They had one of the more inexperienced managers in the Championship last season and it's plausible to think they'll have one of the least accomplished bosses in the Premiership this term.

But the Dundee board have that same man to thank for sealing their place at the top table after a somewhat up and down campaign last year.

James McPake had to overcome some serious adversity during the early stages of last season with some fans, at the time, calling for his head. At one stage it was one win from five matches back in November, then his Dees sat back in fourth place with just eight games remaining in March of this year.

From those eight matches, though, McPake's men didn't lose one. That helped take the 37-year-old rookie manager and his charges to the Premiership play-offs where they continued that momentum to beat Raith Rovers and then Kilmarnock both over two legs. It was an incredible turnaround which earned the boss manager of the month for March and, much more importantly, promotion to the Premiership.

That was always the goal when McPake was handed the reins at Dens Park, but at times the role looked to have come a bit too soon for the beloved ex-Dundee player. Which makes his success all the more impressive given that they were supposed no-hopers with just a handful of games to go.

It must be said, however, that the Premiership is an altogether different kettle of fish. Where Dundee may have had some leeway last term in terms of dropped points in the second tier, the top flight is much more unforgiving. It may only take one drubbing at the hands of Rangers or Celtic - or any other ground, for that matter - for McPake and co. to really start feeling the heat.

But they certainly won't be going into the new fixture list with that mindset, far from it. They are likely to still be riding the high of promotion and they'll want to keep that energy. Pre-season, for example, has been important for that reason. The squad are flying at the moment having come through their Premier Sports Cup group at a canter.

They managed a 4-0 win over Brora Rangers and a victory, 2-0, over Montrose. Then they smashed Forfar 5-2. Yes they were granted an automatic 3-0 win over Ross County due to their opponents being unable to field a team through Covid, but the points are on the board and that's all that matters where confidence is concerned. A friendly draw against West Ham also did nothing to dampen the spirits.

And then there's the new faces around the stadium which will undoubtedly give their new side a lift. Speedster Paul McMullan is a particularly handy acquisition following his loan spell last term. The former Dundee Utd and Celtic winger played some incredible football last season and provided 13 assists for the Dark Blues from just 19 appearances at the tail end. Of course that was in the Championship but the 25-year-old is experienced in the Prem, too, and could prove to be a terrific bit of business for his club.

Meanwhile another former Hoops player has joined the ranks in Irishman Cillian Sheridan. The striker has been plying his trade in Poland with Wisla Plock and while he was not particularly prolific, the 32-year-old is well travelled and an experienced head who has also played in Scotland's top flight before with Celtic, St Johnstone and Killie.

Striker Luke McCowan joined from Ayr Utd, Ian Lawlor signed from Doncaster and centre-half Ryan Sweeney was added to the squad from Mansfield to round up McPake's business this summer so far. Only Osman Sow, who was released, can be considered a sizeable loss.

The odds of staying in the league this season may not look too favourable to Dundee but it's possible the bookies have forgotten the type of player still on the books at Dens Park. Of course it will be a difficult campaign ahead, it usually is in the Premiership, but fans and pundits can't look too far past Dundee who boast some top quality within their ranks - and that's just the players they've kept hold of from last time out.

Charlie Adam, even at 35, is still a class act in the midfield and his wand of a left foot still has the magic to produce passes, score goals and provide assists as he has done at Rangers, Blackpool and Liverpool. Former Light Blues and Hibs striker Jason Cummings is there too and he certainly knows where the goal is.

The spine of the Dundee squad is, at its core, a good one with quality in all areas. Defensively Liam Fontaine has been there, done that, in the midfield they have Adam and Paul McGowan and then up top Danny Mullen and Alex Jakubiak to help out their Joker.