LET’S SEE HOW YOU HANDLE IT
McPake tells rookie United rival Courts he doesn’t envy him his No1 selection dilemma ahead of Tayside derby
DUNDee boss James McPake has kicked off the mind games ahead of Sunday’s Tannadice derby by telling rookie Dundee United counterpart Thomas Courts he doesn’t envy him his tough choice of goalkeeper for the clash.
Court has been without regular No1 Benjamin Siegrist since he sustained a freak training-ground injury last month.
in his place, ex-Motherwell keeper Trevor Carson has kept two clean sheets in three league matches.
Carson’s form saw him earn a start for Northern ireland, where he also kept the opposition at bay in a 1-0 draw with estonia in Tallinn.
With Siegrist set to be fit for the derby, however, McPake says he wouldn’t like to be choosing between the pair — and says it could have potentially bitter consequences for squad harmony.
‘i’m glad that’s a decision Liam (assistant manager Fox) and Tam have to make and not me,’ said McPake.
‘They will be looking all week at their keepers because they have two very good ones.
‘Trevor Carson has kept three clean sheets in four games, one of them an international appearance for Northern ireland.
‘So, if he’s not playing, if i’m him i would be knocking that door as soon as the team is named. he will be expecting to play, i would imagine. ‘But Siegrist is a very good goalkeeper and we’ve all seen that. it might be the first time Tam has had to make a (tough) decision like this. ‘i’ve had to do it myself. have i got them wrong in the past? Yes, i’ve got them badly wrong before! ‘When i left Fin Robertson out of the first derby last season, (United won 6-2 at Tannadice) that was one because i should have played him. ‘i played him in the next derby at Tannadice (a 1-1 draw) and he was man of the match. So that showed i was wrong the first time. ‘i should never have done that and in these big games you have to get the big decisions right. This kind of thing is the toughest bit of management. ‘i don’t like to talk about other clubs’ players. But if you have kept a clean sheet for your country and three in four games, you would be expecting to keep your place. i’m just glad that decision is left with Liam and Tam.’ McPake confirmed that talisman Charlie Adam could be fit in time to play on Sunday. The 35-year-old former Liverpool and Scotland playmaker suffered a groin injury during the 1-0 defeat to Motherwell on August 28 and looked set for a six-week spell on the sidelines. But the boyhood Dundee fan has made a rapid recovery and now has the rest of the week to prove he can take part at Tannadice.
‘Charlie told me he was a quick healer — but i didn’t believe it would be that quick,’ said McPake.
‘he’s done a fair bit of training and, in terms of strength, he’s almost at full power in the tests he’s done with the physio.
‘The beauty is that we have until Sunday to work with him and hopefully by Friday he will be able to join in with full training.
‘he’s a local boy and is desperate to be involved in the derby.
‘But that’s not a worry for me. i trust him to make the right call.
‘he’s so experienced that he won’t risk putting himself out for six weeks for the sake of one game.
‘We have a (Premier Sports Cup) quarter-final a few days later (at home to St Johnstone) and then we host Rangers on the Saturday.
‘Charlie is not going to put himself into a situation where he risks missing out on those games and the physio won’t allow it either.
‘if Charlie is right, then i have a decision to make.
‘it would definitely be a big boost to get him back in the team, but we have plenty of experience in the team.
‘My players are all fresh off the back of one of the biggest games in the club’s history in the Championship play-off final against Kilmarnock that got us back up to the Premiership.
‘Liam Fontaine and Jason Cummings have played in cup finals with hibs and so has Paul McGowan at St Mirren.
‘Leigh Griffiths has won titles with Celtic and scored for his country at hampden. So, with or without Charlie, we will be fine for experience on Sunday.’