Heading down to Scumdee, sorry Dundee, I was looking forward to my first Premiership game of the season. Hibernian made the trip up to the city of discovery for a game which was being televised on Sky Sports, and everyone at Dundee Football Club was keen to emphasise that to those in attendance. From the stadium announcer to the chairman in the programme everyone was wanting to showcase how good Dundee are. Well, if I’m being quite honest the club fails at the first hurdle. Dens Park is a hole. I have never liked it and the sooner they move to the new proposed stadium the better, even if it does include a crematorium. What are they thinking?
After walking up what seemed the steepest hill in the planet, from the train station, to Dens Park I was not sure which end to go in. So far I have tended to go in the away end on this tour as I believe away fans have more fun. However, I was faced with the dilemma of supporting a team managed by Neil Lennon. In the other dugout was Neil McCann another man I don’t particularly have time for. After weighing up the pros and cons for both teams I decided to offer my support to Hibs for 90 minutes.
If you are not aware of the situation in Dundee there are two football clubs and they both reside on the same street. The whole of Dundee and they choose the same street. If you are a visiting fan and you had to pick one then Tannadice (Dundee United) is a far better ground to watch football, but more on that cathedral of football in a later blog.
Dens Park consists of four stands with one dating as far back as the 1920s. The Main Stand is like no other one I have ever seen in the world in that it follows the path of the road. It truly is a monstrosity of a stand, added to that there is a single bush randomly growing close to where the players emerge. Look out for it if you ever visit. Opposite the Main Stand is the South Stand and another “what the fuck is that?” stand. For one the seats don’t have backs to them. Are you that cheap to install seats which don’t have backs to them? My second gripe is it does’t stretch the full length of the touchline and last but not least it is full of Dundee fans belting out “Hello, Hello”. A song I have hated for as long as I can remember. The Hibs fans, including myself, were housed in the modern looking Bob Shankley Stand. A stand with good facilities and backs to the seats, I had no complaints. An identical stands sits at the other end of the ground. What I haven’t mentioned so far is the glaring gaps between each stand giving the ground no atmosphere at all. Even on Dundee derby days I can see the atmosphere being lost. How was that for a rant?
Back to the football. Both teams started very brightly and chances were coming thick and fast. It was worth the £26 at this stage however without any goals. I was eager to watch how John McGinn would get on against better opposition than Alloa Athletic, when I last saw him. In fact I was keen to see how good Hibs, in general, would be against a Premiership side. I said in my Alloa blog that Hibs may find it hard to break better teams down. That proved to be the case at Dens. Neil McCann had his team well disciplined and attempted to stifle the creative players from Hibs. Dundee took the lead midway through the second half. The right winger skinned the woeful Steven Whittaker, how he gets into the Scotland squad I will never know, who took him down to give the home side the chance to take the lead. As soon as the ball hit the flimsy netting the Dee fans broke out in perfect unison, “Hello, Hello”. I couldn’t help myself at this stage. The v-sign was out, not the peace sign, and it was directed at the Dundee fans.
Before the game the build-up was all about McCann vs. Lennon and how there would be “fireworks” on the touchline. For the record there was no “fireworks”. It was, however, very entertaining watching Neil Lennon get excited at his players who he clearly thought weren’t putting in a shift. He jumped up and down furiously screaming and shouting at his players. What a joy it must be to play for a guy like that. The Edinburgh side were trying their best but when you aren’t good enough, you aren’t good enough. It took a stroke of class from that other loved figure in Scottish football, Anthony Stokes to draw Hibs level. They did before the break which set the second half up well.
Now, about that second half. The only thing of note was getting to watch Hibs defender Efe Ambrose attempt to play football. If you are familiar with players who have graced the top league in Scotland in the last ten years then you will have heard of Filip Sebo. Such a bad player he couldn’t even spell his name correctly. Whenever the ex-Celtic defender touched the ball a cry of “SEBO” would come from the South Stand. It was good to have a bit of hilarity in the second half which was generally a dull affair.
Now, about John McGinn. A lot has been said about him over the last couple of years. He is a strong powerful player who commands the Hibs midfield and makes them tick. Gordon Strachan seems to keep picking him for the Scotland squad which must mean he has something. I just don’t see what. If he really is that good then better teams than Nottingham Forrest would be in for him. He picked out a few good passes in the game at Dens Park, but when I saw him against Ryan Jack and Graeme Shinnie in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup last season I was not impressed at all. He got bullied that day by two Scottish midfielders who are more than capable of pulling on the jersey for Scotland. Then again what hope did they have when Gordon Strachan forgets Aberdeen players exist.
Dundee will struggle this season. They have number of “alright” players, but lack a goalscorer. Whether Neil McCann will remain in the job until the end of the season is another thing which I’m sure will be a topic of conversation throughout the campaign. Hibs, on the other hand, will finish in the top six. I can’t see them finishing above St Johnstone so I think they will be competing with Hearts for fifth spot, given that Celtic, Aberdeen and Rangers take the top three spots.
Fact: Dens Park was used for greyhound racing from 1932 to 1996.
Price: £26
Attendance: 6004
The Forty Two 
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