Since Robbie Neilson took over as manager in October, Dundee United have dropped points in six of their 12 games under him.
But just once, when Ayr United were handsome winners at Tannadice in November, has defender Stewart Murdoch left the park feeling it was not the Tangerines themselves who’d caused their downfall.
And as frustrated as that’s left him, the positive he takes is, starting with the visit of Dunfermline today, he and his team-mates know exactly what’s required to put together a winning run to hit the top in the Championship promotion race.
“We’ve been in a few positions already this season, even before the new manager has come in, where we were in winning positions and didn’t get the three points,” said the right-back.
“You don’t want to look back to too many games but there are a lot of points there that we really should have had on the board and we would be in a lot better position if we had.
“You have weekends like last week when both teams above us lose and it is an opportunity for us to claw something back, then we only go and get a draw with Partick.
“It is really frustrating when you think like last Saturday we were creating a lot of chances and should have won in the end.
“We need to start putting them away but I do think we would be more worried if we were not creating chances and we were going through games and getting scrappy draws where we didn’t deserve any more.
“That’s the positive we take but, at the same time, we know draws are not going to get you anywhere in this league.
“We’ve seen how many draws Inverness have been getting and it’s not really moved them up the table, you have to be winning games and we know that.”
At a time when the top flight’s winter shutdown means more attention is being paid to the second tier, Murdoch feels it’s only right to give credit where credit is due and point out the standard is better than many realise.
That said, he knows United’s priority must be getting back to the kind of level that can propel them up to top spot in the promotion race.
“I think in this league you never know what is going to happen. Falkirk have been struggling and then they go and take a win down at Ayr last week.
“A lot of people look in from the outside ant where the likes of them and Partick are and think they must be terrible teams.
“Both have come to Tannadice in recent weeks and given us hard games.
“People think it is all lumping up in the air and going long, that it’s about going and chasing second balls, but it’s not the case.
“There are a lot of good footballers in this league and the teams can get the ball down and pass it.
“Maybe there are players who don’t produce their best as often as they’d like and that’s why they are not playing for teams in the Premiership but, on their day, every team in this division can play football.
“It’s good for the league every team can do that and there is a lot of good football but our concern is us and we want to be right up at the top challenging.
“We’ve discussed the form we had when the manager initially took the team and that was title-winning form.
“It’s form that we believe we can get back to if we add that final part where we are putting the ball away.
“Then it’s up to defenders like me at the back to keep the ball out.
“Do that and we will be winning as many points as possible.”
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