WE’RE DUE A TURN
McMullan’s confident Dundee will end drought soon
PAUL McMULLAN saw Dundee pay the penalty for more missed chances but is confident they will soon fire their campaign into life.
The Dark Blues haven’t scored in the last five games and that lack of firepower has seen them drop to the foot of the table.
Dundee boss James McPake admits he sounds like a broken record after every game, with his team creating chances but failing to put them away.
That was the case again on Saturday as they gave Rangers a run for their money only for Jason Cummings to see his spot-kick saved by keeper Jon McLaughlin.
McMullan said: “I thought we had enough chances to probably get something.
“We gave everything and on another day one of them would have gone in. Hopefully, in the coming weeks things will turn and turn our form around.
“In all three games last week we had chances to score goals.
“I have missed some as well. It is not just one person who is missing.
“We can’t seem to find a goal but hopefully, it will pick up and we will get results. “We are not getting down about not scoring. “We are playing football and creating chances. It would be worse if we weren’t.
“We are all confident it will come and hopefully it will come sooner rather than later.”
McMullan insisted nobody at Dens Park pointed the finger of blame at Cummings for his penalty miss.
He said: “Of course he is disappointed he missed the penalty but when he came on he was brilliant.
“He caused them all sorts of problems so nobody is holding a grudge against him for missing the penalty because he has scored so many vital goals for us.
“I am sure if he gets another penalty he will step up and put it away.”
Dundee manager McPake was sent off after the game by referee Bobby Madden for his protests because he believed McLaughlin should have been sent off for taking out McMullan for the penalty award.
The Dundee winger said: “I asked the referee and he said he tried to play the ball.
“I was just concentrating on getting the ball and I couldn’t see what was going on. That’s the decision.
“I am sure the boss had a better view than me.
“I was looking at the goal, thinking I was about to tap it in before I got wiped out.
“It is a strange rule You try and attempt to win the ball but realistically it is costing us a goal but I don’t make the rules.”
McMullan is adamant morale is still high at Dens.
He said: ”I don’t feel it is a negative thing hanging over the dressing room.
“People are not avoiding shooting or taking stupid shots. The goalie left his trailing leg for a penalty then saved it and we had other chances. It is one of those runs, things will change.”
Leigh Griffiths took pelters from the Rangers fans and had a couple of chances before he limped off injured.
He has still to break his duck on his Dundee return.
McMullan said: “He is a top-class striker. You just need to give him the opportunities and I know they will come.”
Griffiths is facing an SFA rap for the flare incident against St Johnstone in midweek and has taken a kicking in recent days on and off the park.
McMullan said: “People are hammering him in the press. It is not right.
“He is a human being. I don’t really want to talk any more about it but you don’t feel right with what is happening on the pitch, that is all I would say.”