Dens Derby

[Spiritof62]

After watching today's Semi Final, we should give the Dabs an absolute hammering.

They are a very, very poor side with a leaky defence, very little goal threat and a wing nut for a manager.

There can be no excuses for not winning this game.

[Prince Buster]

We'll lose 2-1 then.

[Cobra]

Since the last derby we've beaten Premiership opposition three times. The dabs have won six times against Premiership teams in that time.

I don't think we'll do our team any favours by expecting them to win this derby at a canter. We're capable of battering them but it's probably going to be a tight game with chances at both ends.

[Spiritof62]

The only way they should win this is if we do not put in as much effort as them.

[Pablothedee]

Hemmings and Loy will run riot against a defensive pairing of Demel and Dillon if Donaldson's out with his injury.

Any of these Get Doon foam fingers kicking aboot 🤔

[Cobra]

There's a good chance our Premiership status for next season will be confirmed two days before the derby when Killie visit Hamilton. You have to wonder what kind of effect that will have on our players. A few of them are bound to be thinking 'job done' and looking ahead to the summer.

[TheWhiteCafu]

After watching today's Semi Final, we should give the Dabs an absolute hammering.

They are a very, very poor side with a leaky defence, very little goal threat and a wing nut for a manager.

There can be no excuses for not winning this game.

There's not a single player in their squad I'd have in our starting 11. Demel is clearly a decent footballer but the fact he requires a ventilator after 15 minutes holds him back. 

We should be able to give them a doing in a packed stadium. But given our previous with big games this season I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up bottling it. 

[deefly78]

We are bottlers and I can see us losing the Derby but I fingers crossed we don't

[Cobra]

Bit harsh to say we're bottlers. We didn't turn up at Ibrox and NDP and had a couple of shockers at Parkhead and Dingwall but generally we've been very competitive all season.

[8utters]

I get the feeling that the players know how much this games means to us (and them). It's so much more than just another derby, this game could define the next decade or 2 for football in the city. PH needs to ensure every single player is focused on giving a complete performance, like no other under his time with us. 

They are due the mother of all hidings from us, we have waited a long long time for a chance like this. Let's take it.

[WoodStein]

Spiritof62, on 16 Apr 2016 - 6:16 PM, said:

The only way they should win this is if we do not put in as much effort as them.

That scenario should not be a surprise to us.

The bits of the semi I saw, I can see the point of your original post, I wonder if two poorer sides have contested a Scottish Cup semi before? Both sides were very poor & inaccurate in their passing, and possession was usually given away rather than won.

As for the tactics, I had to laugh at a centre-back playing left-back, with Dixon on the bench, after having just read his Courier interview. Half an hour in, with the out-of-position player being roasted by Hibs right wing & full-back, Dixon's brought on. Then another centre-back wants to come off (I think he was tired!), gets told to stay on when he's already half-way to his seat. The sub isn't ready, the manager throws a tantrum, the player going off tells him to get tae f***, while the commentators chuckle in disbelief. Will Donaldson follow Gunning into gardening leave on Monday?

I think Andy Walker's comment about a clearly unhappy dressing room has to be a slight understatement! Between this & the repeat interviews with leading players, mentioning people who "don't want to be there", you have clear hints of a shambolic situation that is never going to produce what they need.

All this & yet more hilarity from "the new fun"  ......yet a lot of us still have genuine doubts that our players will turn up on May 2nd with the right attitude  . This should never, ever, be the case for any derby.....nothing less than 100% from every player is acceptable. 

[blueboy]

We are not bottlers any more than any other team. We do ok in big games.