Dundee manager James McPake knows the humiliating 5-0 thrashing by Ross County on Wednesday night “let the club and the fans down” but he remains confident his players will bounce back today against St Mirren.
Dundee looked to have finally turned a corner before the Dens Park thumpings and the Dens Park boss can understand why fans were “frustrated” watching them go down to the Staggies.
(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
McPake takes some comfort from having seen his side on their knees in the past before coming back “fighting” as he looked ahead to today’s clash in Paisley.
“It wasn’t good enough. We let the club and the fans down,” McPake said.
“But the comfort we do take is that we have had situations before we have been on our knees and we have got back up and come back fighting and that is what we are going to do. They are a good group.
“I can understand why the fans would be frustrated, after watching that.
“They have seen poor performances before and this group bounce back before.
“(They have) seen this group come up through the play-offs when everyone was writing us off as well so there is enough experience and character in that dressing room to turn this result around and get our season up and running again.
“We have a massive game and if we feel sorry for ourselves then the same thing will happen in Paisley so we need to go there in a positive frame of mind, put in a positive performance and get a good result.”
After the Ross County mauling, McPake has seen a reaction from his players and senses they are desperate to get back out on the pitch and put Wednesday night behind them.
However, St Mirren are in good form themselves and the Dundee boss knows his side will be in for a tough challenge against Jim Goodwin’s Buddies, adding: “They are hurting, they were down as well, Wednesday night, Thursday morning – but they have responded very well.
“Whether it has been in a tactical meeting or on the pitch, they have responded well and you can sense that, you can feel that they are desperate to put it right.
“They are going there tomorrow to come off the pitch hopefully having made the fan base proud of them again because Wednesday night was nowhere near the standards.
“St Mirren are a good side, we faced them here in the first day of the season and it was a good game.
“I have seen it a couple of times. I watched them at Motherwell and thought they were excellent at Fir Park on Wednesday night.
“But we have to find a way to cause them problems.”
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