| His Dark Blues’ victory over Livingston on Tuesday was their fourth Dens Park win on the trot and brought the tally of league successes so far this term to nine — the same as was managed in the whole of the last campaign.
Tomorrow may be a different competition, but Alex believes another victory would be further proof of the progress his young side is making.
“Of course, we want to win to be in the hat for the next round of the cup. Runs in the knockout competitions are always good for confidence and can boost your club financially,” he said today.
“For me, though, the main thing is to keep our good work going. Someone told me we’ve matched our total of league wins for last season now, which is pleasing, and I believe our home form is better than it has been for a few years. I want to maintain that, because, if we do, it means we will be doing well in the cup, climbing the league and we will be improving as a team.”
The big selection decision facing the player/boss is whether or not, after spending most of the week in bed suffering from flu, he should take a gamble with his own fitness.
“I started feeling unwell after our game last Saturday and I’ve done no training since. Right now, it’s hard to say what my chances are tomorrow, but I am feeling a lot better and I think I’ll leave it and see how I am tomorrow.”
Striker Derek Lyle has also been under the weather for the past few days, but he still has a chance of leading the attack against his old employers.
Gavin Swankie remains doubtful because of injury, but Kevin McDonald has been ruled out due to a groin problem.
While there will be no new faces in the line-up, discussions with Clyde in a bid to get their skipper Paul McHale fixed up now rather than in the summer are ongoing.
Whether or not he has to wait to get the former Ranger, Alex has admitted he is delighted to have secured his services for next season.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of players over the last few months and what really impressed me about him was his attitude. Too many people tell you they want to keep their options open and wait for one of the really big clubs to come in when they are sitting in reserve teams and need a reality check.
“McHale is a good player and he also seems to have his head screwed on. He recognises Dundee are the biggest club in this division and he feels that coming here can benefit his career and give him the chance of getting to a higher level with us.
“That’s a realistic attitude and he is also hungry for success. I’d love to get him in this window, but, in the end, that will be down to Clyde and we respect that.” |
