START AGAIN & RIP IT UP
ARCHIE: Only one way to treat a bottom-six relegation dogfight ...
DUNDEE have to wipe the slate clean and treat the bottom-six split as a mini league if they are to pull off the great escape.
That is the view of former Partick Thistle manager Alan Archibald who has tasted both the relief of securing safety and the despair of relegation in recent seasons.
Jim McIntyre’s side are three points behind St Mirren and seven points adrift of third-bottom Hamilton.
Archibald said: “When it comes to the split you have to try to make it a clean break, especially the likes of Dundee who are on a horrible run.
“They need to wipe things clean and view it is a fresh, new mini league. It is the only way to do it.
“You need to tell your players that it comes down to these five games and you need to pick up as many points as you can so you can drag as many teams round about you into things.
“Getting the break before the split gives you the chance to put some of the negative things to the side and out of the heads of the players, especially if you haven’t been on a great run.
“There is no point on dwelling on the past because it is only the future that can influence things. You need to remain positive for your players.
“Your whole club has to be positive and have the belief they can get results.
“Dundee have to go in feeling they have nothing to lose.”
The fight for survival gets down to the nitty gritty this weekend and Archibald is well aware the opening fixtures of the Premiership split could have a major bearing on trying to dodge the drop.
Dundee travel to St Johnstone, Hamilton have a Lanarkshire derby against Motherwell and St Mirren head to Livingston.
Archibald said: “I worry a bit for Dundee because of their fixtures.
“They are in the biggest predicament but they need to try to remain positive and if they don’t put some early wins on the board then it could be a real struggle for them.
“If Dundee can win that first game and make up ground on St Mirren and Hamilton then it will start to put doubts in their minds.
“Accies have a derby and if they were to lose then it would give the other teams the opportunity to pull them back into it a bit, although on the other side if they can increase the gap then they will be within touching distance of safety.
“If any of the three teams could pick up those three points then it would be huge because it is so tight and pressured at the bottom.
“St Mirren will feel they have the momentum and if they can keep that going then they will probably be okay.”
It is all about survival at this stage in the season and it is the time when performances and entertainment go out the window and the only concern are points.
Leaders and real characters need to come to the fore and Archibald believes all three teams have their go-to men.
The former Thistle manager said: “If St Mirren can keep Kyle McAllister and Simeon Jackson in the team that would give them a real good chance.
“They have a structure and shape of how they play and with the three at the back they are quite hard to break down.
“Dundee have Kenny Miller and Andrew Nelson.
“As a team they haven’t netted enough goals but if you get supply to them they will score, although they don’t look as solid at the back, after losing Andrew Davies which has been a big blow for them.
“Brian Rice has totally changed Hamilton. They have got a couple of big results like the old Accies teams used to do.
“They also have characters like Darian Mackinnon and Dougie Imrie who have been through it before.”
Archibald, who suffered relegation last season in the play-off against Livingston, knows what is riding on these last five matches.
And although he’s desperate to get back into the dugout, he doesn’t envy the jobs McIntyre, Rice and Oran Kearney face over the weeks.
He said: “It is massive. I don’t miss that pressure and it is amazing how things can change.
“It all comes down to the pressure and that is why this weekend could be vital. As a boss it can be horrible but for the neutral it is top entertainment.”
You need to tell your players that it comes down to these five games and you must pick up as many points as you can ARCHIBALD