Same aim, different route for city clubs

BOTH city clubs are desperate to give their squads a real shake up this summer after disappointing ends to each of their campaigns.

The aims of both are very similar — get in a group of players good enough to push them on to the next level.

For Dundee, it’s getting back into the top six.

For United, getting out of the Championship.

Despite having the same aims, however, the two sides find themselves in completely contrasting situations before they start — and both managers have a busy, busy time ahead of them over the next few weeks.

The Dark Blues basically have a full squad under contract — only three are free to leave at the end of the month — while the Tangerines barely have any players left after half the starting line-up from the play-off final second leg, plus a couple of others, have departed Tannadice.

For Dens gaffer Neil McCann it means finding a way of moving some of his contracted players on to free up budget so he can bring in his own targets.

On the other side of Tannadice Street, Ray McKinnon has the opposite problem — big gaping holes across his playing squad.

Sean Dillon, Paul Dixon, Charlie Telfer, Simon Murray, Tony Andreu, Thomas Mikkelsen, Alex Nicholls and Luis Zwick have all gone.

Blair Spittal will probably follow and Willo Flood is still to sign a new deal.

I’m not sure which situation I’d rather be in, to be honest.

The United gaffer has more freedom to do what he wants with his team but he’ll have a much smaller budget than his opposite number at Dens.

And identifying players who can get you out of the second tier but without Premiership wages is by no means an easy task — Hibs did it last season by paying big bucks to players like Efe Ambrose and Kris Commons.

Bigger budget at Dens it may be but players are going to have to leave to make space for the new boys Neil is after. And moving on players that underperformed last season is easier said than done.

Whatever happens, the next few weeks are huge for the futures of both clubs — they have to get the signings right.

The teams running out at both Dens Park and Tannadice promise to be much-changed from last season.