The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
No crisis at Dens, says Dark Blues defender
Dundee: Former Celtic man insists players are just as disappointed as fans after Betfred Cup start as Dens men prepare to take on Dumbarton
One frustrating draw does not represent an early season crisis, Dundee’s Darren O’Dea has insisted.
The experienced defender was “angry and disappointed” at not getting the Betfred Cup off to a flying start against East Fife, but he believes that there is nothing to panic about as the Dark Blues prepare to face Dumbarton in their second group game at Dens Park this afternoon.
“Straight after the game I was angry and disappointed,” O’Dea said.
“The sort of reactions you always get if you don’t win a game, especially against a team we should be beating. “But then perspective kicks in. “You realise that you’ve got another chance to put it right in the next game, which is Dumbarton tomorrow. Qualifying from the group is the aim. That hasn’t changed.
“You have to stay as level-headed when you win a few games as when you lose a few. We’ve drawn at East Fife and lost on penalties. There’s no crisis, believe me.
“Every game either adds or takes away from your reputation.
“The manager has built a decent side here and we’re expected to beat teams from lower leagues.
“It doesn’t just happen, though. You have to play well, work hard, all the usual stuff.
“I grew up at Celtic where you were always only one game away from a crisis. That’s football these days.
“As players we know where we are and how hard we’ve worked in pre-season.”
Supporter disappointment at Methil neither surprised nor perturbed the former Celtic man.
“Fans travel and pay their money,” he said.
“If you don’t beat East Fife and you get booed you have to accept it and take it. It’s not a big deal.
“We were certainly disappointed in ourselves.
“We want to qualify but it is what it is. It’s still very early in the season and we’d played only two 90 minutes before that.”
O’Dea is a fan of the revamped League Cup format.
“We’ve played Dumbarton and Alloa in friendlies and I certainly prefer to play games that mean something,” he pointed out.
“We’re not going into these cup games using them as a pre-season and to get fit.
“People have been crying out for change in Scottish football and any time it comes there are plenty of people lining up to kick it and criticise it.
“I’m certainly all for it and happy to give it a go. “I enjoyed playing for something.” The balancing act of getting ready for the Premiership campaign while making sure cup results are secured is a testing one for managers.
Paul Hartley said: “We are not taking this competition lightly. We want to win the game to get through the group.
“It’s our first home game so we want to put a good performance in. Making sure the home form is good this season is one of our aims.
“The time of year means it’s a balancing act. Everyone is in the same position because you are still a few weeks behind where you’d want to be.
“The competition is good. There is no problem with the schedule of it but managers want to get minutes into people.”
The manager has built a decent side here and we’re expected to beat teams from lower leagues. DARREN O’DEA