'Dundee recruitment scramble can't happen again'

Steven Pressley with his latest recruit Joe Westley (left)

Dundee must work hard to avoid a repeat of this summer's "scramble" to find players, says head coach Steven Pressley.

The number of established players to leave Dens Park since the end of last season is into double figures, while eight new faces have arrived.

Pressley, who replaced Tony Docherty at the start of June, wants another five.

"This can't happen again for us as a club," he said. "Moving forward, we have to have a better process around this.

"We don't want to be in a position where every season where we are scrambling trying to find the players. We have got to be in a position where there is much more stability around the squad.

"It is difficult to create that but we are trying. We have given out several two-to-three-year deals.

"I know everybody wants success now, but this is a big, big job and a real challenge and we have to get this part right."

Dundee lost their Premiership opener at home to Hibs on Sunday and failed to progress from their League Cup group, with Pressley describing the number of contracts expiring, along with loans last term as a "perfect storm", with "nobody to blame".

A shaky start to his first managerial appointment in six years has brought flak from the stands and pundits but Pressley insists: "I don't listen to the outside noise."

The 51-year-old, who takes his side to Ibrox on Saturday, explained: "During my pro licence, [Dundee technical director] Gordon [Strachan] talked about living in your own little bubble as a head coach.

"I took that on board and I have never looked at social media, I never read any newspapers, nothing like that, because we are all vulnerable.

"Everybody wants to be liked, everybody wants to hear 'yes, he's the greatest manager in the world' but you have to accept that that is not always going to be the case.

"Fans turn up every Saturday no matter what the club, expecting their team to win, but when you are at a club like Dundee it is harder to win than at a club like Rangers so we have to expect more criticism at times. That is the reality of the job."