Steven Pressley is not a man who minces his words. After Dundee beat Aberdeen 3-2 at Pittodrie on Saturday, the manager described his own team as a “jobby team” and seemed perfectly pleased about it.
“I love throwing statistics at the players,” Pressley said. “I’ve said it before, for a ‘jobby’ team we’ve broken some good statistics, so well done to the players.”
The statistic in question: Dundee’s first league win at Pittodrie since May 2004. Twenty years of hurt, wiped out in ninety minutes of chaotic football. Kevin Nisbet put Aberdeen ahead, a Liam Morrison red card and penalty let Simon Murray level, Joel Cotterill put Dundee in front, Nisbet’s free kick drew it level again, and then Ethan Hamilton unleashed a 25 yard screamer to win it in the dying stages.
Pressley acknowledged the performance was not his side’s best but praised their character. “We’re missing four or five potential starters at present so it says a lot about the group at the moment,” he added.
Aberdeen boss Peter Leven was left to pick up the pieces. “I went crazy at them at half time for some of the decision making,” he admitted. “That’s two goals we’ve scored at home and come away with nothing.”
There is something refreshing about a manager who embraces the underdog tag so openly. Most managers in Pressley’s position would be talking about ambition and belief. Pressley calls his players a jobby team and they go out and beat one of the top sides in the country. Scottish football at its finest.