Have Dundee been outmanoeuvred in the furore over the twice-postponed Rangers game at Dens?
Have they fallen foul of more than just a waterlogged pitch?
Cynics might ask if the Dark Blues are caught up in politics which may have, inadvertently, given Rangers the best possible chance of winning the Premiership title.
After all, when it comes to influence and power in the corridors of power at Hampden, the Dark Blues will undoubtedly wield far less than the Light Blues.
First midweek mystery
There’s no denying the Dens pitch is a disaster area.
But as The Courier’s Marc Deanie and Craig Cairns posited, why after the initial Sunday March 17 match was postponed wasn’t the rearranged game set for Wednesday April 3, the first available midweek date in the Premiership calendar after the international break?
Three days after the first postponement, the SPFL announced the game was re-scheduled for a week later on Wednesday April 10.
Courier Sport reported: “A key SPFL leadership figure recommended the postponed fixture be played at the first available midweek date, April 3, in keeping with this individual’s default approach to such situations.
“However, at the request of one of the two clubs involved, the issue was escalated to SPFL board level where it was then decided the game would take place on Wednesday April 10.”
With Rangers battling for the title with Celtic, an April 3 game at Dens offered a tough away trip just days before their Old Firm clash at Ibrox.
Fortuitously, though, that was avoided, giving them extra rest time.
Questions aside over whether the Dens pitch would’ve been fit for that match, the rearranged date gave Gers the best possible chance of being fresh for the Celtic game.
All that said, Dundee must tackle the pitch situation as soon as the season ends.
‘Absence of authority’
Club secretary Eric Drysdale, in a Sky Sports interview, cited “climate change” as he was quizzed about the five postponed matches at Dens this season.
Now unless Judith the weather at BBC Scotland can point to the existence of a micro climate in Tannadice Street which renders Dens Park a monsoon flood plain, while 100 yards down the road Tannadice enjoys Mediterranean conditions, Dundee would be better avoiding meteorological speculation.
They should simply take justified criticism on the chin.
However, the club secretary isn’t the man to put up for such interviews; that should have fallen to John Nelms the managing director.
He’s the man with day-to-day control and oversight of all off field matters at Dens Park.
John has to take a more forceful approach in defending the club when it’s under attack and he also has to admit when he’s got things wrong.
His approach to standing up for the Dens side and its fans has to be more robust. He has to fight their corner harder.
Going AWOL at crucial times – such as in the aftermath of the call-off – displays an absence of authority.
A constant criticism from Dark Blues fans I know is the lack of communication from the managing director and that is a major PR gaffe.
He needs to communicate much more openly with Dundee supporters because without them there is no club.
Stadium caution
Ahead of their desired move to Camperdown I understand the reluctance to sink any more money into Dens Park.
But the new stadium proposal still faces hurdles, planning and otherwise, before it’s anywhere near a certainty.
In the here and now, failing to invest in the pitch has caused the club deep embarrassment with a hefty fine from the SPFL probably on the way.
At a time when they’ve put a very entertaining team on the pitch playing enjoyable football, Dundee should simply tell fans they plan to rip it up and start again.
One national newspaper suggested that Dundee should be thrown out of the Premiership if they can’t provide a top pitch for the top competition.
That’s a ludicrous over reaction.
But until they tackle the issue as Motherwell and St Johnstone had to previously with their tattie field pitches, those kind of criticisms will only grow louder.
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