Dundee

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Has the international break come at the wrong time for Dundee?

Probably not, because manager Tony Docherty has plenty to ponder over the enforced hiatus.

His team are heading into it off the back of a run of six games without a win – and while we always hear that teams are desperate to get straight back into action, perhaps it is a time for taking stock.

Dundee have been haemorrhaging goals – they have shipped 14 in those half dozen matches. That, allied to a propensity to drop points this season after being in a winning position, is a worrying combination.

Last weekend's visit of Kilmarnock summed it all up as the Dark Blues conceded three in the final 10 minutes to lose a game they were firmly in control of.

After that encounter Docherty said Dundee are "showing a level of performance that should be picking up points but the reality is we are not".

Trying to find a way of solving that conundrum will be at the forefront of his thoughts during the domestic sabbatical.

Ethan Hampton
Fan writer

If you have a form problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, then maybe you can play the Dee-team!

Kilmarnock were winless in the league prior to their visit to Dens Park. We must be the best team in the world to play against when other sides are on dreadful runs of form.

Supporting Dundee often has me witnessing the spectacle of a team snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. This is another one of those times.

A worrying trend in Tony Docherty's era has been our inability to hold a lead. We lost the most points from winning positions last season - 28 in total. Twelve of those came from early leads at Ibrox and three games against Kilmarnock, where we twice ended up scoring last-minute equalisers.

Unfortunately, the main talking point of last Saturday's match comes with referee Grant Irvine in the spotlight.

The Dens Park faithful, along with pundits, were shocked when Mo Sylla was sent off for a challenge on Matty Kennedy that arguably shouldn't even have been called a foul.

Irvine also officiated our defeat to Ross County, which led to referees' chief Willie Collum personally calling Docherty to apologise for the failure to award Dundee a "stonewall" penalty. I don't want to portray him as a moustache-twirling villain, but these poor calls of judgment are costing us points.

With 11 men, we could have won the game. I can't excuse the fact we conceded three goals in the final seven minutes, but I was expecting us to eventually suffer from tired legs. Even then, Dundee should have managed the game's conclusion much better.

Aside from his goal, I felt this was Ziyad Larkeche's best game for the club so far. He and fellow Frenchman Billy Koumetio were immense for 85 minutes, but unfortunately, something had to give.

Oluwaseun Adewumi's goal for us was a moment of magic. He was falling down as he took the strike, with a defender goal side the entire time, and still executed a finish of the highest calibre. It deserved to count for something.

Overall, I'm left seething about the result. Red flags are present, but the performance did offer some encouragement. I've seen how teams play when they're truly in trouble, and we're not there yet.

The international break comes at a good time for the team to regroup and reset. This league is so tight that it only takes one or two positive results to shoot back up the table.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Dundee may have thrown away a two-goal lead in their defeat by Kilmarnock, but Lyall Cameron did enough to make my Team of the Week.

The midfielder's mistake at the end cost his side but it shouldn’t overshadow his overall importance to 10-man Dundee up until that point.

It was a tough moment for a player on an otherwise upward trajectory. The similarities potential-wise with Luke McCowan are obvious.

Watch highlights as Kilmarnock win 3-2 against Dundee in the Scottish Premiership.

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Tony Docherty reckons his side should have won the ‘maximum points’ available in their previous three home games, having only won one top-flight point at in that time at Dens Park.

After their late capitulation to Kilmarnock, where they shipped three goals in the final 10 minutes, Docherty reckons their effort are not being rewarded.

He said: “We are absolutely devastated.

“I genuinely feel in the last three home games we should have taken maximum points.

“We are showing a level of performance that should be picking up points but the reality is we are not.

“I need to take responsibility, the players need to take responsibility.

“We need to show more maturity to see games out.

“We concede in the 86th minute and it’s a mistake. They score 88th minute because we allow a cross in and don’t defend the back post.

“Then the winning goal there is a huge mistake in that as well. I’m hugely frustrated.”

We asked for your views on Dundee's 3-2 defeat against Kilmarnock.

Here's what some of you said:

Darren: Need to drop Jon McCracken. He has been at fault a few times this season. Trevor Carson needs to be brought in to steady the defence. We have a young defence so between Carson and Finlay Robertson that should hopefully help.

Gavin: Another week of conceding two or more goals and throwing away a good lead. Can't blame a red card for conceding three goals in the last five minutes. That's poor game management. I think this might be a long season for Dundee fans unless we sort this out very quickly!

Brian: Manager is correct on the referee who was absolutely abysmal again, he is costing our club points and really is not good enough. As for the game, we were comfortable until yet again the goalkeeper makes his usual error or two, shocking he is in the Scotland squad, as for Lyall Cameron he appears to be out of sorts this season.

Steven: Substitutions were baffling to me. For a start, we're 2-0 up, guaranteed every other manager in the league puts Josh Mulligan on for an attacker and tells him to sit. Who takes off a defender at 2-2 with backs to the wall in that situation? Sad to say but Tony Docherty's coat is on a shaky hook right now.

Flynn: We really need to fix this defence, every game this season in the league we have conceded two or more goals. It is still early on in the season but we really need to start picking up some points. If we don't, we could be in for a relegation battle this season if we continue struggling in defence.

Ricky: This is happening too often, we look as though we are going to get a positive result and bang, we shoot ourselves in the foot all the time. Docherty needs to do something with this defence, it's the same old story gifting goals to the opposition, it's going to cost our position in the league at this rate!

Craig: Dundee failed to manage the game. Keeper made a mistake on the first goal and momentum shook our young team. Ultimately the referee made an unforgivable wrong decision sending off our key player Mo Sylla when he was obviously fouled by the Killie player - regardless of whether he hurt himself in the process. Shocking refereeing. Worst I've seen.

Gary: Yet again defensive errors and managerial inaction cost us. Dundee were doing fine, albeit clinging on before Killie's first, defending on their 18-yard line. Derek McInnes made his substitutions and grabbed the momentum to change the game, meanwhile Docherty once again misses what's obvious so the opposition dictate rather than doing anything to counter it.

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• Tony Docherty's side have lost five points from winning positions in the league this season, only Dundee United (six) and St Mirren (seven) have lost more.

• Kilmarnock have won after trailing at half-time away from home in the Premiership for the first time since 20 October 2018 against St Mirren (38 games without a win after trailing at half-time).

• Killie have won after conceding the opening goal in the league for the first time since 16 March 2024 against St Mirren (eight games without a win).

• Derek McInnes' side have won six points from losing positions in the top flight this season, more than any other team.

• Kilmarnock have defeated Dundee for the first time in the Premiership since 15 December 2018, a run of five games without a win.

Matty Kennedy's 94th-minute strike completed Kilmarnock's incredible turnaround at Dens Park after they trailed 10-man Dundee by two goals with 10 minutes to go.

The late goal also gave Kilmarnock their first win of the season after a run of seven games without a victory.

What did you make of that, Dundee fans? Should Mo Sylla have been sent off?

Should you have taken all three points of that game? What went wrong?

Let us know your thoughts here., external

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Dundee boss Tony Docherty told BBC Scotland: "It's the second time we've had this referee [Grant Irvine] making a mistake that changes the course of the game.

"We were so comfortable, justified in our 1-0 lead, and if anything Kilmarnock only gave us issues from free-kicks we gave away.

"Mo Sylla makes a challenge, he doesn't even know Matty Kennedy is behind him, he raises his arms - as you do to win a ball. The referee's line of vision is impaired, I don't think he sees it, but reacts to the player on the floor. It's never a sending off, it's never a booking.

"I think they should [look at the rule that doesn't allow VAR to intervene on second yellow cards]. It has such a significant impact on the game. We were comfortable at 11 v 11. We shouldn't lose the game.

"The referee was so quick. He's made the wrong decision there. I need to be careful what I say, but it impacts the game and I'm really disappointed.

"It was the perfect counter-attacking performance. We scored in the 81st minute and I'm thinking, just see the game out. We need to be strong. Really disappointed with that and it's something we'll look at internally."

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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Dundee lost more points from winning positions last season than any other side in the Premiership. 25, if you were wondering. Had they held on to them, they would have been finished fourth by a distance.

That frailty has come back to bite them again.

Yes, they were perhaps harshly done by when Sylla was sent off, but for most of the second half they weathered that storm and had a few chances to score earlier than they did.

Lyall Cameron had a terrific day, until the 94th minute when his terrible clearance allowed Kilmarnock one last chance. Those tired mistakes are continuing to cost them this season.

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Lyall Cameron. Yes, the midfielder made a mistake right at the end of the game, but he was the bright spark throughout for Dundee and set up the first goal brilliantly.

There was doubts about how Dundee would respond to the loss of Luke McCowan but it has allowed 21-year-old Cameron to step up and be the main man in midfield.

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Dundee: McCracken, Portales, Koumetio, C Robertson, Ingram, Sylla, Cameron, Larkeche, Tiffoney, Main, Murray.

Substitutes: Carson, Astley, Mulligan, Adewumi, F Robertson, Braybrooke, Palmer-Houlden, Fraser, Vetro.

Kilmarnock: McCrorie, Mayo, Deas, Ndaba, Armstrong, Watson, Lyons, Donnelly, Kennedy, Vassell, Watkins.

Substitutes: O'Hara, Burroughs, McKenzie, Mackay-Steven, Murray, Cameron, Anderson, Wales, Bainbridge.

In: Billy Koumetio, defender (Liverpool); Simon Murray, forward (Ross County, undisclosed); Clark Robertson, defender (Ashdod); Ethan Ingram, defender (West Bromwich Albion); Scott Fraser, midfielder (Charlton Athletic); Jon McCracken, goalkeeper (Norwich City, loan to permanent).

Loan in: Sammy Braybrooke, midfielder (Leicester City); Oluwaseun Adewumi, midfielder (Burnley); Julien Vetro, midfielder (Burnley); Ziyad Larkeche, defender (Queens Park Rangers); Seb Palmer-Houlden, forward (Bristol City).

Out: Luke McCowan, midfielder (Celtic, undisclosed); Sebastian Lochhead, defender (Wolverhampton Wanderers, undisclosed); Diego Pineda, forward (Venados); Max Anderson, midfielder (Crawley Town, undisclosed); Cammy Kerr, defender (Queen's Park); Zak Rudden, forward (Queen's Park); Lee Ashcroft, defender (Partick Thistle); Shaun Byrne, midfielder (Raith Rovers, loan to permanent); Tyler French, defender (Sutton United); Jack Wilkie, defender (Arbroath).

Loan ended: Owen Beck, defender (Liverpool); Charlie Reilly, forward (Inverness Caledonian Thistle); Malachi Boateng, midfielder (Crystal Palace); Aaron Donnelly, defender (Nottingham Forest); Owen Dodgson, defender (Burnley); Michael Mellon, forward (Burnley); Dara Costelloe, midfielder (Burnley); Ryan Howley, midfielder (Coventry City); Zach Robinson, forward (Wimbledon); Amadou Bakayoko, forward (Forest Green Rovers).

Loan out: Luke Graham, defender (Falkirk); Jamie Richardson, forward (Arbroath); Finlay Allan, forward (Forfar Athletic); Rayan Mohammed, forward (Forfar Athletic); Ruaridh Lynch, goalkeeper (Cowdenbeath); Finlay Corrigan, midfielder (Broomhill); Ross Clark, midfielder (Formartine United); Marley Sweenie-Rowe, defender (Fraserburgh).

Read the Scottish Premiership ins & outs in full here.

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Dundee midfielder Mo Sylla has trained this week and could be in the squad despite collapsing after suffering an anaphylactic shock at half-time in last weekend’s defeat by Aberdeen.

Experienced defenders Jordan McGhee (calf) and Joe Shaughnessy (knee) remain sidelined while Charlie Reilly has joined Inverness on loan.

Kilmarnock's Joe Wright serves the second of a three-match suspension and fellow centre-back Stuart Findlay and midfielder Liam Polworth are struggling with calf knocks. Kyle Magennis is still working his way back from a long-term absence.

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Clark Robertson is feeling "strong" and desperate for more action after coming through his belated Dundee debut unscathed.

Having picked up a hamstring injury in July, the 31-year-old finally defender made his first appearance for Tony Docherty's side in last weekend's home defeat to former club Aberdeen.

Robertson played the full 90 minutes and earned the praise of manager Docherty, leaving him full of enthusiasm for Saturday's visit from Kilmarnock.

"I'm buzzing to be back," he said. "It was frustrating to pick up an injury in pre-season and I obviously had a long road back with the physios.

"I had two weeks training and I played in a reserve game before the Aberdeen game and I felt I was ready to play. The manager put me in and I felt good.

"I was just glad to get through the game with no problems, that gives me confidence. I feel strong.

"It was a bittersweet day for me. The result wasn't great but I was just buzzing to get back after 12 weeks out to come back and put in a decent performance, albeit without winning the game."

Both sides go into Saturday's match struggling for results and in the bottom six of the Premiership, with Dundee having won none of their last five and Killie without a victory in seven.

Docherty believes both teams - who finished in the top six last term - are playing better than their results suggest and expects a compelling encounter at Dens Park.

"We had a really strong performance last week that merited us picking up points, but we never," he said. "That was the only negative. I'm expecting a really tough game from Kilmarnock.

"If I'm a fan I would choose to go to this game because I know from previous meetings the level of entertainment and competitiveness we'll get between two good technical teams with good playing styles."

Former Hearts, Dundee United and St Johnstone defender Ryan McGowan says non-Old Firm fans will have enjoyed Celtic and Rangers being given a "taste of their own medicine" by "taking a pasting" in Europe against teams with a bigger budget.

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• Each of the last five Scottish Premiership games between Dundee and Kilmarnock have been drawn, with four finishing 2-2 (the other 1-1 most recently).

• Kilmarnock have only lost one of their last 17 Scottish Premiership meetings with Dundee (W5 D11) and are unbeaten in their last 10 (W3 D7) since a 1-0 defeat in May 2017.

• Dundee have won just one of their last 14 league games (D6 L7), a 3-1 victory over Hearts in August, since which the Dark Blues have conceded exactly twice in four successive league matches (D2 L2).

• Kilmarnock have drawn their last three league games, each by a different scoreline: 1-1 v Hibernian, 2-2 v St Mirren, and 3-3 v Dundee United. Not since March 2000 have Killie drawn four successive top-flight matches, a run which included a 2-2 stalemate with Dundee.

• Marley Watkins has scored in is last two appearances in the Scottish Premiership; only twice previously has he netted in three in a row in the competition, doing so in October 2014 for Inverness Caledonian Thistle and in March last season for current side Kilmarnock.

Dundee midfielder Mo Sylla, 30, is back in training after suffering what was believed to have been an anaphylactic shock at half-time during Saturday's home defeat by Aberdeen. (Courier - subscription), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

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Tony Docherty is not being fooled by Kilmarnock's slow start to the season and expects "a tough opponent" on Saturday at Dens Park.

Killie, led by Docherty's old pal Derek McInnes, have yet to pick up a win in the Scottish Premiership this season, despite leading Dundee United 3-1 after 78 minutes last weekend.

"We know it's going to be a really tough game. I watched the game [against Dundee United] and for large parts of the game, it was such strong Kilmarnock performance so they'll be buoyed by that," Docherty said.

"They're a good side, they finished in a European spot last season on merit because of what they did.

"They've maybe suffered a bit from that, but they've got a brilliant manager there and a really strong coaching team behind him.

"It was a strong performance and I expect a tough opponent coming up here. I know a lot of the players and I know both teams will be going hard at it to get the three points before the international break."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

After Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Aberdeen, Dundee manager Tony Docherty said, "if I keep getting that level of performance consistently, we'll be okay".

Once again, he watched as his side put a lot into a game, but got nothing out of it.

While he may be happy with the performance level, that is now four league matches without a win for the Dark Blues.

Yes, they restricted an on-form Aberdeen side to just two shots on target – but both of those efforts resulted in goals for the visitors.

Yes, it is still early in the season, but as the weeks tick by, the leaking of goals will become a real concern for Docherty.

His side have conceded two in each fixture within that last quartet of Premiership games – and however good everything else may be, victories will be hard to come by if they can’t find a way of tightening things up at the back.

On the plus side, it is true to say that Dundee are continuing to offer a lot in their games, and there is definite credence to the view that if they continue to do that, then their fortunes will change.

But it also true that successful sides are usually built on solid defensive foundations.

The return from injury of defender Clark Robertson is an undoubted positive for Dundee, and it would come as no surprise if that coincides with a firming up of the Dens Park rearguard over the coming weeks.