Dundee

Dundee fans, we asked for your views on Saturday's 2-1 defeat to St Johnstone.

Here's what some of you said:

Doug: Same old excuses Tony Docherty, getting a bit fed up now maybe it's time to think about your position if this isn't resolved. This has been going on since last season and isn't getting any better. We should be in a top six position but instead we are four points off the bottom, not good enough.

Brian: Disgraceful performance, totally outplayed and outfought, the midfield were brushed off the ball too easily and the two forwards were given little to play with. Trevor Carson made some cracking saves. Man of the match for me goes to big Billy Koumetio, he was outstanding. Docherty, you need to have a long hard look to see if you are up for the job as we appear to be floundering badly.

Jim: We need to stop dropping points from winning positions, lost count of how many times that has happened the past two seasons. We do have a really young squad right enough, we missed some experience against St Johnstone I think.

Danny: We are now in big trouble and it's all down to the manager's continuing inability to make the correct substitutions at the right time. He has received deserved praise for some of our attacking play but his win ratio overall is poor.

Gavin: It seems difficult to see what's changed from last season. From a cohesive team, to one that looks like confidence is as low as it can get. We have to turn the corner quickly or it’s going to be a relegation battle at Dens this season unfortunately!

Andy: An awful performance. The scoreline flattered Dundee who deserved to lose by two or three. Second best all over the park. Tactics were baffling; why spend the second half trying to absorb pressure and hang on to a one goal lead with a defence notorious for their individual errors and lapses of concentration? Surely more sensible to attack and finish the game off?

Doug: An insipid performance by Dundee gained them exactly what they deserved; nothing. They were devoid of attacking flair for the majority of the game and far too many times they decided to play the ball backwards instead of putting the St Johnstone defence under pressure. Lyall Cameron was particularly guilty in this regard. The better team won.

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• Dundee have lost a home game after leading at half time in the Premiership for the first time since 5th October 2024 against Kilmarnock .

• St Johnstone have won after trailing at half time away from home in the Premiership for the first time since 17th December 2022 against Ross County (14 games without a win after trailing at half time).

• Simon Murray has scored three goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), more than any other Dundee player.

• St Johnstone have attempted 20 shots in this game, their highest total in a single match in the Premiership this season.

St Johnstone battled back to earn a Scottish Premiership victory against Dundee after a dramatic finish to Simo Valakari's first game in charge.

What did you make of Dundee's display? And should Nicky Clark's late goal have stood?

Let us know your thoughts here, external.

Dundee manager Tony Docherty: "He [referee Kevin Clancy] explained to us the length of time it took. He said there was a handball involved in the build up. They couldn't make a decision whether it was offside or not by drawing the lines.

"The explanation was there was so many bodies in there they couldn't determine whether Nicky Clark was offside. I don't understand that and why that amount of time wasn't added on at the end of the game. I'm a bit confused.

"It comes down to the 89th minute and not defending a corner properly. Again we've let ourselves down there. We need to address that.

"These times are vital in games and we need someone to take responsibility for that. We didn't do that.

"We did everything like that last week absolutely right because we worked really hard on it, now it's happened again.

"It's a young group and a new group so it's important we're honest and identify the responsibility for it. We'll sort that out and make sure it's right for the next game."

Thomas Duncan
BBC Sport Scotland

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Dundee dug out a big win on the road against Motherwell last time, keeping their first clean sheet of the season.

It felt like an opportunity to build on that against a St Johnstone side they have a good record against, and on their own patch.

But, other than Simon Murray's industriousness creating the goal, they were strangely limp in front of their own fans.

Substitutes Scott Tiffoney and Oluwaseun Adewumi injected some life, but not enough to prevent a painful defeat.

Tony Docherty's side have not won back-to-back league matches since March, and the Dundee boss will be frustrated they can't get going in the way they did in the early part of last season.

They have played well in a lot of games this season without getting a victory, but this was not one of them.

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Dundee midfielder Mo Sylla returns from suspension, while defender Jordan McGhee and midfielder Scott Fraser will be assessed.

And centre-half Joe Shaughnessy is making good progress from a long-term knee injury.

Croat centre-half Bozo Mikulic is still waiting on a work permit to complete his move to St Johnstone after leaving Partizan Tirana.

The visitors will also again be without Cammy MacPherson, Uche Ikpeazu and Sam McClelland.

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Dundee midfielder Mo Sylla returns from suspension while Jordan McGhee and Scott Fraser will be assessed. Joe Shaughnessy is making good progress from a long-term knee injury.

St Johnstone will again be without Cammy MacPherson, Uche Ikpeazu (knee) and Sam McClelland (Achilles), while Croatian centre-half Bozo Mikulic is still waiting on a work permit.

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Ryan Astley wants to kick on after the defender marked his first league start for Dundee with a win and clean sheet.

The 23-year-old signed in January and featured in the League Cup but had only featured once as a late substitute in the Premiership before getting in the team for last weekend's win at Motherwell.

Astley is hoping to keep his place when St Johnstone visit Dens on Saturday.

"It's been difficult," he said. "We have a really good squad, I knew that coming up here, and that I would have to fight to get a chance in the team.

"I feel like I've done that, I've never sulked, just got on with it and worked hard, and hopefully I have taken my chance.

"I just want to kick on, and show to the fans firstly what I can do, what I have come here for, to the gaffer, and just enjoy my football.

"I really enjoyed the weekend, obviously the result helped, but I'm ready to kick on now and show what I can do.

"Obviously I want to play every game, who wouldn't want to? But as a team my main focus is on winning games and keeping clean sheets, and that keeps me in the team."

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Tony Docherty insists his Dundee side "owe" the home supporters a win against St Johnstone on Saturday.

While the Dark Blues ended a six-game winless run by triumphing at Motherwell last weekend, they have lost their last two home outings, including squandering a 2-0 lead in a late collapse against Kilmarnock.

"With that result [at Fir Park] we've given ourselves a platform that hopefully we can go and build on," said manager Docherty.

"It's good to be back at home, I said at Motherwell I wanted to reward the away travelling support because they’ve been fantastic.

"The home support has been fantastic and we owe them for our last two matches. For different reasons we haven't come out on the right side of a win, now we owe them that.

"Any team that are coming to Dens Park, I don't just want them to play the team on the pitch, I want them to play the crowd in the stands as well.

"I want to make Dens Park that place, we did that last year and there's an opportunity on Saturday to make sure we get back to that and reward the home support with the win.

"I'm expecting a tough game but a really good atmosphere, because St Johnstone always come up here with good numbers."

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Tony Docherty has been speaking to the media prior to his Dundee side's game against St Johnstone this weekend.

Here are the key lines from the press conference:

• Docherty says it was a "big" 1-0 win against Motherwell last weekend after the international break gave Dundee the "opportunity to work on things to make the performances better".

• He is pleased they kept a clean sheet after conceding late goals in their previous games and says it shows "willingness of the players to improve and develop".

• On the league being competitive, he says the opposition is "fierce" and the "standards of play have been really high" so far this season.

• Docherty is expecting a tough game against Tayside rivals Saints and says new boss Simo Valakari is "stamping his authority" on the team.

• Dundee's home support has been "fantastic" and he wants Saints to "play the crowd in the stands as well".

Dundee manager Tony Docherty believes the Dens Park side owe their home fans as they target victory over St Johnstone on Saturday. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

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• Dundee have won their last two league meetings with St Johnstone, last winning three in a row against the Perth side in the top flight in April 2002 under Ivano Bonetti.

• St Johnstone are winless in six Scottish Premiership meetings with Dundee (D3 L3), this after winning five in a row against the Dark Blues beforehand.

• After their 1-0 win at Motherwell, Dundee are looking to win back-to-back league games for the first time since March last season – when their second win was over St Johnstone (2-1).

• Having beaten Ross County 3-0 last time out, St Johnstone are looking to earn back-to-back league wins for the first time since November 2022 (run of three). This will be their 72nd league match since they last won consecutively.

• Benjamin Kimpioka has scored four goals in seven league games for St Johnstone this season, surpassing his tally for the club in the whole of last season (three in 17).

Dundee will give experienced pair Scott Fraser and Jordan McGhee every opportunity to prove their fitness for the weekend home test against St Johnstone. (The Courier)

Read the rest of Thursday's gossip.

Ethan Hampton
Fan writer

The winless streak comes to an end and hopefully hit the door on the way out.

Despite a poor run of form coming into the match, Dundee played with a high degree of confidence at Fir Park, reflecting a belief within the squad that their league position does not match their performances.

The star of the show was undoubtedly Billy Koumetio, whose powerful and composed performance at the back set the tone for the win.

The Frenchman was everywhere, displaying smart positioning, crunching challenges and a coolness under pressure that ensured Motherwell rarely threatened.

Whether controlling the ball with his foot, hip, or even shoulder, Koumetio exuded authority and propelled the transition from defence to attack.

As predicted, Clark Robertson was also key in getting us out of our rut. He organised the backline so efficiently, he just walked them through the entire match. That's leadership.

I’m a big fan of the Dundonian trio of Scott Fraser, Finlay Robertson and Lyall Cameron in midfield. They covered every blade of grass and Mo Sylla's absence was barely noticed as a result. I hope to see more of this dynamic going forward.

The scoreline flattered Motherwell, Dundee should have won by more, but all that matters is we have a result to build on. It was a proper professional display - we earned our first clean sheet in the league, first away victory this season and our first win at Fir Park since 2017.

Looking ahead to the fixture against St Johnstone next, we have to be licking our lips at the thought of building some momentum and taking another three points. Under Tony Docherty, we are unbeaten against the Perth side and on each occasion it's been a great game to watch.

Someone recently told me Dundee are the league's entertainers, with goals at either end and an incredible unpredictability.

For the neutral our home defeats to Aberdeen and Kilmarnock were great games to watch and I think this weekend's match will be cut from the same cloth - hopefully with a very different outcome.

BBC Sportscene pundits Neil McCann and Barry Robson reflect on Lyall Cameron's goal in Dundee's 1-0 win against Motherwell.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Lyall Cameron's inclusion in these teams are becoming something of a habit. He has risen to the challenge of making sure Dundee fans aren't forever pining for the loss of Luke McCowan.

Cameron seems to be getting better every week and is very much the creative midfield dynamo that makes the Dark Blues tick. At the centre of everything good about Dundee, and – naturally – scored the decisive goal in the 1-0 victory at Motherwell.

Carl: I think Tony Docherty's comments on the game are exactly right. Technically excellent, players sticking to their allotted tasks and the resilience of the second-half display spoke volumes about the team. The support was great too. A very enjoyable day's work.

Gary: The changes to the line-up were welcomed and a pleasant surprise. Thankfully Docherty gave the team a much-needed shake-up, but they showed up well and got the win and the clean sheet we’d been craving. Hopefully they can keep that going at home next week.

Boab: Absolutely superb result and performance. Wasn’t overly confident when I saw the team sheet, but then what do I know. Well done, Tony Doc.

Brian: Solid performance and deserved win, only concern was going backwards most of second half. Heading the right way.

Jimmy: A win at last, the team played well and did the ugly things to gain the victory. The football doesn’t need to be flashy all the time but the three points are the aim. Well done boys, long may it continue.

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Dundee goalkeeper Trevor Carson put his frustration to one side to play a key role in his team's much-needed win at Motherwell.

The 1-0 victory at Fir Park was the Northern Irishman's first league start of the season.

The 36-year-old was a steady pair of hands, helping secure a first clean sheet of the campaign as Tony Docherty's side earned their first Premiership win since August.

"I thought the lads in front of me were different class," Carson told BBC Scotland.

On having to wait on the sidelines to come back into the team, he added: "It's the life of a goalie, it's not like an outfielder where you might contribute off the bench.

"When you're not playing it's frustrating, I'm not going to lie, but I've supported Jon [McCracken] and supported the team, but I'm delighted to get my chance and thankfully I could keep a clean sheet.

"You put a mask on on the Saturday and go in all smiles to be a cheerleader. But it’s horrible, especially as I'm an experienced player, and I'm used to playing games on a Saturday.

"It takes a big part of your life away. But I've had to be supportive of Jon and likewise Jon couldn't have been any better with me. I'm thankful for that."

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• Dundee have beaten Motherwell for the first time in the Premiership since 27 November 2021, a run of four games without a win.

• Motherwell attempted 371 passes in this game, their highest total in a single match in the Premiership this season.

• Dundee attempted 15 shots in this game, their highest total in a single match in the Premiership this season.

• Liam Gordon attempted 59 passes in this game, the highest total for a Motherwell player in the Premiership this season.

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Dundee manager Tony Docherty: "I'm just really delighted for the players that they got their rewards. We did a hell of a lot of work as a group particularly on keeping clean sheets and we got our rewards for that.

"I thought we won the game in the first half. It's a fantastic goal, but technically I thought our play was excellent.

"In the second half we showed the other side and dug in. To win a match like that I thought we displayed everything as a team.

"In the international break we identified that, it was obvious we hadn't kept a clean sheet. We worked and worked on the training field and analysis room.

"We made sure going into that situation again we would be strong and we stood up. The players have been criticised, and myself, for maybe capitulating [against Kilmarnock].

"But we made sure we would come back strong. There was a lot of good play as well. It was the complete performance away from home against really good side."

Dundee earned a first Scottish Premiership win in six matches as a polished performance defeated in-form Motherwell at Fir Park.

The decisive, and only, goal came in the first half when Lyall Cameron slid the ball into the bottom corner after Simon Murray's header was blocked by Ewan Wilson.

Were you at Fir Park or following the match from home?

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