Belief in what you’re doing is a big thing in football. Scott Bain has it and that’s why, despite Dundee taking just one point from five Premiership games so far, he’s in upbeat mood going into today’s Tayside derby against St Johnstone.
The in-form goalkeeper genuinely believes so long as he and his team-mates keep working hard and listening to boss Neil McCann’s instructions, it won’t be long before results start to reflect performances.
And even though the Dark Blues are up against a Saints team he rates highly and who’ve made a flying start to the campaign, he fancies a first three-point haul could be coming this weekend.
“The boys are a little bit frustrated by the results so far but it is not something they have let affect them in terms of the mood within the camp.
“If you take last week’s game at Rangers out of the equation because we were below par, apart from that, it has been little things that have swung the games so far and we could easily have won a few of them.
“Things have not been in our favour but we are confident in the way the manager is wanting us to play. The things that are going on behind the scenes during the week give us confidence we’ll get results.
“We have watched the videos of the games so far and we know what we need to do and the mistakes that need to be cut out.
“Honestly, the boys are raring to go this weekend and we believe we can get the three points.
“I do think it’s a big thing when you have that belief in what you’re doing. The manager is really strong minded and so is Garts (assistant boss Graham Gartland).
“They have a strong and clear picture of how they want to play, how they want us to do things and we’ve bought into that.”
The fact McCann has made it clear publicly he wants his players to be brave on the ball and, at times, take chances in order to retain possession and create chances has, Bain feels, also been a help.
“He wants you to play out from the back and through the lines at times. He’s made that clear to us and come out and said so.
“That helps because he’s shown he will take the responsibility and it means the boys can go out and be brave on the ball.”
He certainly believes that has helped young defenders like Kerr Waddell and Jack Hendry to have the confidence to go out and show what bright prospects they are.
“We’ve been playing with a young back four but I’ve been really impressed with how they have been willing to take the ball, be brave and take chances.
“It helps that people know it’s the way we’ve been told to play and even more so because I think people have seen there’s been an improvement in our play and, in the majority of the games, we have played well.”
An established Premiership performer himself, Bain knows other ingredients go to making a successful top-flight team and acknowledges today’s visitors have them.
“This is my fourth season here and St Johnstone have played pretty much the same way all that time and a lot of the players have been there for a while as well.
“That consistency is part of the reason why they’ve been successful. We’ve had a big turn around of players and it means you are adapting to getting used to the way each other play.
“There’s been different messages in that time, but now it is time for us to get over that and the way we’re working I believe we will.”
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