Improvement Required Fast

“Everyone in the dressing room was thoroughly disappointed so we need to work on it and put things right.

It was not the home debut Graham Dorrans wanted on Saturday against Partick Thistle but he conceded that the team only got what they deserved out of the game.

“I thought that we were poor from start to finish. It is really tough and we need to bounce back quickly because it doesn’t get any easier in the next couple of weeks.”

The midfielder who recently signed a two year deal with the club claimed that the performance was disappointing from the very first whistle:-

“Partick were first to every ball and they wanted it more than us. I know how football works, sometimes you get games like that but they don’t become any easier. Everyone in the dressing room was thoroughly disappointed so we need to work on it and put things right.

“The boys did not go out to play like that and what we put on for ninety minutes is not acceptable. Everyone has a point to prove going forward.”

Having taken just one point from the first two matches, Graham knows that there has to be some urgency to pick up league points:-

“We do not really have time at the minute because games are coming thick and fast. Yes we have new staff, new players who have come in but the league games have started now and we can’t wait too long to get going.”

The 34 year old has experience of playing in the Championship before with Livingston and Dundee and hopes to help Dunfermline turn things around:-

“I have played in this league before and have played at a higher level as well and hopefully I can come in and bring in a bit of experience. But, myself included, if we all play like that then it is not going to be acceptable no matter how much experience you have.”

The next up on Friday night is the Premier Sports Cup tie away to Rangers. He knows how hard that can be for opponents at Ibrox and the last time the Pars went there in August 2017, he was in the Rangers side that won the League Cup match 6-0.

“They are the league champions and we know how difficult a game that is going to be but we will go again on Monday and work on a game plan moving into that game.

Above: Graham Dorrans in action for Rangers v Dunfermline in August 2017

“It will be difficult but every game brings that bit of pressure anyway. They will be favourites to win the game but if we go out and perform like on Saturday it could be a long day.”

Eight members of the Dunfermline squad - Deniz Mehmet, Aaron Comrie, Kyle Macdonald, Josh Edwards, Reece Cole, Dan Pybus, Paul Allan and Nikolay Todorov - have not played at Ibrox before but Graham claims that no one wants to go there just to soak up the atmosphere and revel in the stars they are sharing the pitch with.

“Nobody in the dressing room wants to do that, we are footballers, we are all professionals and we want to win. We are under no illusions as to how hard it is going to be. We are all footballers, we have all played in hard games, we have played in big games against big clubs so we will have to go into it with a game plan.”

Equally there are Pars players like Paul Watson and Craig Wighton who have played at Ibrox several times and Ryan Dow who has even won there in the Scottish Cup with Dundee United. Graham claimed their experience would be valuable and he would not need to emphasise anything to those players.

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