Steven Pressley wants his Dundee team to go out and make history at Falkirk this weekend. The Dark Blues have never won a league game at the Falkirk Stadium. They have had victories there in cup competitions, but their last triumph in the league against Falkirk was back at Brockville in October 1996.
Dundee then has to go back to 1988 for the last time they beat Falkirk on their own patch in the top flight. Pressley acknowledged: “Our form at the Falkirk stadium isn’t particularly impressive, I don’t think we’ve ever won a league game there. So that’s something we are eager to change.”
Dundee’s recent record-breaking run
The Dundee head coach over the past season has led his team to their first league win at Aberdeen in 22 years, claimed their first point at Ibrox in 21 years and earned their first home win against Celtic since 1988. His injury-hit squad has continued to defy the odds.
Pressley knows Falkirk are a threat and are settling down after John McGlynn’s summer rebuild. He admitted: “They fall into the same category as ourselves. They have shown real signs of progress over the last couple of games. They had a really good performance against Hearts and then another strong performance against St Johnstone.
“They are beginning to find a bit of rhythm, but they have been like us all in searching for it. John has had to deal with a lot of player change over the summer. They have huge numbers in recruitment, which is never easy. As a result, they have been looking for some consistency. I think in recent weeks they have started to show some green shoots.
“I think it will be a really difficult game down there, when you consider they beat Hearts down there in their last fixture. They are progressing and like many games in the Scottish Premiership there is very little to separate the teams. It is a big game for ourselves. It is a game after three weeks off, we really want to follow up the win over Motherwell with another positive outcome.”
Return to managerial roots
Pressley returns to the club where he started his managerial career. He recalled: “It was my first period as a manager. I spent three-and-a-half years there. It was a really enjoyable time.
“There were some challenging moments, but I was lucky I had a lot of good support behind me. I had a good chairman, Alex Smith was there, who helped steer and guide me. I had young players. A lot of that team were still teenagers and playing. Many have gone on to have quite strong careers. There are definitely some good memories there.”
Room for improvement
They currently sit fourth in the Premiership. Pressley is in no doubt there is a lot more improvement in his squad. He confidently predicted: “I do think there is a lot more to come. I have talked quite a bit about getting more control of the game and more possession. I do believe that but not to the extremes.
“I don’t think we are that type of team. We need some improvements. Look at some of the statistics now, even down in the English Premier League there has been a huge shift in trends. A lot of teams are now winning games with less possession.
“I think that is a result of teams being very organised against the ball and there are fewer opportunities when teams are set in their shape. So the transitional moments are becoming more and more pivotal. I still think there is a tipping point with possession.
“Us, just now, don’t have enough possession, in my opinion. We are third in the table for big chances created and it is about finding the balance between the two, where we do have a bit more control but we don’t lose any of that attacking threat.
“It is a fine line. We need to be careful around that. We just feel we need more of a balance around our current stats than we have at present.”
