SOLD SHORT
Dark Blues’ American owners are not getting what they expected for their investment
JUST eight points clear of bottom while trailing leaders Hearts by 18 points and winless in their last three league outings, at times like this, you wonder if Dundee’s American owners are happy with the bang they are getting for their bucks.
With Charlie Adam, Osman Sow and now Jason Cummings among his expensively assembled squad, manager James McPake has been heavily backed this season by owner Tim Keyes.
The Texan, and indeed the Dundee support, can be forgiven for expecting a bit more than to be trailing in fifth place, a massive 18 points behind leaders Hearts and just three points clear of the relegation play-off spot.
McPake’s men have now won five out of the 14 Championship games they have played this season and only had 11 victories to their name before the last campaign was brought to an early conclusion after 27 matches.
Indeed, with Dundee meeting second-bottom Ayr United tomorrow night at Dens, you could argue they are involved in the relegation battle just as much as the play-off race.
It is a poor return on Keyes’ investment, with Dundee fans also fast losing patience with their young boss as he tries to find his feet in his first managerial role.
And Adam admitted there is no hiding from the importance of the Ayr game following the 3-2 defeat to Queens.
‘We should be doing better as a group,’ he said. ‘We’ve got to find a solution to getting out of back-toback defeats.
‘The league has to start on Tuesday. We can’t just keep going thinking we’ve got enough games because we don’t, they’ll run out.
‘We have to start winning games and that has to begin against an Ayr United side who beat us comfortably earlier in the season.
‘We’ll look to try and win the match and get some kind of platform going to give us a run for the rest of the season.’
Queens raced into the lead at Dens after being awarded a penalty with just 31 seconds on the clock, with Ayo Obileye slotting away the spot-kick.
The Doonhamers extended their advantage in the 37th minute thanks to a Rhys Breen header that hit the post before rebounding off Dundee keeper Jack Hamilton’s leg and into the back of the net.
Cummings pulled a goal back for Dundee shortly after the restart with a fine dinked finish, his first goal since signing last month.
However, Willie Gibson scored a cracker in the 78th minute, starting the move deep in his own half, then picking up the ball again to drive unchecked towards the Dundee goal before unleashing an unstoppable 25-yard shot that flew high into the net.
Jordan Marshall then scored with a header to make it 3-2, but it was too little, too late for the home side.
Veteran Gibson admitted he is reaping the rewards after pushing himself to the limit during the first lockdown and losing nearly two stones in the process.
At the ripe old age of 36, he was convinced if he could turn back the clock and hit peak fitness again, there was still no doubting his footballing ability. Gibson certainly proved that on Saturday, but he was happier that the Doonhamers had secured another three points and moved up to fourth in the Championship table. ‘Yes, I am getting old and I’m 37 in August,’ said the former Kilmarnock and Dunfermline player. ‘The first lockdown, I lost 11 kilos. I was 83 kilos and I came back for pre-season just over 71. ‘I had said to myself that I would use lockdown as I believed that even at the age I am I still had the ability, but I didn’t have the fitness. So that was down to me. I was just running, doing 5ks, 10ks along with drinking protein shakes and eating the right way as well.
‘I have four kids and sometimes life gets in the way and you can’t do certain things.
‘But with lockdown I had that time and I put it to good use.
‘I am getting the benefits from that now. The hard work has been done and it is just about maintaining that now.
‘At the end of the season, I will have a couple of weeks off and then go again.
‘I am delighted more with the points than my goal.
‘If we are lucky enough to be looking at the play-offs at the top end of the table, that’s a lot more than what people gave us at the start of the season.’