Boos ring out after‘criminal’ display by Dee
Du n d e e boss Ja m e s Mcpake admitted his men looked like a Championship team as they were thumped by St Johnstone.
The Dens Park gaffer labelled his s i d e’s defending as “criminal” and took some of the blame because he was ser ving a one- match touchline ban.
Mcpake emphasised he wasn’t throwing the players under the bus, but didn’t hold back when descr ibing the performance.
He said: “I feel sorry for Dave Mackay and the coaching staff because they had to stand and take a game like that.
“We looked beaten after the first goal went in.
“It’s the first time since we lost to Ayr United on a fateful Tuesday night back in March that I can say it was nowhere near good enough.
“I take my part of the blame because I was sitting in the stand after a stupid mistake last weekend.
“I’m not throwing the players under the bus – the first person I did that to was myself for getting the ban.
“Would I have helped? I don’t know but I wasn’t comfortable sitting in the stand.
“The players need to look at themselves in the mirror.
“You could see what it was going to be like – the game was going to be won by whoever wanted it more. St Johnstone rolled up their sleeves, they wanted it more and cut us open at will.
“Our defence was, as a team, ridiculously poor.
“To come out after half- time and go a goal down within a minute, that’s just criminal.
“It’s easy to go and play when you’re 3- 0 down. That doesn’t make you a team.”
Dundee remain at the bottom of the Premiership, although Ross County are only above them on goal difference.
Mcpake will be looking for a big response when Dundee face Aberdeen after the international break.
He went on: “We need to be much better.
“I have backed the players to the hilt but this is the worst I’ve felt this season.
“We looked like a Championship side and we have to get it right.
“The good thing is that we have two weeks to work on things and we have a lot to work on.
“Normally, you rest at these times but that will certainly not be happening.”
And the manager will be hoping he has Charlie Adam and Leigh Griffiths back from injury.
There were boos from the travelling fans and Mcpake understood why.
He said: “If I was a fan in the stand then I would have been making my frustration clear.
“T h a t w a s n’t good enough.”