Dundee

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Dundee manager Steven Pressley has been speaking to the media as his side prepare to travel to Hibs on Saturday.

Here are the main points:

• Former Scotland assistant Pressley hails the "amazing" national team who qualified for a first World Cup in 28 years but feels, while the achievement is incredible, it may be "papering over the cracks" of the Scottish football set-up.

• Pressley stresses his players have been working "exceptionally hard" to "make things better" after three successive defeats before the break.

• Despite poor results, the 52-year-old insists he is "very fortunate" with "the personality and character of this group".

• The Dundee boss says he hasn't "got everything right" as manager but is still "learning on the job".

• Pressley says the task on Saturday is to win at Easter Road for the first time in over 20 years against a Hibs side who have "been going about their business quietly and effectively".

• The Dundee manager believes if goalkeeper Jon McCracken can have "a full good season of football" there is "no reason he wouldn't be a consideration" for Scotland's World Cup squad next summer.

• Team news: Clark Robertson was back in training for the first time on Friday while Fin Robertson has returned to full training.

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• Hibs are unbeaten in 16 top-flight home matches against Dundee (W9 L7) since a 2-1 defeat in October 2001 under Alex McLeish.

• Dundee have lost their past two Scottish Premiership games against Hibs, last losing three in a row in September 2018.

• Hibs' 1-0 defeat to Rangers in their last home match ended a 16-match unbeaten run at Easter Road in the Scottish Premiership. The Leith side could lose back-to-back matches at home in the competition for the first time since May 2024.

• Dundee have lost four consecutive away league matches, the longest ongoing run of consecutive defeats of any Premiership side, while they could lose five on the bounce on the road in the top flight for the first time since January 2022 – a run that included a 1-0 defeat to Hibs.

• Dundee have faced the most shots (182) and shots on target (72) in the Scottish Premiership this season, while only Livingston (23) have conceded more goals than the Dark Blues (22).

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

In the not too distant past Dundee fans were treated to the talents of Luke McCowan, Lyall Cameron and Josh Mulligan.

All three possessed the priceless ability of being able to unlock any defence.

To lose one such player is disappointing – but to lose all three in the space of a year is a real blow.

And how second-bottom Dundee could do with some, if not all, of those players now amid a hugely disappointing start to the season.

While it is inevitable good players will eventually move on, how you replace them is key. But finding comparable quality replacements is far from easy and the voids have been inadequately filled at Dens Park.

That lack of creative spark is illustrated by Dundee mustering just nine goals in their opening 12 league games, the third lowest strike rate in the division.

They have also attempted just 29 shots on target – comfortably bottom of the pile on that front.

Worryingly for Dundee they have been leaky at the back too, shipping 22 league goals. Only bottom club Livingston (23) have conceded more.

You can argue there is no point dwelling on the past, but would things be different if Dundee were able to call on the services of Mulligan, McCowan or Cameron?

The bigger picture is a lot of key players left the club at the end of last season. Ensuring that doesn't happen again is something the hierarchy have to look at.

However, in the here and now Steven Pressley needs to find a way of getting the players he does have at his disposal in his new-look squad to deliver results.

Ethan Hampton
Fan writer

The fact Hibs have only won a single home game this season would normally inspire optimism - but Dundee have a habit of giving teams a lift in exactly these situations.

Now that we've faced every side in the league we should be a stronger, more informed team.

We know how others are trying to shape up - and crucially, they have a clearer picture of us as well. It's those perceptions we need to warp, starting this weekend.

Dundee have lost more matches (seven) than any other team in the league and while our defensive structure has improved since last season, we're still not difficult to beat.

Individually, though, there were positives in the last game despite the 3-0 loss to Rangers. Billy Koumetio and Luke Graham both gave a strong account of themselves and it may be worth persisting with that partnership at centre-back. What they lack in experience, they compensate for with composure and ability.

As a former centre-half, Steven Pressley should know how to mature this partnership into something formidable. They could be the key for patching up our defensive woes.

Dundee head coach Steven Pressley says his club are focusing on improving their recruitment skills before the January transfer window amid a "flawed" transfer system that meant it took nearly five months to agree a compensation fee for midfielder Josh Mulligan's move to Hibernian - and are seeking a new head of recruitment. (The Courier), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

We asked what one thing you would change at Dundee.

Here's what some of you said:

Gary: The manager/head coach, or whatever his role is. For someone with "35 years" in football (I think he said?), what was he doing? It wasn't learning tactics or adaptability it seems!

Eric: Change the manager.

Michael: Steven Pressley has to go, but that's only the start. Gordon Strachan has been a waste of money and I no longer have faith that the owners and the board are actually working in the club's best interests.

Boab: My one change? The manager. Elvis needs to leave the building.

Donald: John Nelms to remove himself from running the football side of things and concentrate on Dark Blue Property Holdings, the new stadium and training ground and appoint an experienced chief executive to run the football club, re-engage with fans, sort out season-ticket pricing and the football dept as a whole. Not too much to ask!

Mark: Ditch the move to a new ground. Will end up being a waste of time and money.

Ronnie: Simple. The manager.

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Dundee should have had a penalty when midfielder Ethan Hamilton was challenged by Kyrell Wilson in last month's 2-1 defeat by Falkirk, according to Scottish FA head of referees Willie Collum.

He suggested on The VAR Review show that a broken shin pad and blood on the Falkirk player's leg had misled the referee and VAR team.

"No question for us - this should have resulted in an on-field review," Collum said. "The referee is good at communicating - we need to get the full picture.

"But they are too forensic to justify why it is a defensive free-kick and not a penalty. There is maybe some contact of the Dundee player's studs on the Falkirk player slightly, but that's caused by the defender kicking into the Dundee player.

"The attacking player leads with his studs, but there is nobody in front of him at that point. The Dundee player commits no offence. He is not reckless and he is then kicked."

It's been a bumpy ride so far for Dundee under Steven Pressley.

A group-stage League Cup exit has been followed by a trying Premiership start, with the Dark Blues currently a point off the bottom.

Despite the sensational victory over Celtic last month, Pressley's men have only won one other game and are staring at another fight to retain their top-flight status.

The international break provides the chance to pause for breath and reflect after a frenetic few months at Dens Park.

So, if you could change one thing about Dundee's season so far, what would it be?

Tell us here.

Dundee manager Steven Pressley would be happy to see goalkeeper Jon McCracken called up by Scotland but is pleased to have the 25-year-old's sole focus on Dens Park matters for now. (Courier - subscription required), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

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Cameron Congreve has urged fans to keep the faith as struggling Dundee attempt to spark a revival.

The Dark Blues have lost three on the bounce - and five of the past six - to occupy the relegation play-off spot.

"It's still really early doors but definitely stick with us," was Congreve's message to fans.

"We've shown what we can do by beating Celtic and drawing away to Rangers. Stick with us, we're going to turn it around."

The 2-0 home victory over Celtic last month could have marked a turning point in Dundee's season. Instead, they have lost the subsequent three games, most recently going down 3-0 at home to Rangers.

Congreve, who has been a rare bright spot in Steven Pressley's side, with a league-high five assists since joining on loan from Swansea City, cited a weakness after Dundee conceded three goals from corners in the past two outings.

"I think we've had a tough block of games, we've played some really good teams as well. We're working on things, we're keeping at it, we're working really hard on the training pitch," he added to BBC Scotland.

"Set-pieces are a massive part of the game, we've been so strong with them all season and then we've let ourselves down with them in the last two games.

"We do a lot of work on them as well so we'll eliminate that and put ourselves right in the mix."

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Hibs and Dundee have agreed an undisclosed compensation package for Josh Mulligan following the midfielder's summer move to Easter Road.

The settlement removes the need for an independent SPFL tribunal to determine the fee for the Dark Blues academy graduate.

Mulligan, 23, signed a four-year deal with Hibs and has become a key player, earning a first Scotland call-up for last month's World Cup qualifier against Belarus.

Hibs sporting director Malky Mackay said: "Josh is an exciting young Scottish talent and we have been pleased with his development since his arrival this summer. We look forward to seeing continued progression in his game.

"We would also like to thank Dundee for the amicable negotiations and agreed outcome."

Dundee said both sides are "satisfied with the outcome" and added: "Both clubs have worked constructively to reach a settlement that reflects the considerable investment – in time and in coach development – that Dundee has made to help Josh establish himself in the Scottish Premiership."

Dundee plan to revamp their recruitment strategy. (Courier - subscription required), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

The stats surrounding Dundee are pretty damning.

Lets assess their past half dozen fixtures - St Mirren (away), Aberdeen (away), Celtic (home), Falkirk (away), Hearts (away) and Rangers (home).

Yes, it is a tough run, but even factoring that in it is very difficult to find much positive from a Dundee point of view.

They have lost five of those six games - the one they won, an excellent 2-0 victory over Celtic, is looking increasingly like an outlier amid the gloom.

In that sequence of matches they have conceded 14 goals, an average of more than two a game. At the other end they have only scored three.

It doesn't take a deep dive to see that all of the above is not good enough.

And they will get little comfort from taking a peak at their next six games – Hibernian (away), St Mirren (home), Celtic (away), Aberdeen (home), Livingston and St Mirren (both away).

We should get a clearer picture of how things are going to play out for Steven Pressley's side after that little lot.

These are worrying times for Dundee fans. Their team find themselves second bottom of the Premiership having played a game more than a number of the teams above them.

And unless Pressley can find a way to turn things round, it could be a very bleak winter at Dens Park.

Ethan Hampton
Fan writer

Dundee's season is in danger off going off the rails.

The latest defeat came without laying a glove on a Rangers side who have clear fragilities. It was a sharp contrast to the aggression and discipline from our last victory, against Celtic.

Jon McCracken kept the score down with some excellent saves and he has notably improved this season.

With trips to Hibernian and Celtic on the horizon, there's little to get excited about in the prospect of following Dundee across the country.

We desperately need to see improvement after the international break, particularly by bolstering our home form as we're soon to host teams around us.

There are eight games until we can possibly recruit in the January window, we sit ahead of bottom place by a mere point and trail sixth-place Motherwell by six points. While I expect the league to remain tight, there is a risk we fall behind.

We look a one man band in the final third through Cameron Congreve. If he is kept quiet we don't have any other avenue towards goal.

The impact of substitute pairing Simon Murray and Yan Dhanda, at least in terms of the balance of our play, is one of the few positives from Sunday. That duo might be the ace in the hole to prevent us being a one-dimensional team.

I think many fans realise this season is not building on the foundations of the past two years. This is a survival campaign trying to lay new groundworks for the future.

Steven Pressley has remained calm and measured despite the setbacks, but he needs to figure out how to address our creative woes if he wants to ensure he's the man to lead Dundee.

We asked for your views on Dundee's 3-0 defeat by Rangers.

Here's what some of you said:

George: Complete garbage. No fight, no idea, get rid of the manager and replace him with someone who can mould a team. All we do is defend and we are getting worse at that each week. There is a two-week break, a perfect time to get a new manager, or it will be the Championship again. Make sure that you choose the correct manager this time and not the cheapest option. Someone who knows what they are doing.

Stephen: An embarrassing performance home and away. Steven Pressley has to go or it will be relegation done and dusted before you know it.

Gary: With a number nine that's a waste of a shirt, defenders who don't want to do their jobs and a clueless manager, we're awful. Where is the progress that warrants Pressley keeping his job? He can't affect the game in a positive way for us and is clearly even unable to react to what his team are up against. We're in dire straits.

John: Dreadful defending for the first two goals. Smallest man on the park outjumps the Dundee defence for the opener. Terrible. Don't think we had one meaningful shot on target. How much longer are the Americans going to give Pressley because this team is going in only one direction, the Championship.

Carl: Poor defending cost us the two first-half goals, but poor team formation and the wrong tactics cost us the game. Long balls by Rangers had our defenders facing their own goal far too many times, and the gaps in our setup were exploited time after time. The manager must accept responsibility for not changing our shape to counteract this. Praise must be given to the players who all kept their heads up and plugged away against all the odds. Early days still, but it's going to be a long season if we continue with the managers defensive attitude. How many shots did we have on target?

Alan: No intensity from Dundee, a lack of fight and very little goal threat - none of our forwards has scored for weeks! We were up against a mediocre Rangers side and barely laid a glove on them. How our manager can find positives in this is beyond me. Championship here we come!

Watch highlights from Rangers' 3-0 win over Dundee in the Scottish Premiership.

Available to UK users only.

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Dundee head coach Steven Pressley: "I liked a number of aspects about our performance. I thought we were aggressive and pressurised the game.

"The players worked exceptionally hard and I thought we got into some really good attacking areas. The finer details around the final cross, the final moment can improve.

"Losing the goal from a set-play after a good start from ourselves was very disappointing.

"After losing the second goal, it's very easy for a team that's fragile to go under and we didn't. We responded brilliantly. The players should be pround

"Against Hearts we suffered badly and there wasn't enough to take from that performance but I thought today there was a lot to take.

"I'm not going to kid anyone on, of course we need to win more games, but I will say there is still a belief around the players.

"I've been in football for 35 years and to be involved for that length of time you need to show some grit and I'll continue to do that."

Rangers were comfortable winners at Dens Park, with Nico Raskin, Mikey Moore and Djeidi Gassama on target.

You can read the match report here.

Rangers supporters must be pleased with much-improved league form, while that win over Celtic last month must seem like a long time ago for Dundee followers.

Rangers fans, give us your thoughts here.

Dundee fans, have your say here.

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Dundee boss Steven Pressley is braced for a Rangers side intent on pressing his team under the recently-appointed Danny Rohl.

Rohl has succeeded Russell Martin at Ibrox and former Scotland defender Pressley - who worked at Brentford as head of player development before taking over at Dens Park - believes he knows what to expect from the former Sheffield Wednesday boss.

"I met Danny a year or so ago," Pressley said as he looked ahead to Sunday's Scottish Premiership game.

"He came into Brentford with the Barca manager [Hansi Flick].

"I spoke to him and he's very knowledgeable. He has good ideas in the game.

"He's from a background with emphasis on pressing. We've seen that in his team.

"He's changed the system to go to a 3-4-3 formation but he's also changed in games against Celtic and Roma to go to a back four.

"We don't know what they will play at the weekend, they might play with a three or might play with a four but we need to be ready for whatever system they play."

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Dundee are set to have Yan Dhanda available after he was unable to face parent club Hearts last weekend. However, manager Steven Pressley revealed he has "several" unnamed players struggling with injury.

Rangers remain without Rabbi Matondo (knee), Dujon Sterling (Achilles) and Kieran Dowell (foot).

Dundee must show "hunger and passion in every pass and tackle" but will have no fear facing Rangers this weekend, says Dark Blues defender Billy Koumetio. (The Courier)

Read the rest of Saturday's gossip.

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Steven Pressley hopes the "right Dundee turn up" against Rangers on Sunday as they bid to bounce back from last weekend's 4-0 thrashing at Hearts.

The Dark Blues are second bottom of the Premiership with two wins from 11, but have shown their potential by drawing away to Rangers in August and then beating Celtic 2-0 at home last month.

"We're not creating enough chances, not scoring enough goals, I know that," said manager Pressley, whose team have lost four of their last five matches.

"We need to use the ball better, there are a lot of things to improve on.

"The last time we played Rangers at Ibrox, we got the balance right, the same against Celtic.

"The frustration is we haven't shown that on a consistent basis so hopefully the right Dundee turn up on Sunday.

"Our form at home has been positive, but our away form has been really disappointing.

"We've had really encouraging performances at home, the most recent beating Celtic, so we should go into the game believing at Dens we are a very capable team.

"We had a real disappointment at the weekend but we've regrouped and refocused and hopefully we can give the right type of performance."

Pressley revealed he has "several injury concerns" for Sunday although did not want to reveal the identity of those struggling.