Dundee

Ethan Hampton
Fan writer

Hibernian slaughtered Dundee to meet their best record in the league since 1948.

Sometimes you have to take your hat off and just say 'fair play'.

David Gray's side are deservedly leading the race in third place and were a level above what the Dark Blue's could cope with.

The silver lining, despite another awful day at the office, is that Dundee will now face teams more within their level for the remainder of the season.

Tony Docherty's side head into the split with a healthy squad, with Scott Fraser and Lyall Cameron back in training. Players of their ilk could be the difference in avoiding the play-offs.

It's do-or-die now. In my view, Dundee will likely need to win both home games and take at least a point on the road to secure complete safety.

Only one point separates ninth and eleventh but based on the last four-six matches, Dundee are in better form than Ross County and Kilmarnock.

This is where we'll see if Dundee have learned their lessons from earlier in the season. The fixtures aren't kind.

Hearts away is arguably the toughest challenge in the bottom six, and it comes first. Kilmarnock away has always been a tough trip, while County have beaten Dundee in all three meetings this season.

And St Johnstone away has the potential to become a 'relegation final' – a straight shoot-out between the bottom two teams. Hopefully, it doesn't come to that.

Dundee have a history of making things difficult for themselves, so I'd expect everything to go down to the wire, but if they could turn up at Tynecastle and right the wrongs of the Easter Road display and get off to the perfect start in the split, then it would be a massive lift. More so for the fans who are lacking faith in the team right now.

There's a recipe for survival in this team.

Joe Shaughnessy's return has been monumental, Simon Murray is in top form, and Josh Mulligan and the aforementioned Cameron have earned widespread praise.

But my one to watch is Mo Sylla. I've said it before, when he plays well, Dundee play well.

The lack of alternatives when he's off the boil has hurt us. Hartlepool fans warned us he goes missing in relegation fights. He can prove them wrong now, when it matters most.

Image source, SNS

"We've got five massive games coming up to try and save this club from relegation."

Dundee defender Clark Robertson is well aware of the task facing his side to preserve their Scottish Premiership status and insists they have to be "a hell of a lot better" than they were in the 4-0 thrashing away to Hibs at the weekend.

"It's a sore one," said Robertson on their dismal Sunday afternoon at Easter Road, which leaves them one point adrift of Kilmarnock and Ross County in the relegation play-off spot

"We've been here too many times this season now, conceding very poor goals, so we've got five games now to save our season."

Tony Docherty's side were up against a rampant Hibernian, but the 31-year-old admitted they just "weren't at the races".

"They were better than us in every department," he added. "It's not great saying that, and it's just a sore one to take.

"Nobody means to make mistakes, but we've got to be better in those moments.

"We need to regroup because we've got five massive games coming up to try and save this club from relegation.

"We've got to know what's at stake and we've got to fight and show that we care and like I said, five games to keep us up."

With Scottish Cup semi-final weekend up next, the Dark Blues have to wait an extra week until they can right their wrongs, something Robertson wishes wasn't the case.

He added: "I would like another game, but we've got two weeks now to prepare properly and make sure we're in the right frame of mind going into the last five games and work hard on the training pitch these next two weeks and make sure that come the first game of the split that we are bang at it.

"Because, like I said, we've got to be a hell of a lot better than we were on Sunday."

• Hearts v Dundee - Saturday, 26 April 2025

• Dundee v Motherwell - Saturday, 3 May 2025

• Kilmarnock v Dundee - Saturday, 10 May 2025

• Dundee v Ross County - Wednesday, 14 May 2025

• St Johnstone v Dundee - Sunday, 18 May 2025

Image source, SNS

We asked for your views on Dundee's 4-0 defeat against Hibs.

Here's what some of you said:

Danny: A gutless and shameful performance when much more was required against this good Hibs team. Our defending continues to be all over the place, with huge gaps left in our final third. Tony Docherty is totally incapable, after two seasons in charge, of addressing the issue.

Mark: Shambles from start to finish. Every goal was avoidable and made life too easy for Hibs. Need to get back to the performances from the previous few games, or St Johnstone might just catch us.

John: Dundee shouldn't take it for granted that St Johnstone won't catch them. Docherty is again saying we need to learn from defensive mistakes, he's been saying that all season.

Steven: Here we are again, another thrashing. Let's face it; it could have been double figures, and he's still in a job. He must have some hold over John Nelms. I've seen a few managers over the years with his football ethos; they all fall on their own swords eventually.

Jimmy: How many lessons are we needing to learn? Another abysmal performance just when we thought things were on the turn. Our only saving grace is that the Saints are just as bad. Three wins in the last five games should hopefully do the trick.

Alan: Docherty needs a reality check. Our midfield has been lightweight all season, a glaring weakness which has never been addressed, and our defending is ridiculously poor. My crystal ball says a play-off with Livingston beckons!

Watch highlights as four-goal Hibernian extend their remarkable unbeaten run by thrashing Dundee in the Scottish Premiership.

Available in UK only

Dundee manager Tony Docherty believes his players' "mindset" was wrong in their heavy Premiership defeat by Hibs on Sunday. (Courier), external

Read the rest of Monday's Scottish gossip.

Hibernian claimed a thumping win over Dundee to equal a club record unbeaten league streak of 17 matches - set in 1948 - and consolidate third place in the Scottish Premiership.

David Gray's side moved three points clear of Dundee United and Aberdeen, who squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Rangers earlier on Sunday.

Second-bottom Dundee remain a point behind Ross County and Kilmarnock but five clear of St Johnstone.

Dundee fans, give us your thoughts on the game here.

Image source, SNS

Dundee manager Tony Docherty tells Premier Sports: "We just didn't look like the team we have done in the last few performances, I didn't see that side in the first half.

"I let the players know that at half-time, and I thought we looked the better team when we started the second half.

"We had to chase the game, and the goals were very disappointing from our point of view.

"It's important we learn our lessons from that and be the side from the last few games again. Be the team that beat St Mirren and Dundee United, and should have beaten Rangers.

"Our destiny is well in our own hands.

"If we reference previous games, we'll be okay. If we play the way we did in the first half, we'll be in big trouble. If we can reference those performances, though, we'll be fine."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Tony Docherty had been full of praise for his defence prior to this game, but there is no doubt the Dundee manager will be asking questions about this performance.

The opening goal for Bushiri was just too easy and that put the visitors on the back foot.

There was little creativity or opportunities for Murray up front either and that will also be something that has to be addressed in the coming weeks.

Hibs were very good and that fact cannot be lost, but if Dundee are to escape relegation they will have to play much better than they did at Easter Road.

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Tony Docherty wants Dundee to spoil Hibs' party when he takes his side to Easter Road on Sunday.

The resurgent third-place Hibees will equal a club record of 17 league games unbeaten - set in 1948 - should they take at least a point against the visitors.

Dundee, on the other hand, occupy the relegation play-off spot and are five points ahead of St Johnstone at the bottom with six games to play as they chase survival.

"We play the same way all the time," manager Docherty said.

"In every game we set up to win the match, but we are playing against a good team in Hibs.

"They have done exceptionally well recently, but in the last four they are on the same run as us, they've also won two, drawn one and lost one [Hibs were beaten by Celtic in the cup].

"So two teams on form, but they are at home and I think they have a record to try to break so that is another motivation for us, to try and make sure they don't do that.

"But any game you analyse your opponents, they have their strength and weaknesses and we have worked on that all week.

"We always set out to win every match we play but we know there has to be a balance between in possession and out of possession and we'll be endeavouring to do that.

"Hopefully we can give ourselves a shot in the arm by going into that split with another victory under our belt, another three points and putting ourselves in a decent position."

Image source, SNS

Hibs remain without Joe Newell (groin) and Elie Youan (toe), while Kwon Hyeok-kyu (ankle) and Rudi Molotnikov (groin) are both doubts.

Dundee have had a full squad in training but Scott Fraser is still short of match fitness after groin trouble.

Celtic could still win a 13th Scottish top-flight title in 14 seasons this weekend, despite their shock defeat away to St Johnstone last Sunday.

Victory at home against Kilmarnock on Saturday would be sufficient to confirm the arithmetic should Rangers lose at Aberdeen the following day.

The Ibrox side are almost certain to clinch the second Champions League place, but four points from their final six matches would confirm it.

Whoever finishes third and fourth will also be in Europe, as will the division's fifth-placed side should the Scottish Cup winners be one of the Premiership's top four.

The fight for the final top-six place will go to the final game before the split, with one of Hearts, Motherwell or St Mirren claiming it.

Hearts visit Fir Park one point in front of their hosts and the Paisley side, who take on Ross County.

The two teams missing out could yet be sucked into a relegation battle.

Bottom side St Johnstone are now five adrift of Dundee and six behind Kilmarnock and Ross County. Motherwell and St Mirren are a further three points ahead.

With the teams all playing each other again post-split, there is still plenty scope for movement between now and 18 May.

Image source, SNS

• Hibernian remain unbeaten in their past 15 top-flight home games against Dundee (W8 D7) since a 1-2 reverse in October 2001 under Alex McLeish.

• After beating Hibernian 4-1 in December, Dundee are looking to win back-to-back games against Hibs in the top-flight for the first time since January 2002 under Ivano Bonetti (three in a row).

• Hibernian remain unbeaten in 16 league games (W11 D5), winning both of their last two without conceding; Hibs last won three successive Scottish Premiership matches while keeping a clean sheet each time in October 2018, a run which started with a 3-0 win over Dundee.

• Dundee have won two of their past three league games (L1), as many as their previous 14 beforehand (W2 D3 L9).

• Martin Boyle has scored in each of his past four Scottish Premiership appearances for Hibernian; the last player to find the net in five in a row for Hibs in the competition was Christian Doidge in December 2019.

Dundee fans, with the final top-six spot still yet to be decided, we asked who you'd most like to avoid in the split.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Nik: We definitely want to avoid Hearts at all costs. Dundee have been very poor against them this season and the split is no time to get nostalgic and look for revenge. I'd fancy my chances against St Mirren and Motherwell but not Hearts. We need to be resistant and get the points to stay up then we can look to next season and hopefully get better luck with injuries to key players.

Gary: Personally? Hearts, but as long as we get three home games I wouldn't really fear anyone.

Ben: Definitely Hearts. They seem to be a real bogey team for us at the moment. We're unbeaten against St Mirren this season, and perhaps a controversial opinion but I reckon Motherwell are the weakest team in the league at the minute and I predict them to finish in the relegation play-off spot.

Carl: We have a number of senior players returning from injury who will make a positive difference to the team, and if we play as we have in the last three games, we have nothing to fear. Bring on Hearts, St Mirren or Motherwell!

With one round of pre-split fixtures remaining, the final position of three teams is yet to be finalised.

So, with every post-split game crucial to your side's survival, who would you rather avoid in the bottom six: Hearts, St Mirren, or Motherwell?

Tell us why via this link and come back later in the week to see what your fellow fans are thinking.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Prior to their crucial win over St Mirren last time out, Dundee manager Tony Docherty spoke about finally having all of his defensive options available.

He pointed out that he has been without a number of his key defenders for a significant amount of matches over the course of the campaign, a campaign which has seen them ship an alarming amount of goals.

Make no mistake, having experience like Joe Shaughnessy (32), Clark Robertson (31), Jordan McGhee (28) and Antonio Portales (28) available will undoubtedly help shore things up at the back.

The first three on that list all started against St Mirren as they went on to register only their second clean sheet in the league this season.

If defensive solidity is to be a feature over the remaining weeks of the season, then you feel Dundee, who are currently second bottom of the table, will be fine.

After all, the other part of the formula for success, scoring, is functioning very well, with the club's attacking players continuing to bang in the goals they hope will fire them to top division safety.

Image source, SNS

Dundee managing director John Nelms says a potential 10-team Scottish Premiership is a "non-starter" as discussions over league reconstruction continue.

The debate has gathered momentum in recent weeks, but Nelms has stressed the need to find consensus across all SPFL sides before moving forward.

"From a Scottish point of view, anything that is good for Scottish football is good for Dundee FC as a whole," he said.

"It is a non-starter, 10 teams, because you are going to have two teams vote themselves out of the league. That is just not going to happen; we need an 11-1 vote.

"If we are really truly going to discuss it then let's do that and let's get everybody in and try and figure out a way to get 42 teams to agree on something.

"How do we want to see it built? What is entertaining for people now versus what was entertaining for people back when the 12-team league evolved?

"So that is where we are at; it is a much bigger question than just, are we happy? We have to look at all aspects of it and come to a conclusion."

Nelms and chairman Tim Keyes have both now been at Dens Park for over a decade and have seen the side relegated twice in that time, something the club are trying to avoid happening for a third time this season.

Dundee sit in the relegation play-off spot at present with six league games remaining.

"We have been through this before," Nelms added. "We have a very young team, probably the youngest in the league, that is by design.

"We are playing very well at the moment and we have got some of the senior players back to help with that balance of young and old, so the way we are performing at the moment, I am quite pleased with it.

"This season is the way that this season has unfolded, we have been in the top six, the top four, we have been all the way down to the bottom, and it has been a rollercoaster ride.

"But I think this team will survive in the league and we will move forward from there. I think if you look at, especially our last three performances, if we continue to perform like that, I don't think we have an issue."

Frustrated Dundee chief John Nelms has taken his fight to the very top and the First Minister in a bid to try to move the club a step closer to their new stadium. (Daily Record)

Ethan Hampton
Fan writer

Dundee weren't at their best but they were certainly at their most effective on Saturday.

A 2-0 win at home sounds like a straightforward story but there is plenty of subject matter to sink our teeth into.

Starting with the clean sheet, that was Dundee's first league game without conceding any goals since October! To find Dundee's last clean sheet at Dens Park in the Premiership you'd have to go back to last April (last season!) when we drew with Rangers just before the split.

Experience was the key, it was the first time Joe Shaughnessy played alongside fellow veteran Clark Robertson and they ensured that the goalkeeper had very little to deal with over the course of the game.

Seb Palmer-Houlden and Billy Koumetio both returned after lengthy spells on the sidelines and they looked very sharp, as if they hadn't missed anything.

It's also went under the radar in recent weeks that Ziyad Larkeche appears to be back at his best since he came back from injury.

Then there is the case of Simon Murray. No one has scored more goals in the Scottish Premiership than him since 2023. He is currently the league's joint top goalscorer and in the form of his life. Any forward who is in the race for the golden boot when their team are sitting in the bottom half of the table deserves their flowers.

He's on a sensational run just now scoring in six consecutive league games, a goal against Hibs on Sunday would match a post-war record of scoring in seven consecutive games – currently held between all-time top goal scorer Alan Gilzean and David Clarkson. If Murray meets that feat he'll be two games off the all time record of nine, set by Johnny Bell in 1920. A fascinating sub-plot in the midst of his blazing hot form.

With Scotland's friendlies against Iceland and Liechtenstein coming up in June, I think it would be a daft decision from Steve Clarke to snub the Dundee striker given he is outperforming Kevin Nisbet and James Wilson who were enrolled in the last national squad.

From a narrative perspective, it would be another fairy tale story in Scottish football – Murray was playing in the third tier of Scottish football just four years ago, if he managed to earn a Scotland cap at 33 then it would be right up there with inspiring stories of Andy Considine and Nicky Devlin.

With a fully fit squad I feel Dundee have nothing to fear heading into the season's final stage, including a trip to Easter Road against a Hibs team who are unbeaten in 16 games. We are currently unbeaten against Hibs this season and a result in the capital would be a massive morale boost for heading into the split.

A decision on the proposed new 12,500-seater Dundee FC stadium at Camperdown Park will be made on 19 May at the earliest after Dundee City Council's April planning committee meeting was cancelled due to lack of business. (The Courier), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Dundee secured a vital 2-0 win over St Mirren on Saturday in their fight to avoid the drop and have two players in my team of the week.

Mo Sylla is an unsung hero in the heart of the Dundee midfield. Exactly the sort of player you want in a relegation battle.

Simon Murray is a constant livewire up front for the club that he loves. The 33-year-old striker always looks like he can make something happen. Two goals against St Mirren took his season tally to 21 in all competitions.

Age might be against him but given Scotland's seemingly unending search for a striker, he must be in Steve Clarke's thoughts for the end-of-season friendly matches.