Courier sports writers Ian Roache, Eric Nicolson and Neil Robertson assess the must-win Friday night match for Dundee United, a Tayside derby and tough times in Fife.
Q Straight in at the deep end…..is it win against Hibs or bust as far as Dundee United’s title hopes are concerned?
IR: I do think, realistically, United need to win it. I imagine if they lose we will still be offered the “until it’s arithmetically impossible” argument but Hibs would be 10 points ahead with 10 games to go for the Tangerines (or 11 points if you factor in goal difference). They would still have a game in hand on the Hibees but would, in reality, be looking at finishing second.
EN: United have to win. This is a different match to the previous three between the two sides, when a draw would have been fine for both. United have to go for it. What’s not so certain is the Hibs approach. A share of the points is a good result for them but they are at their best when they go full throttle.
NR: I am in total agreement with both Eric and Ian which doesn’t happen often but yes, United have to win. The Tangerines have a great record at Tannadice this season and hopefully the team can find some form to blow the title race wide open once more.
Q Should Hibs’ inconsistencies give Ray McKinnon encouragement for Friday night?
IR: Yes, they definitely should. I would love United to go at Hibs right from the whistle, snapping at their heels and pushing them back. If they can get them rattled then the Hibs players might just start thinking about how they haven’t won a league game since January 28.
EN: Hibs have shown they have gears to go through which United don’t. Their performances against the Tangerines and Hearts suggested that, on their day, they are pretty much as good as anyone in the country outwith Celtic. The better teams have brought out the better displays, which is a concern for United fans.
NR: Yes, they should but I feel McKinnon will be more concerned about his own team who have hardly set the heather alight recently. He will be hoping the weekend off has recharged the batteries and they will fly out of the traps against Hibs.
Q What do United need to put right from the last time the teams met, which was as one-sided a match as you could wish to see?
IR: They need to play like they played at Tannadice when they beat Hibs. Focus on what went right in that game rather than what went wrong (it was a lot!) at Easter Road. United have a great chance here to really put the pressure on and the players have to take it.
EN: A fast start like the Queen of the South semi-final wouldn’t go amiss. The two biggest factors I can see are matching the energy levels that Hibs have in midfield (primarily John McGinn, who is becoming as important to Hibs as Stuart Armstrong used to be to United) and maintaining concentration at the back.
NR: The midfield battle will be key and United simply have to dominate that area if they hope to win. The home fans also have a huge part to play and their backing could just give United a vital edge.
Q There’s a Tayside derby at McDiarmid Park on Saturday. Not an easy one to call given recent results for both sides, I would imagine?
IR: From a Dark Blue perspective, the fans will be wondering which Dundee will turn up this time. Will it be the fast-moving, hard-working and enterprising team that beat Rangers and Motherwell or the lacklustre lot that lost rather too tamely to Partick Thistle? I guess we’ll only find out when the whistle blows.
EN: It’s a bit of a cop-out but I won’t be predicting the result of this one until I see the St Johnstone teamsheet. Saints could do with Murray Davidson back to break up what is becoming a fluid Dundee midfield. If he plays, Saints are slight favourites.
NR: I have all but given up trying to work out which Dundee side will turn up while Saints have struggled this season at McDiarmid. I can genuinely see this going either way but I’ll stay on the fence and opt for a scoring draw.
Q Julen Etxabeguren’s injury is terrible news for the player. What will the impact be on the team?
IR: The impact on Dundee will be considerable because, as Paul Hartley has said, Etxabeguren was playing well for them. There is cover but you really don’t want to lose one of your central defenders at any point of the season, never mind for the run-in.
EN: There are several Dundee players whose absence would be felt more. Etxabeguren has had some fine games recently but If Darren O’Dea was crocked long-term I’d be more concerned.
NR: He is a different type of defender but I can see Kosta Gadzhalov coming back into the team rather than Kevin Gomis.
Q For Saints, Chris Kane could be out for the season. That leaves Tommy Wright with two senior centre-forwards. Is that a worry for the last couple of months of the season?
IR: Any option taken off the table for the final weeks of the campaign is a blow for a manager. Saints run a tight ship as regards their squad and it can only take one or two injuries to put it under stress.
EN: They’ll be fine as long as Steven MacLean stays fit. If, as expected, Saints finish in the top six he will only miss one match on a plastic pitch (Hamilton on April 1). Graham Cummins should see this as his opportunity. He’s a better player than his three goals in the Premiership this season would suggest.
NR: Cummins really impressed me at times last season but he has been relatively quiet in this campaign. Like Eric I see this as a great opportunity for him to make his mark.
Q How worried are you for Raith Rovers?
IR: Extremely worried, especially with St Mirren having picked up markedly. That’s why tonight’s home match against the Buddies is, by a million miles, their most important of the season thus far. You have to go all the way back to October 29 and a 1-0 home success against Queen of the South to find Rovers’ last win. That is a terrible run and, even though I hate to say it, relegation form.
EN: When you’re on a run like Raith are you look at every game and think that they are all defeats waiting to happen. They are showing all the tell-tale signs of a team only going one way. The good news, though, is that it will only take one win tonight to put nine points between themselves and St Mirren. And that’s a gap that would take some bridging. This is the night for stay-away Raith fans to find their way back to Stark’s and to find their voice. And for the players to show some character.
NR: The big concern for me is that St Mirren and Ayr have been in a basement battle virtually all season while Raith have almost sleepwalked their way into this crisis. It looked like last season’s success would continue at the start of this campaign and it will take a major change of mindset for the players to realise the full gravity of their situation.
Q And how worried are you for Cowdenbeath?
IR: Cowden’s dreadful form is giving Raith’s a run for its money. With 10 defeats in their last 11 games (or seven straight losses if you prefer), there was always going to be a parting of the ways between the club and manager Liam Fox.
EN: I don’t like managers being sacked but I think Cowdenbeath may have left it too late as far as finishing second bottom. Maybe they should look to appoint Paul Hegarty, who saved Montrose in the play-offs a couple of seasons back, because that’s effectively the job description.
NR: Very. I always thought the Fox appointment was a huge gamble and I feel the Cowdenbeath board have left it too late to appoint someone who is going to prevent them from finishing bottom of League Two. If that does come to pass, then whoever comes in has to ensure that the team are thoroughly prepared for the pyramid play-off – and are fully aware of exactly what it means for the very future of the club.
Q Pedro Caixanha looks to be nailed on for the Rangers job. A wise appointment if it happens?
IR: I had a feeling that the Rangers board would fancy looking leftfield for the appointment as they try to somehow cling on to Celtic and Brendan Rodgers. They want to be seen to be thinking big. You would like to think they have done their homework and sourced a quality coach. Personally, I would have put Alex McLeish in as temporary coach till the summer then moved him upstairs to be director of football, with Derek McInnes or Tommy Wright as permanent manager.
EN: He certainly wouldn’t be my choice. It’s a needless risk when McInnes, Wright or Gary Rowett would all be more sensible appointments.
NR: It seems a big gamble when there are domestic contenders who know the game in this country inside out and would be able to hit the ground running.
Q A question you never thought you’d be asked . . . are St Mirren the second best side in Scotland?
IR: No. Non. Nao. Nein. Nie. Nyet. Nah. Brendan was being a bit of a blether there.
EN: Brendan Rodgers has done a fantastic job at Celtic but he does still come away with the sort of nonsense that made him a bit of a laughing stock at times in Merseyside.
NR: I feel Mr Rodgers was simply being over gracious in victory – but he will forever remain good buddies with the Buddies after praise like that.
