The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Team selection is just part of the uncertainty at Dens
With Dundee having lost six games in a row, Dens boss Neil McCann will be under no illusions about the importance of tomorrow’s crunch clash with Hibs, both to the club and his own future.
The Dark Blues lost again last Saturday, going down 4-0 at Ibrox with a bad day being made worse when veteran striker Kenny Miller was shown a straight red card late on and he is now suspended for the next two matches.
Dundee remain pointless at the foot of the Premiership table and will face a Hibs team boosted by their 3-2 victory over Kilmarnock at the weekend.
One thing is certain about the game against Neil Lennon’s side – the uncertainty over McCann’s team selection.
The manager has chopped and changed continually this season as he has tried without success to find a winning blend.
For instance, in the last three league games he has made four changes to his starting XI at St Johnstone, another four for the visit of Motherwell to Dens and then five more at Ibrox.
Admittedly, McCann had little choice but to shuffle his pack against Rangers due to a lengthy injury list, with former club captain Darren O’Dea even asked to make his first appearance of the season against Steven Gerrard’s men.
However, the manager has added 11 new signings since the end of last season and seems no closer to knowing his first-choice starting team.
Of the players who took the field in the opening competitive match of the campaign against Stirling Albion in the Betfred Cup, Jack Hamilton, Nathan Ralph, Genseric Kusunga, Josh Meekings, Glen Kamara, Sofien Moussa, Jean Mendy and Craig Wighton did not start at Ibrox.
Admittedly, two of them missed out against Rangers through injury and Wighton has joined Hearts, but that level of wholesale changes in just over two months tells its own story. McCann has also employed different formations in a futile bid to stem the flow of goals conceded by his side who continue to pose little threat at the other end of the pitch.
Going by McCann’s track record so far this season, it is difficult to predict who he will select to start against Hibs.
I will certainly not be second guessing the manager but for what it’s worth, this would be my team.
Elliott Parish in goal, Calvin Miller (left-back), Ryan Inniss, Andy Doyle (centre-halves), Cammy Kerr (right-back), Glen Kamara, Paul McGowan, Lewis Spence, Jesse Curran (midfield), Jean Mendy, Ben Kallman (strikers).
I know Calvin Miller has been signed on loan from Celtic primarily to play in an advanced role but he is the understudy to Kieran Tierney at Parkhead and moving him to left-back will allow Kerr to play in his favoured position.
There are injury doubts over Inniss and Kamara but assuming they are both available, this would be my team to hopefully end that wretched run of defeats for the Dark Blues.