The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
What type of a striker have Dundee signed?
The sports editor assesses the Dark Blues’ new frontman
Dundee have signed former St Johnstone striker Marcus Haber following a week’s trial.
The Canadian international has signed until the end of the season.
The 27-year-old joins a Dark Blues team rock bottom of the Premiership and in need of goals.
Courier Sport discusses what he will bring to the Dens Park club, who will be attempting to leapfrog Partick Thistle tomorrow night.
So what type of striker are Dundee getting in Marcus Haber?
A big one.
And?
An athletic and direct one. Powerful, tall and quick, Haber was a striker with huge potential in his younger days with West Brom.
“Potential”? By that, do you mean he hasn’t fulfilled it?
He’s played for Canada at every level, including the senior team more than 20 times, so that is an achievement in itself. But, yes, his club career hasn’t caught fire.
What do you remember of him as a St Johnstone player?
That Derek McInnes was a big fan. He got him on loan at first from his old club, West Brom, and then McInnes signed him on a permanent deal after that loan was cut short by a bad knee injury. You could see why he got a second stint. Haber has a lot of the attributes you look for in a centre forward in the modern game. He was able to play up front on his own – I can remember a match against Celtic when he was excellent in that role by the time Steve Lomas was in charge – and was used out wide on occasion as well, I recall.
But he didn’t become a regular at McDiarmid Park, did he?
Not really. International call-ups made it a stop-start experience for Haber. Canada were trying to qualify for the 2012 Olympics and Haber was a big part of that team. There were times when he looked like he was on the verge of holding down a place with Saints then he would be back on his travels.
Who was he trying to keep out of the team?
That’s another big part of the story. About the same time that Haber signed his permanent contract, so too did Fran Sandaza and Cillian Sheridan. They formed an excellent partnership and Haber wasn’t alone in not being able to dislodge them. Sean Higgins, Carl Finnigan, Sam Parkin and a certain Stevie May were also at the club.
So what about after he left Saints?
He signed for Stevenage, playing 45 times but only scoring seven. A loan at Notts County didn’t work out but there were 16 goals in two seasons at Crewe.
Didn’t his name come up in the summer?
It did indeed. He had a short trial at Dundee United but Ray McKinnon didn’t offer him terms.
The 64 thousand dollar question then … how will he do at Dundee?
He isn’t Kane Hemmings and is highly unlikely to hit double figures. His career stats tell you that. But he’ll more than likely be better equipped to lead the line at present than Yordi Teijsse and will win more than his share of headers. If Paul Hartley can get his midfield runners close to Haber – or give him a strike partner – there’s no doubt he will be able to bring them into the game. Haber is as good a player as you’re likely to pick up between transfer windows but I would still think that Hartley will be keeping his eye out for a penalty box poacher when January comes round.
Haber is as good a player as you’re likely to pick up between transfer windows
Paul McGowan has admitted Dundee are in a “scary situation” as they creep towards Halloween in desperate need of a win, writes Ian Roache.
The Dark Blues are still stuck at the foot of the Premiership table after losing 2-1 to St Johnstone on Sunday and now fans will be nervously biting their nails when second-bottom side Partick Thistle visit Dens Park tomorrow night.
It may have been down to the time of year but McGowan painted a spooky picture as he summed up the state of play at a club with only six points out of a possible 30.
The midfielder said: “To be perfectly honest, it’s not been good enough.
“It’s two different teams that turn up – one at training and one at matches.
“The way we train is unbelievable and we’re right at it then it comes to the game and we don’t know what’s happening to us.
“We’ve got the frighteners on us a bit.
“It is starting to get a bit scary and I think it is dawning on us.
“See when you are on a run like this it is hard to get out of it and your next win seems so far away.
“The confidence is draining out of us.
“You can understand the fans’ reaction. They want us to do well and you can hear their frustration – and rightly so.
“We were second to every ball in the second half and that’s not like us.”