Dundee

Ethan Hampton
Fan writer

As predicted, Dundee bounced back against Airdrieonians. A convincing victory with a clean sheet has left everyone satisfied off the back of horrendous defeats to Hearts and Celtic.

I am very happy we have progressed to the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup and more so that we avoided Celtic given that five of our past six quarter-finals – stretching back nine years – have come against one of the Old Firm.

However, Hearts away was the second-worst scenario. They seem to have our number this season, putting eight goals past us in the last two meetings while we have only managed to register three shots on target in 180 minutes against the Jambos.

We have been waiting a long time for some luck in the cup, but I'm struggling to find any magic after that draw.

Six changes were made to the team last weekend and several players shone. The likes of Scott Tiffoney, Jordan McGhee and Ziyad Larkeche, who have all been out of the team lately (albeit some absences were down to injury), gave Tony Docherty some healthy headaches for Saturday's game at home to Aberdeen.

That could very well be a season-defining game. Aberdeen haven't won in 13 league matches but Dundee love to knock out-of-form teams back into winning ways.

We have been very hot and cold this season - if we can't turn the heat on now then I sense we will be frozen into the bottom six. Dundee are a much better team than the league table would suggest, but they have to start proving it now.

And with the Lyall Cameron transfer saga concluded, I'd like to think with that weight off his shoulders, new bosses to impress alongside his desire to leave on a high, we will see a determined and confident player perform at his best until he leaves for Rangers in the summer.

Image source, BBC Sport

Dundee manager Tony Docherty has revealed midfielder Scott Fraser is still weeks away from a return from a groin injury (Courier), external.

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Hearts will host Dundee in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals.

Neil Critchley's beat St Mirren 4-2 on penalties in the fifth round to earn themselves a place in the quarters.

Meanwhile, Tony Docherty's men beat Airdrieonians 4-0 in the fifth round to book their place in the quarters.

The ties will be played on the weekend of Saturday 8 March.

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Lyall Cameron wants to end his time at Dundee on a high after they booked their spot in the Scottish Cup quarter-final.

Cameron was back in Dundee's starting line-up on Saturday after missing out against Celtic midweek.

The midfielder signed a pre-contract with Rangers and will head to Ibrox in the summer when his contract at Dens Park expires.

The 22-year-old admits news of his summer move to Rangers was "quite hard" to deal with adding there was "some tension and critics" but he seems to have moved on from that and now just wants to do his best for Dundee.

"I just need to keep focusing on playing for Dundee," he said.

"I want to do as well as I can between now and summer, get as far as we can in the cup and hopefully finish as high as we can in the league.

"So my full focus is here and I just want to emphasise that and I hope my first half performance showed that.

"It doesn't benefit anybody if I don't perform to my best level and that's the type of person I am as well. I'll give 100% in every game so I'm just going to keep doing that from now until the end of the season."

Dundee fans, we asked for your views after Saturday's Scottish Cup victory over Airdrieonians.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Mark: Professional performance and a very much needed clean sheet. Hope for a home tie next round.

Rod: Great to be in the quarter-finals. We are a match for most teams at home so hoping for a home draw in the next round. Two bad results will not stop us getting into the latter stages of the cup or top six. After being a yo-yo club in recent years Tony Docherty has stabilised us and there is no real fear of relegation. I'm hoping Doc stays for a long time.

Roberto: A recovery of sorts. 4-0 is 4-0 but we need to beat a Premiership team to be able to claim to be back on the rails. It was a much better second half from Airdrie.

Carl: Walk in the park today for the team, especially first half. The second half was a stroll against a poor Airdrie side so it's hard to judge how we would do against Premiership teams with the six changes made to the starting line-up. But, can we please have a back four because five is certainly not working.

Gary: A nice change to benefit from errors rather than making them but the Dee pressed Airdrie into those mistakes & were good enough to capitalise. Great to see the returnees, a debut for Victor Lopez and a clean sheet. Now let's hope for a good draw and to take the confidence forward into the league.

Jimmy: Tony you got the selection spot on. Ok it was only Airdrie, and I don't mean any disrespect to them, but how can we not do this any other game? The same type of performance is needed for the next game.

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Lyall Cameron. The little number 10 was under the microscope after his pre-contract move to Rangers was announced through the week, but he stood tall.

His two goals were about as easy as they get, but he had to be in the right place and was part of the Dundee press that Airdrie could not handle at all.

Dundee thrashed Championship bottom-dwellers Airdrieonians to progress to the Scottish Cup quarter-finals and recover from consecutive 6-0 league defeats.

What did you make of the game, Dundee fans? Who stood out in the impressive win?

Let us know your thoughts here., external

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Dundee manager Tony Docherty: "I'm delighted. Our objective was to get through and to keep a clean sheet as well. We got the job done in the first half, went 2-0 up after 20 minutes.

"I was looking for a reaction from my team. We made six changes to make sure there was energy and intensity in the side, but not diminishing any quality - and you saw that.

"I was really pleased with a lot of today. Second half was a little flat but the objective was to keep a clean sheet and we got a few players - Samuels, Lopez, and particularly big Joe [Shaughnessy] - on the pitch. A good day's work.

"You don't become a bad team overnight. There were reasons that we lost that game last Saturday, and I apologised to the fans. I took that responsibility in making sure today that the fans could sit back and see their team in the last eight of the Scottish Cup."

"I know Lyall [Cameron] really well and you could see the ovation he got from the fans when he came off, which tells you everything. I took him off to protect his Achilles. He'll be a really important player for us in the run in and he's 100% committed to Dundee until the end of the season.

"A good Cup run was one of our main objectives at the start of the season. If the draw is kind to us, maybe we can go a wee bit further."

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Dundee manager Tony Docherty says there is a "real buzz around the place" as his side look to move on from back-to-back 6-0 Premiership defeats by securing a Scottish Cup quarter-final place.

Hearts and Celtic both thrashed Dundee in the space of four days, leaving them perched precariously above the relegation play-off spot by a single point.

Before Saturday's cup visit of Championship bottom club Airdrie, Docherty said: "It's been challenging. But I'm very much grateful for the level of support I've got throughout the club, from the top right through to the players in the changing room and there's real support there.

"I've got real support in doing that, and I've got real confidence in the group and in myself that we will manage to navigate ourselves through any turbulent periods that we have, and make sure we come out the other side of it.

"It was important we brought the players in on Thursday afternoon after they rested up as much as they could, and we analysed things, like we always do.

"They are a real honest, conscientious group. So it was important that we did that, and then we move on and make sure that our full focus is towards the Scottish Cup game. It deserves that.

"We need to make sure that the amount of effort we put in in the last round to win a derby [against Dundee United] we need to pick up on that opportunity.

"So the mood in the camp is really good. The boys are really positive and there's a real buzz about the place."

Club captain Joe Shaughnessy feels he can begin to "contribute" to the team again after a lengthy injury lay-off.

The 32-year-old hasn't played since last April after suffering a cruciate knee ligament but made the bench against Celtic during the week.

"Brilliant, it's nice to be back involved," he told club media.

"It's been a long road but I finally feel like I can contribute a little more now."

Colin Moffat
BBC Sport Scotland

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Airdrieonians may be stranded at the foot of the table but they have won both league matches since banging five past Dumbarton in the fourth round of the cup, which is their best sequence of results this term.

The Diamonds shipped six goals at Dens Park in the League Cup in August and on their last Scottish Cup visit in 2022, but Dundee have been hit for six themselves in their past two outings against Heart of Midlothian and Celtic.

This is something of a free-hit for Airdrie, who were hammered by a horrendous injury list in the first half of the season, while Tony Docherty will be looking for a response from his players after a couple of shaky defensive displays.

Read all the Scottish Cup picks

We asked for your views after Dundee shipped six goals for the second game in a row to lose at Celtic Park.

Here are some of your comments:

Jimmy: Another abysmal performance, now we are in a relegation situation. Simon Murray needs help up front, why does Scott Tiffoney not get a start? At least he can get crosses in. Hopefully Airdrie don't score six.

Steven: I know it's an easy target but Tony Docherty has had a lot more time than most and it's just not working. Make no mistake, now we're in a relegation battle. Maybe he has little control over the players being brought in. We're now using kids from teams that are using us as a training facility. That's why we're inconsistent, not good enough for this league.

Gary: Of course have faith in your players to recover from a damaging result like Hearts, but at some point you have a duty to protect them as professionals, their reputation and confidence. The way it went, once the second goal goes in (the game's gone) it's time to limit the damage by changing shape and personnel, but again baffling substitutions crippled us.

Ray: Pathetic, fed up hearing the manager's excuses. The press have been gentle on us for some reason because they should be ripping us apart. We are on the slide and once you start it is hard to stop. No plan B and stop the excuses of injured players. We just aren't good enough.

John: We are not being dragged into a relegation battle, we are already there. It is time for a change at the top. A lot of the results are just not acceptable. At this current rate we will be down by the break. Top six is a pipe dream on this form.

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• Celtic's Daizen Maeda has contributed to goals in his past four games in the Premiership (four goals, four assists). The Japan forward's current three-game scoring streak streak is his longest in the competition.

• Dundee have failed to win in their past four games in the Premiership, their last longer winless streak was from 24 August 2024 to 5 October 2024, a run of five games.

• Celtic have kept a clean sheet in 18 of their 25 games, more than any other in the Premiership this season.

• Celtic have scored 18 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, more than any other team in the Premiership this season.

• Dundee have conceded 13 goals to opposition substitutes in the Premiership this season, more than any other team.

Dundee fans, what did you make of your side's heavy Scottish Premiership loss against Celtic? Do you fear you are being dragged into a relegation battle?

Have your say on the match., external

George O'Neill
BBC Sport Scotland

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Dundee finished in the top half of the Scottish Premiership last season - an excellent achievement on their return to the top flight, but they had their issues at the back.

Only Livingston, who finished bottom of the league and were relegated, conceded more goals than Dundee's 68 and those troubles in defence have continued into this campaign.

Yes, they have been without several defenders through injury, but they are leaking more than two goals a game on average. No side has let in more than their 53 goals after 25 league games.

They are the defensive numbers of a side battling relegation, and without improvement, or a lot of goals at the other end - only Celtic and Rangers have scored more than Dundee - they will be in the conversation for the play-off spot.

Unrest among the club's fanbase is understandably growing after two successive 6-0 losses and they have just one win in their last six league games.

Manager Tony Docherty has to find a solution at the back if their form is to turn around and they are to climb the table again.

The positive for the Dundee boss is the table is so tight it only takes a few wins to turn things around quickly, and they are closer to the top half than the bottom.

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Dundee manager Tony Docherty: "Our organisation in the first half was good enough to merit us coming in at nothing-each.

"The penalty, there's not one Celtic player claims for it. The two players are wrestling with each other - I think it's really soft.

"Then before the second goal, Callum McGregor comes across Mo Sylla and anywhere else on the pitch it's a foul but because the ball goes out of play they don't give it.

"That said, the goals we concede in the second half are not good enough. We need to learn as a team. That's two really poor defeats. We're too easy to score against and I need to make sure the players are aware of that. It's my job and the staff's job to address that.

"The full focus goes onto Airdrie on Saturday. A cup run is important. We've got an opportunity to progress in the cup.

"We're not giving ourselves a chance to win games with the goals we're conceding. We won't just brush that under the carpet."

We asked for your views on Dundee's business in the January transfer window.

Here's what some of you said:

Ben: Cesar Garza and Aaron Donnelly look to be great signings. Far too early to judge the signings of Imari Samuels and Victor Lopez, but both are young players that can hopefully shine for us as they get more game-time under their belts. Disappointing to lose Jordan McGhee and Lyall Cameron on pre-contracts. Perhaps an unpopular opinion but I'd have preferred them to leave in this window.

Dudley: Bad transfer window. Truly unbalanced squad, full of centre-backs clearly not doing their job. We desperately required another big striker and a big competitive central midfielder. With Cameron staying, will he compete as he didn't against Hearts? The two new Mexican players do not look physical enough for the fight ahead.

David: More than happy with the current squad although it was disappointing to see Cameron pledging his future to a very poor Rangers side. Now it is up to the manager to make best use of what looks an exciting squad on paper.

Steven: Am I missing something here? Still no right-back to speak of and not even a mention in dispatches. Every team we play takes advantage of how weak we are there.

Alan: Absolute madness allowing Curtis Main to leave with no replacement lined up. We are now in a relegation dogfight with only two recognised strikers (one a rookie at this level) at Tony Docherty's disposal. If Simon Murray picks up an injury we are in serious trouble. We are inviting relegation.

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Ryan Astley hopes the "harsh words" exchanged after Dundee's humiliation against Hearts prompts a much-improved performance in tonight's trip to Celtic Park.

The Dark Blues' four-game unbeaten shuddered to a halt as they were thrashed 6-0 last Saturday, and defender Astley said: "We were in on Sunday, we went over it. There was a few harsh words that were needed.

"We come in on Monday and it was positive, like move forward. It was a blip and we're looking forward to the next game.

"Every game, you've got to be on it because anyone can beat anyone, and we need to learn from that and not let that happen again.

"As a team, we always react well to disappointments. We're ready to go there [Celtic Park] and come away with something."

Former Dens defender Cammy Kerr, meanwhile, believes a trip to the champions could be the ideal fixture for Tony Docherty's side after the weekend hammering.

"There's not too much expected of Dundee in going there, but getting a shock result would be obviously massive for them," Kerr told the BBC's Scottish football podcast.

"It could be the type of games that gets you back on track. All the limelight is maybe on Celtic, with Jota making his home debut, so everything will be stacked against Dundee, but that's sometimes when you can pick up those results and surprise a few people."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Dundee fans will probably be experiencing mixed emotions following the closure of the January transfer window.

Sadness that one of their star players, Lyall Cameron, will be departing at the end of the season after agreeing a deal to sign for Rangers.

But elation that for now, they will still be able to savour the midfielder's talents for a few more months.

In fact their delight will not be confined to the fact Cameron is sticking around for a bit longer – but also because another of their main men, Josh Mulligan - another free agent in the summer - will be remaining for the rest of the campaign.

You can make a strong case that ensuring both players didn't leave in January is the most important bit of business manager Tony Docherty did.

Why? because they are absolutely integral to what Dundee hope to achieve this term.

The league table doesn't make pretty reading from a Dundee perspective - they are currently 10th, just six points off the bottom. But they are also just eight points off fourth.

The job of getting back up the table and in the mix for European places will certainly be helped by still being able to call upon Cameron and Mulligan.

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• Dundee remain winless in 45 meetings with Celtic in all competitions (D7 L38), although the sides' 3-3 draw last month was the first time the Dark Blues scored 3+ goals against the Hoops in a match since October 1988 (3-2 win).

• Celtic have won 20 of their past 22 home games against Dundee in all competitions (D2) since a 2-0 defeat in May 2001. The Hoops have won their past six home games in a row over Dundee by an aggregate score of 24-3.

• Celtic have won each of their past seven home league games by an aggregate score of 23-0. The Hoops last won more in a row without conceding at Celtic Park in March 2014 (9).

• Dundee have won their past two away league outings, as many as their previous 17 beforehand (W2 D5 L10).

• After scoring in the 3-3 draw between these sides last month, having also scored two league goals for Dundee earlier this season, Celtic's Luke McCowan is the first player to score both for and against the same side in a Scottish Premiership season since Tony Watt with both Dundee United and Motherwell in 2021-22. He's the frst to do so for and against Dundee in the competition since Simon Murray in 2017-18.

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Finlay Robertson is full of "hunger and desire" to continue performing for Dundee as the academy graduate signs a contract extension until 2027.

The versatile midfielder, who has been at the club since he was 11, has made 23 appearances this season for Tony Docherty's side, providing six assists along the way.

The 22-year-old has been at the club since he was 11 and he's delighted to continue "repaying" the club for "their relief when others maybe didn't".

"It feels really good to get the contract signed," he told club media. "It has been a good season so far, I've played a lot of games which is all I want to do. I've got a lot of hunger and desire to keep going and keep getting better.

"Having this run of games this season has given me a lot of confidence and like they say the more you play the better you feel.

"The club has given me a lot. I've been here since I was 11, and they have believed in me when maybe others didn't.

"I really appreciate the club for what they have given me and I just want to repay them with good performances."