Dundee 2
Rangers 1
League (Premier Division)

Manager's Programme Notes

Saturday's match against Aberdeen was our first opportunity of the season to try things knowing that the pressure was off us for once and all.

It's a strange experience for me here at Dens as it's been pressure, pressure and more pressure with us fighting our way out of the First Division and then struggling against the odds last season to avoid the drop.

There are one or two ideas that Jocky and I have wanted to try but we've always known that the red-hot competition that abounds in the Premier League is not the best background to do this.

That's why we'll be using tonight's match and Saturday's visit to Love Street to continue this policy so that we can attempt to get things sorted out for next season.

Incidentally, there is no way that this policy will be adopted when Dundee United come to Dens on May 14.

That is shaping up like one of these special one-off occasions and everyone here at Dens will be treating it as such. In other words we'll put out a team best equipped to get our first win over our city rivals this season.

But back to Saturday. It's always something of a dilemma knowing that we are playing a team of Aberdeen's calibre and that at the same time we want to try something different.

We can do these things in practise matches until the cows come home but the only way we'll establish whether or not they stand up to close examination is by doing it for real on the Saturday.

That's why I'm hoping our loyal fans adopt an under standing attitude and let's face it if this approach is to make us a more formidable team come next season, then I'm sure you'll agree that the patience will be worth it.

I was a bit happier with things against Aberdeen once the second half got under way.

We had a lot more of the ball and with a bit of luck we might have had a consolation goal when Albert Kidd's shot was touched onto the bar by Jim Leighton.

Aberdeen proved at Dens that they are a first class side but we were always going to have to get everything right against them if we were to get a result and it wasn't to be.

We are developing a bit of a problem at the goalscoring stakes as it's now been four games since we last counted.

That is something we'll be working at for tonight's match and as we've had quite a good record against Rangers so far this season we'll be looking to get back on the goal trail against the men from Ibrox.

John Greig's side are, of course, in their eighth consecutive Scottish Cup Final and that ensures that his men will be all out to keep in the first team picture. And that means we can't expect any favours from them tonight.

They had a convincing win against St Mirren on Saturday and knowing John Greig as I do, it's a certainty that he'll be drumming it into his men to keep up the good work.

But having said that we do tend to give Rangers a hard time at Dens Park and I hope that tonight's match will prove no exception...with or with out experiments.