Think this derby’s volatile? In Nigeria the fans beat us up
SAYS EFE AMBROSE
DERBIES are the same all over the world, give or take a few degrees of bampottery and bile, right? Hold that thought. And see if it survives the uproarious personal testimony of Efe Ambrose.
Even among those jaded by years of hearing endless variations on the ‘Foreigner tells crazy tales about nutty fans back home’ story, the Nigerian’s description of the Kaduna Clasico is guaranteed to pique fresh interest.
Players feigning illness or injury to avoid selection? Thugs lying in wait for players at their homes? Footballers beaten in the streets? It sounds as if the Kaduna UnitedRanchers Bees rivalry has a sharpness about it, to say the least.
Smiling as he compared life back home to the ‘social media frenzies’ that garner so many headlines in his adopted homeland, Hibs defender Ambrose said: ‘Africa is much more crazy. When I was back in Africa, there was a derby just like Hearts v Hibs, my team against the second team in the city.
‘But you didn’t want to play in this game. You always found an excuse, you were injured or sick, or something else.
‘You’d get beaten, harassed and you couldn’t even get in your house because the fans would be there waiting for you.
‘I was really scared, the first time I was supposed to play in the derby. I didn’t go to training for a week, so I would miss the game. ‘It was Kaduna United against Ranchers Bees,’ added the former Celtic star. ‘The fans are crazy. They could follow you to your house and there would be no security. ‘Here, you can play the game and go home, knowing there won’t be crazy fans waiting for you. ‘Here, the worst you get is some abuse on Twitter. In Africa, they come to you direct. It was their fans. Well, your fans if you lose! Both sides. Sometimes they couldn’t even finish the games, they had to abandon play because of fans fighting and everything. ‘I heard a lot of stories from friends and team-mates about going home to find fans there, they mobbed him. ‘This one was chased, that one was beaten on the street … you can see why I was scared. ‘But I always found a way to run before the game. So this (the Edinburgh derby) is nothing to me.’ Indeed, Ambrose believes Scottish football has lost some of the fire and fight that pushed on-field rivalries over the edge. ‘The experience is different even from 15 years ago,’ he said. ‘Now I watch the Old Firm game and they want to play football. Not too many red or yellow cards. ‘The derby mindset is different now. You want to win, not think about breaking legs or doing something crazy to appease the fans. ‘The time for tackles, kicking, the cards, it’s changed a lot. The philosophy of the game has changed. But it’s still a derby.’
Tomorrow’s Scottish Cup clash at Tynecastle will undoubtedly be meaty. There is almost no way for a player to finesse their way through this one. Not with the stakes so high.
A nine-game unbeaten run in this fixture gives Hibs confidence. But they’ll have to work for every inch of breathing room on a tight and less than pristine surface.
‘Everybody wants to beat their rivals,’ said Ambrose. ‘For the past few years, we’ve been the dominant side. For them now, they really want to get back to where they think they belong.
‘I know their past history against Hibs, I’ve seen the head-to-head, Hearts are still ahead overall.
‘But, for the past few years, they’ve not been able to beat Hibs. So, it’s a game they really want to win — but it’s the same for us.’
Asked if Hearts might be unnerved by their inability to beat Hibs since August 2014, Ambrose said: ‘That’s for them to answer.
‘We keep doing what we’re doing. If it means beating them every now and then, all the better.
‘The better side usually wins. And we’ve been the better side for the past few derby games.’
Ambrose and boss Neil Lennon go way back, of course, to their shared past at Celtic.
Asked how the manager got his message across during these derby weeks, the 29-year-old said: ‘Lennon is Lennon. He always loved these type of games.
‘He never wanted to lose an Old Firm. He’d rather lose any other game than that one.
‘He’s the same at Hibs. He wants you to play football but knows you have to win your battle first, earning the right to play.’