The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Deacon a big supporter of McCann’s mantra
Former Arsenal youth star convinced Dark Blues will turn things around – if they can find killer touch
Dundee’s Roarie Deacon insists all the players firmly support manager Neil McCann’s mantra that playing out from the back is the way forward for the club.
The Dark Blues travel to face highflying Hibs this afternoon on the back of four defeats in a row.
That run has seen Dundee slip to the foot of the Premiership table on goal difference behind Kilmarnock.
However, while obviously disappointed to be in that position, Deacon is convinced things will turn – but only if McCann’s men can find a killer touch.
The 25-year-old who started his career as a youth at Arsenal said: “One hundred per cent, we need to become more ruthless. We’ve missed chances which you could call clear-cut and easy.
“If those had gone in, we would have been in a completely different position in the league.
“We would be having a different conversation. That’s football for you, fine margins which dictate. It’s going to change soon though.
“We’ll continue playing the way the gaffer wants. We just need to stick together as a team. We’re actually playing well so that’s the hard thing to take. That’s happened in many games.
“We’ve said it on numerous occasions that hopefully our luck will change in terms of putting the ball in the opponent’s net and keeping it out of our net.”
Deacon added: “I’m sure come the Hibs game it’s going to change for us. Confidence is definitely still high.
“The gaffer has got us playing in a way in which we’re comfortable, playing out from the back.
“I think that suits everyone in the team, especially the defensive players we’ve got who are comfortable on the ball. In the last five or six games, we’ve been playing out from the back and it looks good.
“Unfortunately, we’ve not been turning that sort of play into goals. Hopefully that changes.
“We just have to keep playing the way the gaffer wants us to play. I’m sure the goals will come soon.
“We are bottom of the league and obviously that’s not where we want to be.
“Nobody at the club – the fans or anyone – wants us to be at the bottom.”
Dundee’s last two away games, at Celtic and Partick, were matches where good performances could not be translated into points.
However, Deacon insists the players can take heart from the displays when they line up against Hibs.
He said: “Of course, we can take confidence from our last two away performances. In the game at Celtic, we played fantastically well. It was a great team performance. Against Partick Thistle, we played well there too.
“Losing to them in the way we did right at the end was hard to take.
“It’s small mistakes that we’re making which is costing us. If we can just get those mistakes out of our game, our luck will definitely change.”
Deacon joined Dundee in the summer from Sutton United but had previous spells with Crawley Town and Stevenage where he played with current Hibs skipper David Gray.
And the winger is looking forward to locking horns with the full-back this afternoon.
Deacon said: “I played with David at Stevenage for a couple of years. He’s a great guy, a really nice guy. I hope to come up against him at the weekend and show what I can do. He was always working hard when I was with him.
“He made a name for himself with his Scottish Cup winner so good on him.”
Deacon makes no secret of how happy he was to be plucked from non-league football with Sutton to be back playing as a full-time pro with Dundee.
Satellite broadcaster Sky have recently shown a fly-on-the-wall documentary following Leicester City striker Jamie
Vardy, as he searches for the next big star from non-league football.
Deacon did not see the show but he says he is aware of some hidden gems that he could alert manager McCann to.
He said: “I didn’t watch it but one of my good friends, Blair Turgott, was on it. He’s at Stevenage now. He’s a good player.
“A lot of good players have fallen, not out the game, but into lower leagues. Most still want to get themselves back up the leagues.
“That’s what I did myself. Blair’s done it as have a lot of others. I wish anyone who’s trying to do it all the best. Everyone wants to be a professional footballer, at the end of the day.
“The manager hasn’t asked me about non-league players but there are a few down south who are very good players.
“If the gaffer wants to ask me about any, I can recommend some. It’s a very competitive league. It was a hard league last year. I’m at Dundee now and we need to pick up points in this league and finish as high as possible.”
Hibs, meanwhile, are seeking to continue their blistering form against the Dark Blues, who have suffered four successive defeats, piling the pressure on boss McCann.
Hibees boss Neil Lennon admitted he was a fan of the Dundee manager’s footballing philosophy and added: “I hope Neil turns it around. What he needs to do is get a win – hopefully not today – and build from there. Psychologically that would give them a big lift.
“But it’s a tough league. I have certainly found that since coming back, there are no easy games, no gimmes. What he needs to do is find the right balance of playing football and keeping clean sheets as well.”
Anthony Stokes returns for the Hibees after recovering from an ankle knock, while Steven Whittaker will be assessed after missing the Kilmarnock win due to concerns over the pitch. Former St Johnstone midfielder Danny Swanson will be missing.