between two and four weeks.”
Paatelainen revealed Japanese goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima has taken his English language test as part of the criteria for entitlement to employment in the United Kingdom.
He said: “He has done the language test now that’s done.
“However, because of the Christmas period some places are closed.
“We will get the results in a week’s time, which is disappointing.
“Of course, it is frustrating but we just have to be patient.”
Paatelainen also revealed that frontman Henri Anier will rejoin United after his loan spell at Hibs finishes next month as is the case with Robbie Muirhead, who is currently at Partick Thistle.
“He is our player and under contract with us,” he said.