Yes, I admit it; I tweeted on Friday morning that I thought Inverness were a bit vulnerable without captain Richie Foran leading the line, and that Dundee were due a home win.
Oh me of little faith. But if you're always pessimistic, you're never disappointed! After ICT managed an impressive 4-1 victory at Dens Park, I did look like a bit of a pillock. But frankly, my dears, I don't give a damn.
Inverness Caley Thistle started the season with no wins and five draws in their opening seven games. Given their poor form in the second half of 2011-12, a relegation battle seemed inevitable. But they have won three straight matches - admittedly against the bottom three teams in the league at the time of writing - scoring eleven goals in the process. Beating Dundee opens up a ten point gap between us and the Dark Blues, and already the possibility of getting dragged into a dogfight at the bottom of the table seems almost as remote as the chance of seeing the Chancellor of the Exchequer in a second class railway carriage.
Bear in mind that ICT were tipped by many to be the only side that might be weak enough to finish below Dundee. The prospects don't look good for Barry Smith's side; parachuted into the SPL at the last minute after the Rangers debacle, they started the campaign with a squad built for the first division. Smith's decision to bring in players with decent top flight experience, such as Colin Nish (who, after last night, incredibly has eleven career goals with four different teams against Inverness), Mark Stewart, Mark Kerr and Brian Easton seemed sensible, but he is really paying for doing little to strengthen a back line which wasn't all that special in the second tier. Dundee's defending has been comical; they couldn't do a worse job if they were blindfolded. They are lucky that 40 year old goalkeeper Rab Douglas, who looks more like a doorman than a footballer these days, has been rolling back the years, or they would have been on the end of some real hidings.
After ten matches, Dundee have a solitary win, at Hearts. They have also scored only four goals, two of which were penalties. They are already adrift at the bottom, with only four points. To add insult to injury, their League Cup campaign consisted of a shoot out win versus Peterhead, and an ignominious defeat to Queen's Park.
It seems unthinkable that the teams immediately above Dundee in the league will be unable to stay above them - their neighbours Dundee United surely have too much quality, whilst Ross County are likely to bring in substantial reinforcements in January to protect their top flight status. And given that the odds are already stacked against them, can Dundee afford to risk spending money to improve their survival chances? Or are they better off just muddling on till May, banking the extra cash from being in the SPL, and prepare for the first division again?
I feel huge sympathy for Barry Smith. A Dens Park legend as a player, he performed a miracle in stabilising the ship after the club entered administration in 2010. He is on a hiding to nothing here, and I can only hope that, if the defeats continue to stack up, his employers give him the support he deserves. But, even in mid-October, even though we are less than a third of the way through the season, it does not seem unreasonable to suggest that Dundee are already doomed.
L.
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