Dee not up to scratch

PLAYERRATINGS Dark Blues made to pay for dropped standards

DUNDEE’S recent run of good performances and results came to an end in the 2-0 defeat to Killie on Saturday at Rugby Park.

The Dark Blues never really got going in the game and weren’t close to the standards they have set in their recent wins against Hamilton, Motherwell and Inverness.

There will always be games like these where the players, who have given their all in the aforementioned victories, don’t quite perform as the manager expects.

The test will be whether the Dens Park men can show it was just a blip rather than a problem in this week’s game against Ross County at home.

Saturday’s league encounter wasn’t for the purist, with a lot of misplaced passes and mistimed tackles resulting in a stop-start match.

A rather rash tackle from Cammy Kerr earned him a booking in the 10th minute and put the young wing-back under pressure for the rest of the game.

He didn’t do badly after it but, with a yellow card hanging over his head, he wasn’t able to get tight enough to his man who then was given a certain amount of freedom which caused problems.

Killie’s first goal was a bit fortuitous with a blocked shot ricocheting to McKenzie, and his effort went in off the inside of the post.

The second, late in the game, came from a cross which wasn’t dealt with by Kevin Holt, who had defended the back post excellently up until then.

Although the Dee probably didn’t deserve anything from the game, they still had chances.

Marcus Haber will be particularly disappointed he didn’t test the keeper from close range with a header and Tom Hateley should have done better from a Haber knock down.

Danny Williams, who came on for an ill James Vincent, will also be wondering how he didn’t score, with Kilmarnock keeper Jamie McDonald twice denying him with excellent saves.

The second one, a header from pointblank range, summed up Dundee’s afternoon when nothing really went right.

Killie looked up for the fight and did to Dundee what the Dark Blues have done to other teams in recent weeks by pressing them all over the park.

The Dee struggled to cope with it and, on another day, may have lost a couple of other goals but for Scott Bain producing some great saves.

In effect, it is one game in five where the Dark Blues have under performed and, if you had asked the fans if they would take nine points from 15 in those games, I’m sure they would have accepted it given the poor run they were on beforehand.

The players will know they l et themselves down on Saturday but they also know how well they have done in recent weeks.

It is down to them to rekindle the character that brought those results and I’ll be very surprised if they don’t, given their disappointment at this loss.

The Dark Blues have turned their home form around, winning the last two games in front of their own fans, and a better performance will be expected when Ross County travel to Dens on Saturday.

The players have the chance to prove this game was just a blip and get back to winning ways against the Staggies.

They enjoyed success i n the Highlands at the start of the season but County will provide another stern test for Paul Hartley’s men.