A League Cup revamp, Dundee’s defeat at Dens, St Johnstone’s continued rise up the Premiership table, a missed chance for United and summer football. The Courier’s Ian Roache and Neil Robertson discuss the burning issues.
Q: “But, oh, oh, these summer nights, well-a well-a well-a huh, tell me more, tell me more…” What do you make of the Scottish League Cup revamp?
IR: Let’s give the powers-that-be credit for trying something new. The League Cup was dying on its feet so change was required. I like being at games in the summer and I also thought the winter break worked well in the past. So I’m all for it. Mind you, considering some of the summers we get here, maybe the weather will be better in February than July.
NR: I will echo Ian here and praise the SPFL for at least trying to be innovative with the new format and timing of the competition. I am all for as many games as possible being played when there is at least a slim chance the Scottish weather might actually be favourable. The four-year, £8 million cash injection from BT Sport is also welcome it was just a pity that the new initiative was overshadowed by the likes of Hearts and Motherwell claiming they were not properly consulted over the changes.
Q: Should Dundee be looking up the Premiership table or down given they are not a million miles away from Inverness, Partick Thistle, Kilmarnock or even Motherwell, whom they face this weekend?
IR: Claiming the stating-the-obvious prize early on, I would suggest that losing like they did to Aberdeen doesn’t paint the previous four draws in a good light. I stand by my belief, though, that holding both Hearts and St Johnstone away from home were good results. They do need to start winning again, though, or the others will fancy their chances of catching or even overtaking them.
NR: Part of Dundee’s problem this season has been a failure to deal with increased expectations. Last season’s top six finish and the blistering start to this campaign with the 4-0 thrashing of Kilmarnock had many Dark Blues fans believing this could be the start of something special. That has not materialised. Motherwell are currently sitting in the relegation play-off spot but if they were to win on Saturday, they would only be two points behind Dundee with a game in hand and alarm bells really would start ringing at Dens.
Q: Aberdeen absolutely strolled to victory at Dens. Is there a danger, though, of reading too much into a defeat from what was a very good Dons side?
IR: That was my game to cover and I have to confess I wasn’t expecting Aberdeen to be nearly as good as they were. Their midfielders, in particular, were terrific on and off the ball. It was a tough day for home players who were clearly second-best but win against Motherwell and the Dons defeat can be quietly forgotten about.
NR: I wasn’t at the game but the general consensus seemed to be that Dundee were flattered by the scoreline. When Aberdeen are on form, they are a handful for any side but the simple fact remains that Dundee have failed to win in their last seven games. However, their last victory came against Motherwell and I feel they are capable of producing a similar result this time round at Fir Park.
Q: What a great win for St Johnstone at Ross County. Do we have any reason to doubt they can keep this form up?
IR: Surely if anybody doubted Saints before they have seen the error of their ways by now. The win was all the more impressive because they had been two goals up and were then caught by County at 2-2. Several other teams would have lost a goal in those circumstances instead of digging deep to grab the winner themselves.
NR: Saints boss Tommy Wright admitted earlier this week that his side have a ruthless streak about them now, shown by the fact that out of five or six chances they had against the Staggies, they took three of them. Confidence is also coursing through Saints at the moment but they will be severely tested when they face Celtic at home on Sunday. They have had some great results so far this term but if they could beat Ronny Deila’s side, it would confirm once and for all that this may just be a season to remember at McDiarmid.
Q: That looked like a couple of points lost rather than one gained by Dundee United against 10-man Kilmarnock. Is that fair comment?
IR: Depressingly, I would agree that it was a win that got away. Under normal circumstances a draw at Rugby Park would have been fine but United need to maximise their points haul from every single league match they play from now to May.
NR: The fact Killie played with just 10 men from the 24th minute says it all, really. United missed a glorious chance to secure a precious victory and while they had chances, they also had the woodwork to thank for ensuring they even came away with a point. I know it is easier said than done but the Tangerines simply must find a way to ensure they do not pass up similar gilt-edged opportunities over the coming weeks.
Q: Scotland was plagued by appalling weather and terrible transport problems last Saturday. Is sufficient consideration given to fans (or even journalists!) when it comes to deciding if matches should go ahead or not?
IR: It seems that we get some call-off decisions right and others wrong. It was nice and clear-cut for Celtic v Hamilton with an early morning “no” but they played on at Gayfield only to abandon Arbroath v Cowdenbeath after 24 minutes. I have some sympathy for the referees in those circumstances but more for the supporters who are short-changed.
NR: As I was travelling down to Kilmarnock in a howling gale and driving rain on a day of travel chaos, you had to question the sanity of asking fans to venture out in such conditions. However, the two sides served up a really entertaining game on the artificial surface at Rugby Park despite the elements. It is a fine balancing act between calling off a game too early or leaving it too late for fans to change plans. Of course, we could always move to summer football . . .
Q: The draw for the Euro 2016 finals takes place in Paris on Saturday. What should the Scotland players should do while the English, Welsh and Northern Irish teams are enjoying themselves in France?
IR: The SFA should put chairs and a TV in a room at Hampden and make them watch every minute of every match involving the home nations and indeed the Republic of Ireland, who sneaked out of our group. That will make them realise that we can’t be sitting on our backsides when the next major finals come around.
NR: As they say in Dundee greet!