Dundee boss Paul Hartley admits his new-look squad has given him plenty of food for thought ahead of the Dark Blues’ first competitive game of the season on Saturday against Peterhead in the League Cup.
The Dens manager has overseen a big summer of change at the club, with a whole host of players who helped win promotion in the last campaign heading for the exit while 12 new recruits have been drafted in.
They have all been determined to impress throughout the pre-season training and matches however, Hartley has revealed he has now made his mind up about who will be in his starting 11 against Jim McInally’s Blue Toon.
He said: “We have done a lot of travelling in the last four or five weeks. So it is good to have a normal week. Everything will settle down as we prepare for our first competitive game against Peterhead.
“I have a starting 11 in my mind that I want to play. It will just depend this week on how the players are. The lads have been magnificent throughout pre-season, but we obviously want to put the best team out on the park.
“There might be different formations through time, but I have to pick a team I think is strongest the players who impressed me most during pre-season.”
Dundee may have lost their final friendly at Sheffield United last Friday night, but expectations are still high among the club’s fans following the summer of change. That is something that does not faze Hartley.
He said: “I think it is a good thing, but we won’t get carried away. We’ve done pretty well in pre-season but you are only judged when the real games start.
“There is a lot of expectation around the club and among the supporters but we know there are a lot of new faces and it may take a bit of time to gel.”
Dundee have issued a plea for more fans to snap up season tickets ahead of their return to the top tier of the Scottish game.
In a statement the club said: “More than 10,500 Dundee fans turned up at Dens Park to roar their team to victory on that unforgettable day on May 3 2014, and also again in large numbers for the recent pre-season victory against English Premier League Champions Manchester City.
“Our fans have also been supporting their club through the purchase of season tickets. As of Saturday July 26, we had sold 3,506.
“We are optimistic that we can reach our target of 4,500 season tickets set out recently by our chairman, Bill Colvin.
“We have a great schedule of games coming up at Dens Park, starting with the flag day season opener against Kilmarnock and then closely followed by home games against Celtic, Dundee United and Aberdeen.
“The board wouldagain like to thank all our fans for their fantastic support. For those fans who have yet to purchase them, season tickets are available from the club shop and at www.dundeefc.co.uk.”