Daly aims to fight the flak with firepower
THERE was a time when Dundee United fans used to ur g e each other to ‘put their hands up’ for Jon Daly. One imagines the words and gestures towards the Irish striker might be a little different today.
Around 12,000 supporters of the Tannadice club will file into Ibrox to back their side in a seismic Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers.
Spearheading the opposition attack will be a man who helped United win the tournament in 2010 and who bullied his current employers into submission when the sides met in last season’s fifth round.
Daly is realistic enough to know that past achievements only matter to a certain point when there is so much at stake in the present day. And he is adamant he will not be cowed if the flak starts to fly from the United contingent.
‘It is part and parcel of it,’ said the 31-year- old. ‘I have said many a time that I had six-and-ahalf great years there and it was just the right time to move on.
‘I have really enjoyed this year and I am ready for anything that comes my way.
‘I am sure there will be one or two supporters with something to say, but that is part of the banter fans bring to the game.
‘I just hope I can feed off whatever abuse I get, respond to it in the right way and put Rangers through to the Scottish Cup Final.’
What, though, if it is Daly who actually nets the goal that delivers redemption for Ally McCoist’s men after the bitter disappoint ment of last weekend’s Ramsdens Cup Final?
Will he celebrate with abandon? Or will he follow the oft-seen modern path of players ‘respecting’ their former clubs with a static response?
‘I have had a few people ask me that question and I don’t know,’ said Daly. ‘I have a lot of respect for Dundee United and for Craig Levein and Peter Houston, t he people who brought me to the club, and the chairman (Stephen Thompson).
‘He probably doesn’t get on particularly well with Rangers but I have got time for him. He is a good fella and I have quite a good relationship with him.
‘I wouldn’t want to try to rub anyone up the wrong way but I am going out to try to get myself and my team-mates through to a Scottish Cup Final.
‘ Who i s to say that the emotions won’t take over if I score a 92nd-minute winner? It is a difficult one. I honestly don’t know if I will or I won’t. I have to score first.’
‘I won’t be going out to wind people up because I still have a lot of respect for the club and the boys still there, but I’ll be going out to do everything I can to help the team-mates I have now, the manager and everyone at the club get a day out for ourselves at a Scottish Cup Final.’
Rangers badly need a credible performance against United. The outrage from fans in t he wake of t heir extra-time defeat to Raith Rovers at Easter Road was intense and has lingered.
To those who only arrived last s u mmer, it was a stinging reminder of the consequences of failure at Ibrox.
‘The manager spoke to us when we signed and said expectations here are massive,’ said Daly.
‘We saw that with the backlash that came when we dropped our first couple of points to Stranraer on Boxing Day. It’s not acceptable to be beaten and we will do everything we can to win. ‘ We ’ r e massively disappointed to lose a cup final but we need to get over it as quickly as we can and this is a good game to try to get back into it. We feel we’re more than capable of winning.
‘We didn’t take our chances last Sunday. We didn’t play particularly well but still had the lion’s share of possession. They scored from the rebound from their first shot on target, so it was frustrating for everyone and I can understand the reaction.
‘There was disappointment and frustration on the f ans’ part — and everything that they felt, we felt too. ‘I don’t think their expectation levels should come down. This is a fantastic club with great history and it is up to the players to go out there and make sure that expectation level is matched.’