Dundee are dancing to Steven Pressley’s tune and the Dark Blues go into Sunday’s derby with a spring in their step.
A very unpopular appointment back in the summer, Pressley is making a mockery of the critics who tipped his side to finish rock bottom of the Premiership.
Supporters have been won over by their softly-spoken manager and now sing lustily about the merits of ‘Pressley-ball’.
What Jim Goodwin would do for similar approval ratings.
Indeed, after three years in charge with mixed results, the Northern Irishman has work to do to convince the Tannadice faithful he is the man to take them forward.
After their meek exit from the Scottish Cup at Falkirk last weekend, a derby tonic is required for Goodwin to turn the dial back in his favour and bolster a season that is threatening to go off the rails.
Dundee manager Steven Pressley has won over the doubting fans on Tayside
After finishing fourth and qualifying for Europe last term – with a squad then bolstered with exotic talents from Australia, Slovakia and Hungary – United fans approached season 2025-26 with vim and vigour.
They may have lost a titanic Europa Conference tussle with Rapid Vienna but the European adventure augured well for the domestic campaign ahead.
Instead, they have taken a step backwards, toiling in the bottom six and failing to make much of an impression in either domestic cup competition.
Goodwin turned his squad over in the summer, bringing in 14 new players, but many have struggled to adapt to Scottish football despite bright starts in Tangerine.
Croatian winger Ivan Dolcek scored five goals in his first five league games for United but hasn’t found the net since.
Young Australian striker Zac Sapsford also started like a house on fire after arriving from Western Sydney but is now struggling for form and confidence.
Goalkeeper Yevgeny Kucherenko was shipped out to Greek Super League club Panetolikos mid-season after racking up three own goals, while United have toiled to find the right combination of centre-halves to make Goodwin’s favoured 3-4-3 system work efficiently.
Hungarian Kristian Kerezstes is good on the ball but struggles to dominate in the air while Dutchman Bert Esselink has not been seen since being terrorised by Dundee’s pacy forward Ash Hay in the last derby.
The trouble for Goodwin, and any United manager really, is the Tannadice fanbase expect them to compete with Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen at the top end of the table despite operating on a fraction of their budgets.
While at least one of those clubs can usually be found toiling at the wrong end of the table in any given season (hands up Aberdeen), United themselves have become stuck in the no-man’s land of midtable.
The free-flowing football of Falkirk and Motherwell has been one of the hallmarks of an incredible season as John McGlynn and Jens Berthel Askou rewrite the rulebooks on what is possible for teams with modest resources.
Maybe it also has given United fans cause to wonder what could be achieved if Goodwin’s tactics focused on what his team can do with the ball rather than the common perception that he sets out primarily to stifle the opposition.
A reliance on set-piece goals and long throws is all well and good when you are winning games and qualifying for Europe, but it can quickly become another stick to hit you with in a fallow season when other teams are painting beautiful pictures with the ball.
Jim Goodwin has found himself under pressure of late due to his side’s patchy form
A dreadful Tannadice surface has not helped Goodwin state the case that his team are here to entertain and excite.
Regardless of any summer upheaval, owner Mark Ogren will surely have to find money to improve his club’s pitch for next season.
United have one of the youngest squads in the top-flight and it appears their constantly-changing starting XI is lacking in leaders. How else could you explain a 22-year-old loan player, Liverpool’s Luca Stephenson, taking the captain’s armband for their recent Premiership defeat against Motherwell at Fir Park?
With this season petering out with a whimper, some fans are questioning whether it might be time for the team to go in a new direction, with a fresh voice at the helm.
United supporters are accustomed to making the short journey up Tannadice Street with confidence. ‘We always win at Dens,’ seems to be the sentiment, even if that expectation ignores recent parity between the rivals.
With Pressley’s side on an upward trajectory and their own heroes floundering, that bullishness seems muted this time around. Maybe a derby triumph can replenish the gusto of the United faithful? And if they achieve that, maybe their manager can make the walk back to Tannadice on steadier ground?
