The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Empty grounds a real turn-off for Reynolds
Dundee United skipper Mark Reynolds admits he’s gutted the Tangerines aren’t able to share their top-tier adventure with their fans.
United, who were promoted to the top flight after winning the Championship last season, have performed in front of an empty Tannadice, and on the road at the likes of Ibrox and Parkhead, throughout this term.
The 33-year-old said: “You can only speak from your experience and I’ve certainly missed having the fans there. I don’t mind getting told by some supporters
I’m absolutely terrible, I just get on with it, but with some players it really does affect their game.
“Games here, like the derbies last season, you could feel the noise and the crowd lifting you. As players we get a lift in energy and that’s definitely gone.
“One of the biggest things is celebrating with the crowd, running over to them and feeling that lift of the whole stadium losing it and you don’t have that.
“Even just interacting with the fans, which I’ve always enjoyed doing, going to dinners or events and having a chat with the kids.”
Dundee United skipper Mark Reynolds says the players are missing playing in front of big crowds following their return to the Premiership.
United, who were promoted to the top flight after winning the Championship last season, have performed in front of an empty Tannadice, and on the road at the likes of Ibrox and Parkhead, throughout this term.
Currently sitting seventh, despite lacking that crucial backing, centre-half Reynolds admits he’s gutted the Tangerines aren’t able to share their top-tier adventure with the Arabs.
The 33-year-old said: “You can only speak from your experience and I’ve certainly missed having the fans there. I don’t mind getting told by some supporters I’m absolutely terrible, I just get on with it, but with some players it really does affect their game.
“Games here, like the derbies last season, you could feel the noise and the crowd lifting you.
“As players we get a lift in energy and that’s definitely gone.
“One of the biggest things is celebrating with the crowd, running over to them and feeling that lift of the whole stadium losing it and you don’t have that.
“Even just interacting with the fans, which I’ve always enjoyed doing, going to dinners or events and having a chat with the kids.
“Whereas now it’s limited. It’s completely different and, for me, I don’t see any benefit of not having crowds.
“I miss the buzz, even just bringing my kids to the games, that’s what football is for me and it’s completely gone this season.”
With champions Celtic heading to the City of Discovery on Sunday and Aberdeen the week after, not having a sell-out crowd inside Tannadice to spur them on will pain the Terrors.
However, Reynolds believes the lack of a biggame atmosphere against Scottish football’s top clubs when on the road works the other way, something he noticed in United’s 4-1 defeat at Rangers last month.
Reynolds continued: “People talk about the 12th man and all that but those cliches are all true – that’s why people repeat them so often.
“It’s a massive advantage having the crowd.
“Playing at Ibrox the other week, I think we started really well, our front three were causing them problems and we had two great chances.
“Rangers are getting to the stage of the season where there was a nervousness about them when they were getting that close to winning the title.
“Rangers will win the league comfortably, but there was still that feeling of ‘we just need to get over the line, it’s been so long’.
“When there’s 50,000 or 60,000 fans at the game you feel that on the pitch and the players would’ve felt that.
“That wasn’t there and it’s a huge advantage to the visitors. I’ve played at Parkhead or Ibrox and you walk out and the noise physically hits you in the chest, it’s that noisy.
“For me, I love that, you feel the adrenaline but there’s some boys who, literally, you see the colour drain from their face and you think ‘Aw naw’.”
As for their own expectations following promotion, Reynolds insists finishing in the top six was always an achievable aim for the Tangerines.
It does seem a tough ask, with two games remaining until the split and St Mirren four points ahead of United in sixth, but you get the sense of feeling from Reynolds they won’t give up without a fight.
The captain added: “For me, coming up and getting promoted, was just about trying to do as well as we could.
“We knew we had a good squad but how was it going to hold up against all these other teams?
“It’s hard because you don’t want to be disrespectful to the league or the teams but I didn’t feel as though we had any fear – and I feel I can say that as a guy that’s played 500 professional games in Scotland in the top flight, .
“Top six, for me, was always achievable and I think the season’s panned out that way.
“Everybody is beating everybody, apart from Rangers who are absolutely unassailable this season, they’ve been a different animal.
“Take Rangers out of it, everybody else has dropped points, everybody has been beaten and, on your day, you can beat anybody. It’s been a really tight league.”
“Games here, like the derbies last season, you could feel the noise and the crowd lifting you