Darren has found his heart at Dens Park
THE old adage states that home is where the heart is.
After a long search, Darren O’Dea reckons he has finally found his at Dens Park.
Dundee’s patchwork stadium doesn’t seem the most-obvious endpoint to the Dublin-born stopper’s journey.
After being released by boyhood heroes Celtic in 2012, O’Dea embarked on an epic round-theworld jaunt.
The 30-year-old sampled life with MLS side Toronto, Ukrainian Premier League outfit Metalurh Donestsk, Blackpool of the English Championship and, finally, megabucks Indian Super League side Mumbai City. He never settled. But now, 12 months into a threeyear deal at Dundee, the globetrotting Irishman insists that, for the first time since his Celtic days, he knows what it means to care about a club.
“It was never the plan to stay, so it’s testament to Dundee that I wanted to remain here,” said O’Dea.
“I’ve no doubt I made the right decision. I’m on a three-year deal and that was the main thing.
“I’ve done enough jaunting around the world. I want to settle down.
“I think it has helped me a lot. I’ve done a lot more than just come back and play, I’ve taken a lot to do with the club.
“I feel a lot of responsibility here and that’s something I enjoy.
“It’s the first time in my career, being older, that I’ve cared. I care about the younger players coming through, I care about the club and I’ve not really had that since I left Celtic, where it matters to me so much.”
O’Dea is candid about experiences abroad.
His travels – particularly in poverty-stricken India and wartorn Ukraine – have given him a valuable perspective on life.
But the Dundee star concedes that in football terms, he was mentally and emotionally detached.
“You don’t belong. It’s a job,” he said.
“I loved doing it, seeing different
his parts of the world. But, in all honesty, I was floating through.
“I was never going to be a lifelong fan of Metalurh Donetsk.
“I enjoyed the experiences, but you are just a player picking up a wage. When I left that was it. Done.
“Here, I feel a belonging. I feel responsible to a lot of people.”
At 30, O’Dea is at a point in his career where he is ready for that responsibility.
But having been dubbed “experienced” in his early 20s by then-Reading boss Brendan Rodgers, he has been shouldering a heavier burden than others his age for years.
O’Dea joked: “I have to keep reminding people I’m not old!
“I signed for Reading under Brendan Rodgers and I was brought in as ‘experience’ – I was just 22.
“I went to Toronto and was called a veteran. I was 25.
“Maybe it’s the way I carry myself. But I’ve always been thought of as an experienced player, even when I wasn’t.”
On Rodgers, whose Celtic side O’Dea will line up against today, he said: “I wish I’d worked with him when I was a bit older.
“He was fantastic even then. But I’d love to have taken in more.
“He was immaculate, the way he trained. I speak to lads at Celtic now. I know how it is – it’s perfect. There’s a real method to everything.
“He’s also a fantastic guy, someone you want to work for, so it’s no surprise to me how well he’s done.”
Dundee’s campaign may have been up-and-down. But in Paul Hartley, O’Dea reckons they have a boss who sets big-club demands.
And while a top-six place is still in sight, they will keep battling to snatch it.
“The club before had certain standards before – the manager has brought in completely new ones,” he said.
“Just because you’re not at Celtic, just because you don’t have their facilities, their budget, doesn’t mean you don’t work as hard.
“I’ve listened to Brendan a lot, and I’ve heard our manager say the same – football is 24/7. If you want to be a good footballer now, you need to live it.
“If you’re not in the team, you need to do extra and I see the same work ethic between them both.”