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RAB DOUGLAS: Special memories of Pat Liney and why Mark Birighitti deserves longer to prove himself at Dundee United

Rab with Pat Liney.
Rab with Pat Liney.

It was such sad news that Pat Liney has passed away.

As two Dundee goalkeepers, we had a great relationship and the club got the mark of respect for Pat last Friday night spot on.

I also have to say that Gary Bowyer did as well.

He’s new to Dens Park but already you can see that he just ‘gets Dundee’.

I think they’ve got a good one this time.

He’s been a breath of fresh air.

Dundee manager Gary Bowyer lays a wreath in memory of Dundee legend Pat Liney.

I’ve got so many memories of Pat – too many to share in one column.

When our Deefiant team beat the ’62 side’s unbeaten run he was absolutely delighted – the first man into the dressing room to shake everybody’s hand.

In fact, more times than I can remember he was first in to do that.

Believe it or not, I’ve got a print of him he signed and put on it ‘to my hero’.

You can imagine how special that made me feel.

That’s a precious item of mine and another one is a painting that Debbie bought in a Hall of Fame auction of me and Pat going round the pitch at Dens.

His stories were amazing and he was a gentleman for Dundee Football Club as well as so many people’s hero.


A few folk were drawing parallels between Dundee United’s second leg collapse in the Netherlands and the Scotland play-off defeat I was part of under Berti Vogts.

You can understand why.

I don’t think our game was as one-sided as last Thursday’s, mind you.

Mark Birighitti is under the spotlight.

Again you can understand why because of the number of goals he’s conceded – not just in Alkmaar but at Tynecastle as well.

He’ll be disappointed with a few of them but this is a guy who kept a clean sheet in the first leg at Tannadice.

The nature of being a goalie is hero to zero.

Beleaguered: Mark Birighitti has endured a tough week.

It’s a lonely place when you get games like that, believe me.

They’ll be working on building his confidence back up.

I got slaughtered after Amsterdam and I don’t think there were many defenders coming out to say ‘I could have done a bit better’.

Defenders should be stopping crosses and stopping shots.

The message will be – don’t try and be a super hero in your next few games.

He’ll be looking to get a run of games without making big mistakes.

I’m assuming Jack Ross has signed this goalie so he’ll have faith in him.


Jon McLaughlin has always been a steady goalkeeper – and he made a couple of important saves to give Rangers a chance of making it into the Champions League group stage.

He’s played enough now to have a good feel for what being a goalie there is all about.

But I don’t think many would have predicted at the end of last season that Allan McGregor would hang around for another year to be a back-up.

It will be very interesting to keep an eye on that situation if McLaughlin keeps getting picked for the big games.

Nobody who has been a number one for as long as McGregor is going to be happy with life as a number two.

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