The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
McCann showing mettle
The rise and rise of Dundee, Dundee United’s man-of-the-moment Scott Fraser, the Broxden services and Sofien Moussa scoring in the World Cup all get the Talking Football treatment this week with Ian Roache, Neil Robertson and Eric Nicolson
QWhat a result that was for Dundee! Discuss.
IR: Yes, it was a cracker and two excellent goals into the bargain. Mark O’Hara’s rocket shot would still have been flying now had the net not stopped it. That’s now seven points out of a possible nine for the Dark Blues so it has the look of a genuine revival.
NR: It certainly was. Once O’Hara scored, Dundee looked comfortable and at no time were they under sustained pressure from the Staggies. It was, of course, the Dark Blues’ first league away win of the season and Neil McCann’s men are finally starting to look like a real team rather than a collection of individuals. Crucially, they have also stopped conceding the sort of sloppy goals that were costing them dear even when they had been playing well previously.
EN: Owen Coyle has turned Ross County into a mid-table Premiership side that few think will go down. We’re now starting to talk about Neil McCann’s Dundee in the same terms. TV highlights can distort a game but the number of excellent chances Dundee created was quite startling, and a step up from the Killie and Rangers games. Everybody is looking for that 15-goal No 9 but if Dundee had one they would be top six near-certainties.
QAre you impressed by the character manager Neil McCann and his players have shown to follow a five-match losing streak with a draw and two wins?
IR: There has been real resilience about them. I remember saying that the Kilmarnock game had the appearance of a fork in the road and, thankfully, the Dens men have chosen the right path.
NR: To be fair to the manager and the team, they never lost faith in what they were trying to achieve even when they were not receiving the rewards the team’s play probably deserved. It would have been easy for McCann to go back to basics but he was determined the team would play their way out of trouble and it is beginning to pay off.
EN: I actually think they did kind of go back to basics. The Killie game, as dull as it was, turned things round and the formation McCann deployed that day was as narrow as I’ve seen since he took over. The wide players wouldn’t have had much chalk on their boots, that’s for sure. But it was exactly the right thing to do. This revival has been built on common sense and McCann has shown a side to his management that his critics thought he was lacking.
QWhisper it up Perth way but the Dark Blues are now only three points behind St Johnstone. How did that happen?
IR: Yes, that one sneaked up on us. Indeed, the Dark Blues will be level on points with Saints by the end of Friday night if they beat a vulnerable-looking Aberdeen team at home. You wouldn’t exactly rule that out on current form.
NR: One win out of eight for Saints recently and overall, only one victory more than the Dark Blues so far in this Premiership campaign. However, having beaten Hibs at Easter Road two weeks ago, I was surprised that they then lost at home to Killie on Saturday.
EN: There’s room for both of them in mid-table, I think you’ll find. I expect Dundee to beat Aberdeen on Friday, looking at the Dark Blues’ improvement and the problems that the Dons now have with this ridiculously long Derek McInnes to Rangers saga. Saints need to get a couple of good results before the January window opens to keep them ticking over and then I wouldn’t be surprised if three or four signings are made.
QTalking about Saints, what are we saying about Trafficgate?
IR: First of all, football pales into insignificance when it comes to a bad accident like the one on the A9 on Saturday. As reporters regularly driving up and down the country, sadly we see too many of them. It was just unfortunate and Saints need to put it behind them.
NR: I was at the Broxden services at 10.45am on Saturday to pick up a colleague before driving to Dingwall for the Dundee game. As I sat waiting, the Kilmarnock players and management started arriving at the car park before heading in for what I assume was their pre-match meal at a restaurant. Saints could easily ensure there is no repeat of the late-arrival drama for home games if they did something similar with their players at McDiarmid.
EN: I was quite surprised to hear that most Premiership clubs, Rangers and Celtic apart, don’t meet up for a prematch meal before home games. I’m with Neil on this one. It will cost a few quid more but Saints can afford it.
QIt was all gloom and doom after Brechin for Dundee United but that was a terrific win over Dunfermline, was it not?
IR: After the Pars match, I was considering what might have been had United won up at Glebe Park. Manager Csaba Laszlo would be boasting three straight league victories since his arrival and the team would be on a five-match winning streak in the Championship. Still, that was an important result given St Mirren’s shock loss to Dumbarton and it’s very nice indeed to see them back at the top of the table.
NR: The United players would have been under a lot of pressure after what they considered two dropped points at Brechin so they will be delighted to get back to winning ways by beating the Pars. However, another big test awaits on Saturday – a trip to play Morton in Greenock is never an easy proposition.
EN: Dundee United aren’t going to drop many points at home this season. They only lost one game at Tannadice under Ray McKinnon. Doubts do still remain as to their away form and, until they show they can be as ruthless on their travels, they will give St Mirren hope. The result on Saturday has cut Dunfermline adrift and I could see this being a two-horse title race by early in the new year.
QCould Scott Fraser be THE key player for the Tangerines as they push for promotion? IR: It is no secret that Fraser boasts bags of skill and he is a treat to watch when in
McCann has showna side to his management that his critics thought he was lacking
full flow. He could have scored four goals against the Pars instead of the two he did get. I also think it’s worth his critics – and there are some among the support – remembering that he was badly affected by a serious foot injury until relatively recently. Maybe we are just seeing the true Scott now.
NR: Hopefully Fraser is finally realising his undoubted potential. There have been times during games when I can understand why some punters become exasperated with him but on his day, he looks a top player in the making.
EN: Nobody can say he hasn’t been talked up. I can’t remember the exact quote but I’m sure McKinnon spoke of Fraser as one of the best young players in the country. There does seem to have been more consistency to his play of late. Like the team, though, a few more stand-out performances away from home wouldn’t go amiss. Q I take it we were all, ahem, shocked to
see England get such an easy World Cup draw. Do you think even Scotland would qualify from that group?
IR: England did land lucky and the only other team that got a better draw was host nation Russia and let’s not even attempt a joke about a rigged ballot. As far as the Scots are concerned, I would still be spending every day from now until June worrying about losing to world football giants Panama.
NR: Let’s suspend reality for a moment and if Scotland had indeed received a similar draw, they would lose to Belgium thanks to a last-minute own goal. Hope would spring eternal with a draw against Panama with Scotland “only” needing to beat Tunisia to qualify for the next stage. However, after taking the lead, the Scots are sent homeward to think again when Dundee’s Tunisian striker Sofien Moussa comes off the bench to score a quick-fire double…
EN: The mulled wine has been opened early in the Robertson house, I see!