Cammy Issues Rallying Call

[Cobra]

From Monday's Herald.

DUNDEE'S descent has been quite spectacular. From almost a year ago when they consigned Dundee United to relegation at a raucous Dens Park, they could now end up facing their city rivals in a play-off scenario which would determine their own future unless things pick up dramatically.

Few could have predicted such a slump. With this their seventh straight Ladbrokes Premiership defeat, Paul Hartley's side are left occupying that second-bottom play-off spot ahead of five crucial post-split fixtures. The severity of their plight is there for all to see.

Hamilton, with their own first away win of the season, propelled themselves above their Tayside opponents and it was no wonder the exasperated home support inside Dens were queuing up to vent their considerable frustration in the direction of their beleaguered manager with plentiful calls for his removal.

Whether a change in the dug-out would help at this late stage is another matter. Right now, though, they are the Premiership's most off-form team and at no time during their latest set-back on Saturday did they appear capable of arresting the decline which was described by Hartley himself as “alarming”.

Should they fail to mount a revival in the weeks ahead, then the worst-case plot will unfold.

That would involve fighting it out in an end-of-season showdown against whichever team emerges from the Championship play-off which may indeed turn out to be United, just to preserve their Premiership status.

There's some brief respite this weekend to lick their wounds before the grind gets underway again with an away trip to Motherwell on April 29. Following on from that is a trek to Kilmarnock and then home games with Ross County and Inverness, before finishing off away to Hamilton on May 20.

It's difficult to see where their next victory – or even point – is likely to come from and that was quite apparent at the weekend as they slipped to another home defeat in the wake of their embarrassing 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Aberdeen a fortnight earlier.

Cammy Kerr, their 21-year-old defender, was one who could at least hold his head high afterwards in the knowledge he had given every ounce of effort before hobbling off injured as a result of a freak second-half injury when he stood on the ball.

Born and bred in the City of Discovery, Kerr has been Dundee's most consistent player during this strained campaign and made an impassioned plea for the club's supporters to show patience during these most trying times as they were forced them to watch Alex D'Acol's penalty midway through the first-half and Michael Devlin's late header inflict defeat.

“The fans are entitled to voice their opinions but the best thing they can do is get behind us,” pleaded Kerr. “We all want the same thing – to stay up.

“Results haven’t been good enough but we need everyone on the same side and working towards the same goal.

“I never feel nervous if I’m getting booed. If fans boo, they boo. I’ll always look to take the ball no matter where I am on the pitch.

“We’ll all keep getting behind ourselves in the dressing-room. It’s extremely disappointing – knowing going into the game how big it was and coming away with nothing. But there are still five massive games left in our season.

“Now that we’re there the table shows that it’s not looking good in terms of points.

“We’ve got five massive games – that’s what I want to reiterate.

“At the start of the season, we had a bad run and we turned that round.

“It’s now about going about our business in the right way and making sure we stay in this league.”

[Prince Buster]

Time the players stopped talking it and actually went out and did it.

Not entirely their fault and they're not exactly helped by the manager but please shut up in the press and just to the job on the park.

[Deeboy08]

It's the press that ask all the questions 

[gedee]

In fairness to Cammy, he seems like he is trying to keep it a bit low key. However, like many, I could do without any of that stuff to be honest.

[AMAPC]

Hartley has tried getting senior players to do the rallying call in the press and it hasn't worked , maybe he feels sending Cammy out will get the fans off his back???

Hartley has dragged us down over the last two seasons and he should be the one in the press accepting responsibility for our current position instead of hiding behind the players.

[Boba Fett]

This writer of this article has got it wrong. The worst case scenario is not a play-off against the Dabs; it's bottom spot and automatic relegation. 

[Guest]

Should be a media ban for the next two weeks. We did it for the game against Dumbarton. Double sessions required for the players too. 

Only person speaking to the press should be the leader (owner), Tim Keyes. Time for leadership at Dens. 

[gblue]

Instead of talking to the papers the players would be better getting together about how the team plays who plays where who does what and then team meeting with Hartley surely if all the players let Hartley know there thoughts he might just listen, then again maybe he won't but surely worth a try we fans can say what we think is wrong with the team but all we can really achieve is getting Hartley sacked, the players are the ones that have to stand up and be counted if they think the problem is the formation of the team etc now is the time to stand up and say so not to the papers but to Hartley and If need be the owners, 

[HK Blues]

1 hour ago, Boba Fett said:

This writer of this article has got it wrong. The worst case scenario is not a play-off against the Dabs; it's bottom spot and automatic relegation. 

I suppose worst case scenario is losing a play-off to Utd - double whammy

[markthedee]

46 minutes ago, HK Blues said:

I suppose worst case scenario is losing a play-off to Utd - double whammy

I'd rather go down automatically than give them the satisfaction of sending us down.

But obviously I'd love to beat them to consign them to the Championship. Again. 

So it's a tricky one.

[FanDee]

Notice he never said he backs the manager,bye bye paul.

[blythswood]

Tub thumping isn't what we need, all this talk of getting everyone behind the team and the players showing fight etc. It's nonsense. 

The fans have been right behind the team all season, considering the dross, they've been more patient than, for example, Motherwell fans who held a large protest to get McGhee sacked. 

The players are trying also, but the confidence is gone and they are visibly disheartened because what they are being told to do by the manager isn't working. 

We need someone who can come in, totally command that dressing room and tell the players here's how we're playing and we're getting 3 wins minimum playing like this. We've got good players, they just need a leader right now. Not McGowan and O'Dea ranting either, that's not leading it's just shifting blame.