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Dundee Derby
In the lead-up to the fist derby of the season, I thought I’d share a column I wrote a few years ago for my club’s matchday programme. The club I have supported since the day I was born.
I love my football team. Not as much as I love my family, obviously. But, probably, more than I love ice-cream or binge-watching tv shows. For me, football is the perfect escape from a busy week of work. Some people go to a music gig, or to the theatre for an opera or a play; like many working class males, sport is my entertainment. If it’s not golf, you will find me on a Saturday or Sunday at home (Tannadice or my house) watching football.
Our stadium has a unique quirk, it shares a street with our fiercest rival. There aren’t many places in the world where you can take a photograph with two stadiums so close together. But in my city, you can. Perhaps it’s this closeness which makes the rivalry so unique.
It’s tradition in working-class families that the kids support their father’s team. On my mum’s side, my cousins and I supported our grandad’s team. He arrived in the city as a neutral. Even though he chose to support United, at first, he went to both teams games, alternating between the stadiums every other weekend. Back in the 50s and 60s, that’s what people did. Eventually, he would stick to just attending Tannadice.
My dad supports the other lot. His dad was the same as my other grandad, he’d go see whoever was playing at home that weekend. But it was my dad’s auntie who steered him towards the “dark blue” half of the city. Despite that, I don’t remember him ever really trying to convert me. And honestly, he’d have had no chance.
In the decade before my birth, the club enjoyed it’s greatest success, winning cups, the league, and reaching the semi-final and final of European competitions. They were a small club, they still are, but they punched well above their weight. They were victorious against some of the biggest clubs in Europe. Other teams genuinely feared being drawn against us. In the next 10 years they stayed fairly successful. Reaching further cup finals and bringing home another cup. It’s this success so close to my childhood that made it easy for me to pick my team.
When I first started dating my now wife, I learned that her dad, and all her family, supported the “dark blue” side. Many a time I would go to her house for tea, and he would pop onto the stereo a song called “Dinnae Bring An Arab Hame Tae Me”. Let’s just say the lyrics haven’t aged well. I won’t share a link, but it’s on YouTube if you’re curious. The sentiment meant more than the words. It was all in good humour, I think he may have mentioned it in his wedding speech.
That’s the good, fun natured banter that the two sets of fans share. It’s light-hearted, never nasty. Even though my kids both support United, their grandparents support that. We even have fun with it, making sure they wear their football kits after derby victories. Or when the other team gets beat. It’s all part of the fun.
That brings me to my column. For a couple of seasons, I had the honour of writing the “Fans Perspective” piece in the match-day program. In season 2019-20, United began their fourth straight season in the second tier of Scottish football. It was a tough time, it wasn’t enjoyable watching the team struggle to get out of a league we all felt we were too big for. But the football gods don’t care what you think, it’s what you do that leads to success. The season before, a new owner took charge of the club, and after another play-off failure, he spent the summer investing heavily in the club.
After a poor League Cup campaign, fans began to wonder if this would be another disappointing season. But then we opened the league season with three victories, scoring eight goals, seven of which came from our new star striker. Then came a home match against our biggest rivals. A Friday night game, under the lights, live on TV. It felt like the perfect barometer of where the club really was…
Look around. There are no enemies here. There’s just good, old-fashioned rivalry. – Bob Wells
What a start to the season, three wins from three played. Against ICT we were fantastic from the start and always looked like we would win the game. The following week a hard-fought victory showed that this team has it in them to grind out three points away from home. And then against Dunfermline last weekend, we played great again, and should have won by more than the two-goal victory we came back up the road with. A great start to the season against three teams most people have tipped to challenge us for promotion this season. Tonight, we play another team tipped with a chance of promotion. We couldn’t have asked for a tougher start to the season. But tonight, we find ourselves with a chance to collect maximum points and move seven points clear of our city rivals. A marker can be set.
The main catalyst to the great start is the goal scoring exploits of Lawrence Shankland. Not since Billy Dodds has a striker moved to Dundee United and made putting the ball in the back of the net look so easy. We all knew he was a goal scorer, but his all-round play has been impressive. He links up well with his fellow attackers and can get on the end of a McMullan cross. We have Pawlett and Sow building up their fitness after injuries, along with good players like Cammy Smith and Adam King who haven’t started a game yet. The emergence of youngsters like Louise Appere and Scott Banks who look very promising. Two fullbacks who like to get forward, giving us a balance that we have lacked these last couple of seasons. A solid looking midfield and central defence who fight for everything and take pressure off the front line. We are looking good, and once we play everyone once, we will have a clear idea of whether this will be our year or not.
Tonight, we entertain our near rivals. It’s one of the great rivalries in Scottish football. What’s great about the rivalry between Arabs and Dees is that it is such a friendly rivalry. Fans of both clubs will sit in the local pub together before tonight’s match. They will walk to their respective stands. For ninety minutes, banter will be tossed back and forward. And when the final whistle goes, they will go back to the same pubs, sit in the same seats, and talk about the game they just watched. On Monday we will go back to work and talk about tonight’s game. Who ever wins will have the bragging rights in those conversations. But there will be no malice, no anger, no hatred. We all love the back and forward that goes on between Arabs and Dees. And it is part of what makes the Dundee Derby one of the best. We are all fiercely loyal to our club, and while we all love our football clubs, we don’t allow that to cloud our relationships.
Tonight, form goes out of the window. Derbies come down to who wants it more. From the first whistle, you must be the first to every loose ball, win every header, and run faster and further than your opposite number. For players, derbies are a chance to leave your mark in the history books. Charlie Telfer, for scoring number six. Ferraz, McIntyre and Fojut with late winners. Dossing, Graham, Pettigrew and McKinlay all scored three or more. And in recent years Russell, Ciftci and GMS all seemed to thrive on the occasion. More than 13,000 fans will pack the stands tonight. Around 10,000 of them will be Arabs. We will generate the best atmosphere seen at Tannadice for many years and will back the team for ninety minutes. Arabs will give 100% tonight and if the players do the same, then it will be ourselves who go to work on Monday with all the bragging rights.
United as One!!!
United won the match 6-2 that night. After the game, fans from both teams would meet up with each other in the pubs. Dundee fans, having left early, would be waiting on their Arab mates to arrive. At work on Monday, Dees would nervously wait to hear what their Arab colleagues had to say to them. But, as expected in this city, it was always taken in good nature. Fans of both clubs would give it out just as well as they could take.
United were quickly brought down to earth. Just two wins in the next five league games would follow. A run of nine wins on the trot leading up to Christmas though put us in a great position to finish first. Despite a drop in form after the New Year, we were confident this would be the season we would finally get our rightful place back in the top flight. Covid would cut the season short. But, after a long (and frankly needless) court battle, United’s promotion was confirmed.
This weekend, United will make the short walk up Tannadice Street; another unique quirk of sharing the same street as your closest rivals. Both teams do their pre-match prep at their home ground, then literally walk up the street to face their rivals. Further proof, if it was needed, of the unique rivalry we share in this city. Who knows what will happen over 90 mins on Sunday. But one thing is guaranteed: when Dees and Arabs go back to work or school on Monday, we’ll still sit beside each other; because in our city, football only divides us for 90 mins.
Ginger Thoughts 
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