Paulwantstoknow if new Hoops can handle the heat
Dundee may just have come up from the Championship, but Paul Mcgowan is confident the Dark Blues can cause a huge upset against Celtic this afternoon.
The Glasgow giants are a team in transition at the moment under new boss Ange Postecoglou and lost their Premiership opener against Hearts at Tynecastle last weekend.
Now Mcgowan, who started his career with Celtic, is looking to pile more pressure on Postecoglou and his newlook side in front of 24,500 expectant home fans inside Parkhead today.
The 33-year-old said: “It’s good to have fans back, and it makes the game more enjoyable.
“Going to Celtic Park with fans will be good, and if we can try to upset them early doors and get them
on the back foot, then that will help our cause.
“It’s not nice if you have more than 20,000 on your case. The demand is there, and that’s why they get paid the most money in the league.
“Celtic’s players are there to handle the pressure. It’s severe pressure every game you go into. New boys have come in and they will soon find that out.”
Mcgowan knows dealing with that burden of expectation can be tough, and he is determined Dundee will increase the stress levels even more by taking the game to Celtic.
He added: “I’m always confident we can give anybody a game. But we can’t go into our shell, and sit in against them. We have to have a go.
“Is it a good time to play them? Yeah, maybe because they have been away travelling to Hungary during the week.
“But we need to be brave, risk passes, and break their lines. It will take a massive performance.”
Dundee boss James Mcpake, who has been linked with the vacant MK Dons manager’s job, has also been hammering home the message that there will be no safety-first approach at Celtic Park.
Mcgowan added: “We need to take risks. The manager has been working with us on that, so fair play to him and the coaching staff.
“We’ve gone there before, sat in and it’s a nightmare if you go a goal down inside 15 minutes. It can be a long afternoon.
“If we can play the way we can, I’m confident we can get something.”
Disgruntled Celtic fans are set to protest against the club’s board outside the ground before the game.
Mcgowan witnessed similar unrest first-hand during the Tony Mowbray era, and he understands why emotions are running high again.
Mcgowan said: “I was a young boy back then and it was an eye-opener.
“They are passionate fans, and now they feel they have been short changed in a way.
“The way things panned out last season while going for 10-in-a-row has upset a few people.”