Different team, different result for Dark Blues?

A LMOST four months into his reign as Dundee manager, Jim McIntyre won’t look back on his first match in charge with too much fondness.

However, he might just do so with a great deal more satisfaction with how his squad has shaped up in the time since.

Despite only picking up two wins and six draws in the 16 matches under McIntyre, there’s a growing sense of optimism at Dens Park after some encouraging displays since the January transfer window.

The opposite can be said of Saturday’s opponents Livingston, the side the Dark Blues faced in Jim’s debut in the dugout.

After a lightning-fast start to their return to the Premiership – which peaked with that 4-0 thumping of Dundee back in October – Livi’s form has slipped off a cliff with last Wednesday’s 0-0 draw at Hearts bringing a five-game losing streak to an end.

Since leaving Dundee gaffer Jim in no doubt how big a job he had on his hands with that 4-0 success at the Tony Macaroni Arena, Gary Holt’s side have only picked up three victories and none since the middle of December.

That’s seen them slip from a high of second spot with 18 points from their first eight games down to ninth with just 13 picked up from the following 17 matches.

And, though the gap between the sides hasn’t shrunk in those four months, the feeling around both clubs right now couldn’t be more different.

A massive part of that from Dundee’s point of view is the complete overhaul of the playing squad in the winter transfer window.

In fact, there’s a fair chance there won’t be any of the players who featured in the 4-0 defeat the last time the Dark Blues travelled to West Lothian this time around.

Only three of the 13 used by Jim that day remain at the club – Elliott Parish, Cammy Kerr and Kenny Miller.

Of those, only Miller looks like he could be given a start this time around but even he has a fair bit of competition to overcome with Andrew Nelson on the goal trail and Craig Curran preferred by the manager to lead the line in every

Alan Lithgow wheels away in celebration as Livi thrash Dundee.