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Whisper it quietly, but Steven Pressley may well know what he’s doing after all.
It’s safe to say his appointment as Dundee boss in early June went down like a lead balloon amongst the Dens Park support.
The club’s decision to sack Tony Docherty certainly raised a few eyebrows, but to replace him with a man whose last managerial reign ended in November 2019 appeared borderline madness.
His official unveiling in front of the media did him little favours.
‘If you are a Dundee supporter looking for a manager with a history of producing titles and winning honours then I’m not your man,’ came his brutally honest self-assessment.
Inspiring stuff. He doesn’t look the type to waste much time scrolling through social media, which is probably just as well given the battering he took in light of those comments.
Steven Pressley's appointment as Dundee boss was not met with widespread approval
A dismal Premier Sports Cup defeat to Alloa Athletic ended any hope of progressing to last 16
Ryan Astley got on the scoresheet as Dundee picked up a well-deserved point against Rangers
And it wasn’t just coming from Dundee fans, either. There were supporters from all sides queuing up to have a pop.
Two woeful Premier Sports Cup defeats to Airdrieonians and Alloa Athletic all but ended his side’s chances of progression to the knockouts before Matchday Three.
At that stage, there were genuine questions over whether he would be binned before the Premiership campaign got under way.
He’s still here. And ahead of the first Dundee derby of the season tomorrow afternoon, has every reason to feel optimistic about his team’s chances. Who would have predicted that at the start of the month?
Yes, Hibernian made light work of them on the opening day. But since then, the improvement has been stark.
A controversial late penalty decision against them at Rangers dashed any hope of picking up three points rather than one. There would have been no complaints had they seen it out.
And last week’s performance against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park — while not particularly pretty — highlighted a steeliness that’s been badly lacking for some time.
Defensive fragility nearly cost the club their place in the top flight last season. Had it not been for the goalscoring exploits of Simon Murray — and a few others — at the other end of the park, they would have been staring down the barrel of relegation to the second tier.
Simon Murray will once again have a major role to play if Dundee are to stay clear of trouble
Pressley’s focus, at least until now, has been on making the team hard to beat. And on recent evidence, there’s no doubt he is making progress in that regard.
Whether he can get the side firing in the final third is another discussion entirely.
With Murray leading the line, they have a guy who will surely be aiming to hit double figures once again. But chances have been at a premium so far, and therein lies the glaring issue.
The club lost a big chunk of their creative core over the summer.
Lyall Cameron — who had signed a pre-contract with Rangers long before Elvis rocked up at Dens — is one of very few players to have any credit in the bank at Ibrox given their embarrassing start to the season.
Meanwhile his former midfield partner Josh Mulligan has got off to a superb start with Hibs, starring both at home and abroad.
Scott Tiffoney has moved on too, while Seb Palmer-Houlden and Oluwaseun Adewumi have returned to their respective parent clubs.
It was always going to be a struggle to adequately replace that lot.
The likes of Yan Dhanda —an exciting addition if he can recapture the form he previously showed at Ross County — Joe Westley and Emile Acquah will need time to settle.
They will all fancy their chances of getting on the scoresheet this weekend, mind you.
So much of Dundee United’s success on their return to the top flight last year — at least early on — was down to their ability to keep the opposition at bay and grind out results.
Not always easy on the eye, but certainly effective.
No sign of that defensive resilience so far this season. Indeed, they’ve shipped 11 goals in seven games.
From set pieces in particular, they look all over the shop. Failure to do the basics has been their Achilles heel time and time again.
Participation in European football will obviously have taken its toll, but manager Jim Goodwin, to his credit, has refused to use that as an excuse.
Of course, he hasn’t been helped by an injury list which frankly beggars belief.
Josh Mulligan has been a standout for Hibernian since making the move from Dens Park
Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has seen his squad decimated through injury
In the build-up to this one, the Irishman admitted this is the worst luck he’s experienced as a manager when it comes to players lining up for a seat on the treatment table. It’s hard not to have a little sympathy.
Trying to somehow integrate 14 new arrivals in to the squad can’t be easy either.
But the fact is that defeat this weekend would see his side fall four points behind their neighbours before we’ve even reached the international break.
A point from three Premiership games — and a Premier Sports Cup last-16 exit to boot — would make for grim reading, regardless of the extenuating circumstances.
The Tannadice men tasted victory just once in four attempts against this weekend’s opponents last season.
What better way to kickstart their campaign than with a statement performance on their rivals’ home patch.
