Dundee

Dundee captain Luke McCowan has reportedly been the subject of several bids from this afternoon's opponents, Hibs, but starts.

You feel it's in the script for him to have a big say in this game.

Tony Docherty makes two changes from last week's thumping win over Airdrieonians in the League Cup.

Jon McCracken comes back in for Trevor Carson in goal and Ethan Ingram is replaced in defence with Billy Koumetio.

Image source, BBC Sport

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Hibernian could hand a debut to on-loan Celtic midfielder Kwon Hyeok-kyu but Elie Youan, Junior Hoilett and Jake-Doyle Hayes are all still working their way back to full fitness.

Dundee trio Charlie Reilly, Josh Mulligan and Clark Robertson are close to a return from injury but unlikely to be involved this weekend. Captain Joe Shaughnessy (knee) remains sidelined, but Seb Palmer-Houlden and Billy Koumetio have both recovered from knocks suffered against Airdrie last weekend.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Despite the blistering start Dundee have made to the season, striker Simon Murray believes there is still more to come from the Dens Park outfit.

Tony Docherty's side have won six and drawn one of their seven competitive games in the campaign to date, and have scored an impressive 29 goals in that time.

Despite the plaudits deservedly coming their way, Murray - who has 5 goals to his name already this term - says Dundee are not getting carried away.

"It has been a good start, we scored a good amount of goals in the League Cup group stages and then have taken that into the first two league games," he said.

"There are definitely things we can improve on, we know that; all in all it has been a fairly decent start but football has a way of bringing you back down to earth.

"We just need to keep doing the basics right that we are doing and training hard and hopefully it continues.

"If you start listening to outside noise you can maybe take your foot off the pedal or start to do things that you wouldn't do before.

"The manager has got us all just focusing on the day-to-day training, staying together as a group and just continuing what we have ben doing."

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• Hibernian have only lost one of their last 15 top-flight meetings with Dundee (W8 D6), a 1-3 defeat in May 2022 when current boss David Gray was in caretaker charge.

• Dundee’s last away top-flight win at Hibernian came in October 2001 under Ivano Bonetti (2-1), with the Dee winless in 14 such trips since (D6 L8).

• Hibernian have lost their opening two league games this season and could be the first team to lose their opening three Scottish Premiership games in back-to-back campaigns since upcoming opponents Dundee did so in 2017-18 and 2018-19, and were relegated in that second season.

• Dundee have taken four points from their two league games this season but the Dee haven’t taken five or more points from their opening three matches of a Scottish Premiership campaign since 2003-04 (6 – W2 L1).

• Luke McCowan has scored in three straight Scottish Premiership appearances for the first time with his two goals this season coming from the penalty spot; since the beginning of last season only James Tavernier (12/16) has taken and scored more penalties in the competition than the Scotsman (5/6).

• All 12 Premiership sides provided a total of 15,101 minutes to Scottish players aged under 21 in the 2023-24 season.

• Those minutes average out to just 1,258 per club, which is the equivalent of only 14 full 90-minute matches.

• Six teams failed to reach a total above 700 minutes.

• Celtic and Rangers were the worst offenders in the division, with Celtic managing just 89 minutes all in, while Rangers' total was even lower at only 26.

Dundee are running the rule over French forward Julien Vetro, who is a free agent after leaving troubled Bordeaux this summer. (The Courier)

Dundee manager Tony Docherty insists Luke McCowan will be fully focused on the Dark Blues at Easter Road on Saturday – and not a potential move to Hibernian. (The Courier)

Celtic remain interested in a swoop for 26-year-old Dens Park captain McCowan. (The Herald)

Read the rest of Thursday's gossip.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Dundee manager Tony Docherty has highlighted Dundee's improvement by pointing out they have scored 29 goals in just seven games this season compared to the 24 matches it took to reach that total last term.

From their opening seven fixtures so far, Docherty's men boast a record of six wins and one draw - a run of form which equates to their best start to a season in 52 years.

The Dens boss said: "Somebody else threw a stat at me that we scored our 29th goal on Saturday, 17 August - we did that last season on 23 January.

"So for me as manager and for our staff, it is all about making progress and making improvement and if we are continually doing that these stats will keep coming.

"But what the really important factor is in all of that is very much keeping your feet on the ground, working hard on a daily basis and making sure you keep trying to get those levels of improvement in your squad.

"Yes, the players deserve massive credit for what they have done but we won’t get carried away.

"We are working hard as a group, they are in confident mood at the moment, there is a buzz about the place, there is a good tempo about the place.

"But we are very much focused on what our job is. On Saturday we are going to Easter Road to play against a Hibs team we know we will need to be at our best to beat."

A lack of first-team action given to youngsters in the Premiership backs up the Scottish FA's assertion that Scotland is not bringing through enough emerging talent.

Just three of the 12 top-flight teams are able to say they provided over 2,000 minutes to Scots aged under 21 across last season's pre-split fixtures.

Dundee sit top of the 2023-24 table with 3,538, but a large chunk of that was clocked up by the one player - Lyall Cameron.

The same applies to the three next best clubs on the chart, Aberdeen (Connor Barron), Kilmarnock (David Watson) and Motherwell (Lennon Miller).

At the bottom of the table are both Old Firm clubs, with the pair posting concerning figures - Celtic just 89 minutes and Rangers only 26.

The report uses Hungary's top flight - a 12-team league - as a direct comparison. It shows Honved provided 6,544 minutes to Hungarian under-21 players, PAFC reached more than 5,000 and two more clubs achieved over 3,000.

Click here to read more on how Scottish football is failing young players.

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The League Cup quarter-final between Rangers and Dundee will take place on Saturday, 21 September at 17:30 BST.

The venue is to be confirmed, with Rangers currently playing home matches at Hampden due to delayed construction work at Ibrox Stadium. That temporary relocation runs until 5 September.

Tony Docherty's Dundee have already scored 24 goals in this season's competition and beat Airdrieonians 6-1 to reach the quarter-final.

Rangers were 2-0 winners over St Johnstone at Hampden in the last 16.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Tony Docherty has been speaking to the media before Dundee's Scottish Premiership trip to face Hibs this weekend.

• Amid continued speculation about Luke McCowan, Docherty says he is not aware of any bids and the midfielder is a "fully committed Dundee player".

• He says they may look to make a couple of further signings, but highlights how delighted he is with the squad he now has at his disposal.

• On the club's best start to a season in 52 years, "we won't get carried away" and it is "all about making progress and improvement".

• He admits there is a "buzz about the place".

• On the SFA report saying Scottish football is failing young players, Docherty pointed out the high number of U21s in his first team since he arrived, saying: "We are promoting good young players, I have always said as manager, if they are good enough they are old enough."

• He is expecting a tough game against a Hibs side seeking their first points of the season.

• Joe Shaughnessy, Clark Robertson, Charlie Reilly and Josh Mulligan remain unavailable.

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Clubs in Scotland are failing to bring through enough young players, a report, external by the Scottish FA has said.

The governing body says Scottish football is "significantly underachieving its potential" in youth development compared to countries of a similar size.

Using a range of data to compare leagues across Europe, it shows players under the age of 21 in Scotland are playing fewer minutes in the top-flight than countries such as Denmark, Norway, and Croatia.

Meanwhile, game time for young Scottish players in major European club competitions ranks below countries with smaller populations and fewer resources, such as Montenegro and North Macedonia.

It also stresses clubs are missing an opportunity to reduce wage costs and increase transfer revenue by developing their own players.

The report was commissioned by the SFA's professional game board at the end of 2023, and a working party comprised of SPFL and SFA representatives will now consider its findings.

Read the full story

Former striker Lee Miller, who turned out for Dundee United, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock among others, recounts his experiences of being on the move on transfer deadline day during his playing career.

Listen and subscribe to the Scottish football podcast on BBC Sounds

• Tony Docherty's Dundee have now won six and drawn one of their opening seven matches after dismantling Airdrieonians in the League Cup on Saturday.

• That form means this is the club's best start to a season since 1972-73, when they won six League Cup group matches and drew their opening league fixture.

• The six goals scored at Dens Park at the weekend takes Dundee's tally for the season to a staggering 29 goals in just seven games this campaign.

• They have also now scored six or more goals in three of those seven matches.

Ethan Hampton
Fan writer

At this moment in time, Dundee are Scotland’s most entertaining team to watch.

They are addicted to scoring goals - 43% of our games this season have resulted in us scoring six or more.

To see the team have this clinical edge is obviously pleasing, but for me the work ethic these players demand from themselves is my favourite attribute from our current run of form.

A 6-1 victory over Airdrieonians has the fans purring, but the players were quoted as being "angry" at their failure to keep a clean sheet.

This perfectionist mentality has been absent from a Dundee team for a very long time. It must be 'Dee in the Park' because it’s music to our ears!

To break the deadlock on Saturday, it was nothing complicated, hunger to win the ball at every available opportunity, throwing bodies into the right areas - cutting defenders and the goalkeeper out of the picture and forcing the ball in.

While it looks like a very scrappy goal, it's that level of determination and awareness that complements the quality on display, whether it’s Luke McCowan providing an assist from his own half or Curtis Main scoring an outrageous backheel.

We have been drawn away to Rangers in the quarter-final, it doesn’t get much tougher than that. Including this draw, five out of the last six quarter-finals we have qualified for have all come against one of the Old Firm.

In each meeting, we have been professionally dispatched. But our last two visits to Ibrox provide some encouragement as we took the lead in both games and performed admirably.

If the game is at Hampden, I'm sure we'll relish the challenge much more. You have to beat the best to be the best, these are the kind of tests a team must pass to show their credentials in the hunt for silverware.

Next up, Easter Road against a Hibernian side who are on the back of three straight defeats. Momentum is on our side and I'm grinning at the thought of watching the Dee play in the capital this weekend.

Sunshine on Leith? I'm hoping for Sunshine and Seethe!

Dundee need to add to their squad as they only had four outfield substitutes on Saturday, but manager Tony Docherty stresses he is insisting on quality rather than quantity. (The Courier), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Stephen McGinn has hailed Tony Docherty's "unbelievable" Dundee impact following the club's progression to the League Cup quarters.

The free-scoring Dens Park side dismantled second-tier Airdrieonians 6-1 on Saturday to set up a last-eight tie with Rangers at Hampden.

After securing an impressive top-six finish last term, Docherty's men started their current Premiership campaign with a derby draw at Tannadice before an eye-catching 3-1 win over Hearts.

McGinn, who worked with Docherty at Kilmarnock while he was assistant to manager Derek McInnes, says the Dundee boss is proving he is a "top coach".

"Like everyone else, I thought McInnes and Docherty were going to be together forever," he tells the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"But looking back now you can see he was a manager in waiting. And what a job he's done, unbelievable.

"He's brought in young players and they're always a good team to watch. Not only scoring six, but the amount of chances they created on Saturday...

"I'm not sure what's going to happen with Luke McCowan between now and the end of the window, but if they don't need the money, could Dundee try and keep him and Lyall Cameron?

"I think they're the key. If they can keep them, then who knows what's possible."

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Dundee will travel to take on Rangers in their Premier Sports Cup quarter-final tie next month.

The Dark Blues thrashed Airdrieonians 6-1 on Saturday to reach this stage of the competition, while Rangers beat St Johnstone 2-0 later in the day.

The game will take place on the weekend of 21-22 September.

Read the full draw here.

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A 6-1 win? Check. Progress to the League Cup quarter-finals? Check. Lyall Cameron completely content? Not check...

Despite destroying Airdrieonians at Dens Park on Saturday, the Dark Blues star still has a few bones to pick over the performance.

Echoing manager Tony Docherty, Cameron stressed the team's "frustration" at failing to keep a clean sheet, while also highlighting a period of play he felt they were on the back-foot.

Docherty did insist no-one would be "resting on their laurels" and Cameron's comments show just that...

"There are a lot of positives to take, but as a team we are frustrated to concede," the Scotland youth international told DeeTV.

"The goal is preventable, I think there are three or four players around Adam Frizzell, and folk just didn't want to put a foot in because he's inside the penalty box, so it was risky.

"The first 15 minutes of the second half, I thought we were poor and Airdrie were probably the better side for that period of the game and we scored against the run of play to make it 3-0 and comfortable."

We asked you for you thoughts following Dundee's demolition of Airdrieonians.

Here's what you had to say:

Jefcal: There was a time we'd have been happy with a 1-0 cup win but not these lads. Good performance all round again and spreading the goals around. Be good to see Simon getting a goal or two at Dens. Saving them for league perhaps. But Dee fans please do not get carried away yet.

Gary: Good showing from a side really firing. Six different scorers was great to see ,but our bench is really weak. So far we’ve had two goalkeepers and four defenders as a rule among the subs which is just a waste. Doc wants competition, but we need some returns and new signings. Plus, give another kid or two a chance?

Ian: Mmm we're good. Can't remember such a positive feeling since 61-62.

Grant: Another goal feast. Doc working wonders at Dens but we have so many players out of contract next summer that we need to secure them quickly. A kind draw next please? We need a trip to Hampden.

Rod: Goals throughout this team. It's a shame Luke McCowan will move on but I hope we get a couple more games with him and then a decent fee. He won't move to Hibs because that's more of a sideways move and he's better than that. I trust Doc to get a decent replacement or two. Definitely a European spot this year.

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Tony Docherty stresses nobody at Dundee will be "getting carried away", despite his side's sensational start to the season.

The Dark Blues have won six and drawn one of their seven games so far, scoring 29 goals in the process.

That goal tally was beefed up by the six they fired past Championship side Airdrieonians on Saturday in their Premier Sports Cup last 16 tie, all by different scorers.

Despite the dream start, Docherty insists no-one will be putting their feet up.

“We have shared objectives and one of them is the League Cup campaign because I was disappointed to go out at the group stage last year, so we are going to have a real go at it,” the 53-year-old said after the huge win at Dens.

“It’s a collective. I have a really hard-working group of players who are incredibly talented.

“They are showing bravery in possession and that is why we are scoring so many goals. Six goals with six different scorers speaks volumes for the team.

"We look a real threat from set-plays, a threat from open play and we are good in terms of organisation out of possession.

“Things are going along well. We won’t get carried away because it is still early in the season.

“But what we are producing, it is a good time to be a Dundee fan at the moment.”