How has it come to this? After last season we were all hopeful of making a real push for the top six and the bare minimum was another comfortable campaign where we finished seventh or eighth and didn't really have to concern ourselves too much with what was going on down below. Instead, we come to the end of November on the back of six straight league defeats – a run that leaves us second bottom of the table. A seventh successive defeat tomorrow would see us go bottom for the first time in goodness knows how long and may well increase pressure on Danny Lennon to such an extent that the board could be forced to act.
Hopefully it doesn't come to that - but nothing less than three points will do tomorrow. While a draw would finally bring the shocking run of defeats to an end, it doesn't really do us much good and doesn't ease the pressure. A victory is a must, especially at home to a team that only found out they would be competing in the SPL a couple of months before the season began. But Dundee have improved lately - they beat Hibs last week and will be full of confidence, knowing this could be their chance to lift themselves off the bottom. A win would help nip that in the bud and could well be the catalyst needed for us to go on a much needed run of form.
Considering the task we faced last week at Hearts, the decision to deploy a lone striker seems fair enough. I'm not even against doing that tomorrow, if done correctly. Steven Thompson would be the figure head of such an attack but it would be nice to see us try a 4-5-1 that becomes a real 4-3-3 when we attacked, with Graham Carey, Dougie Imrie or a fit again Lewis Guy bombing up the wings to offer some support. We are struggling in midfield with no Paul McGowan and this could be a way to get round that problem. Failing that we should just go back to a straight 4-4-2 and pop Guy, Sam Parkin or Thomas Reilly alongside Thompson.
The midfield is likely to be the same as last week, Jim Goodwin coming back into the side after his suspension and playing alongside Kenny McLean. It's a pairing that should be able to work in a 4-4-2 but if we do go 4-5-1/4-3-3 then we should have a proper central midfielder alongside them, rather than trying to fit the oval shape of Carey or Teale into a round hole. Is this finally Jon Robertson's chance to show us what he's got? Or do we throw John McGinn in for his first ever start in a game of this importance after his impressive display for the under-20s? One thing's for sure - the defence will be the same as last week as we have no one else.
Barry Smith's time in charge of Dundee would be good inspiration for a couple of new challenges in Football Manager. He ended up with the job a few years ago when they went into administration and took them on a ridiculous unbeaten run after they were docked 25 points. He comfortably kept them up and they'd probably have cruised the league had they not been penalised. Obviously, the footballing gods decided that hadn't been difficult enough for him as Dundee ended up in the SPL over the summer when oldco Rangers were booted out. Smith had been assembling a squad for a first division title challenge but suddenly found himself having to worry about staying in the SPL. A nice problem to have, sure, but an extremely difficult one, and it looked at first as if the latest challenge would be beyond him. Seven points from their last three games - form we could only dream of - says otherwise.
If you believe in former players coming back to haunt their old club there is plenty to be worried about tomorrow as Dundee have three of our old boys, although two could be missing through injury. John Baird was unlucky in that when we got promoted six years ago he was just too old for the under-21 rule and was subsequently farmed out on loan, never to play for the first team again. We were linked with him over the summer but he ended up at Dundee and is still looking for his first goal for the club - so you know what's going to happen tomorrow! I liked Stephen O'Donnell as for most of his time with us he was one of the few midfielders who posed a goal threat (the other being Andy Dorman) and he had problems with injuries. However, in his final season with us he got a run and it became clear he wasn't able to do a job for us at that time. He's done well for Dundee and is now skipper, but has had more problems with injury this season. Then there's Jamie McLuskey, who is more remembered for his antics for the Sky cameras rather than anything on the pitch. He too could be missing through injury.
Dundee have a number of other players who were binned by SPL clubs earlier in their careers, in particular Celtic. Like our own former Bhoys, they have managed to show there is life after Parkhead. Nicky Riley was in high demand over the summer while fellow midfielder Ryan Conroy has earned a shot in the big league after some impressive performances in the last few years. Gary Irvine is solid at the back and has been joined this year by Declan Gallagher while Kevin McBride is a bit older, having been at the likes of Motherwell and Hibs since leaving Celtic. One player still hoping for a future at Parkhead is defender Lewis Toshney, who is currently at Dens on loan from the SPL champions. The brilliantly named Kyle Benedictus is a home grown Dee and found the net for the first time in is career last week. Let's hope he hasn't now got a taste for scoring!
Someone whose time in the east end of Glasgow is long behind him is Rab Douglas. The goalie is still going strong at the age of 40 and has put in some decent performances this year, although has also been at fault on a few occasions. The experience provided by the likes of Douglas and veteran defender Matt Lockwood will be vital if Dundee are to avoid the drop and the same goes for forwards Steven Milne and Colin Nish. The pair know how to find the back of the net and while Milne's best days are arguably behind him – although he did score last week - signing Nish on loan from Hartlepool was a good move by Smith.
Finally, it's important to mention some of the players that won't be involved tomorrow. I've already mentioned a few of Dundee's injuries but they've had some horrendous luck this season. Signing Brian Easton looked to be a terrific move and I'd gladly have taken him at Saints to play in defence, but he has managed just a handful of appearances and is out now until the New Year. The same goes for midfielder Mark Kerr, who has managed slightly more appearances but is also crocked. With a number of other summer signings, particularly those brought in after Dundee's promotion, also injured it's no surprise the Dee have been having such a bad time of things this season – and that they've improved now a few players have returned to action.
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