When Steve Simonsen first arrived at Dens last month, he certainly made a big first impression of top comic John Bishop.
The experienced keeper admits if he had a £1 for every time he had been compared to the Liverpudlian comedian he would be a very rich man.
However, he is just glad that he bears a striking resemblance to someone who is so popular and has raised millions for charity.
Simonsen, who has previously played for Everton, Stoke, Sheffield United and Preston, said: “The John Bishop thing is something I have had to carry round since he became famous.
“There is a bit of a likeness there and I get stopped everywhere particularly as I live down that way in Southport which is right in Merseyside so I get spotted a lot, getting asked, ‘Are you John Bishop?’.
“We have been in the same room together and we have given each other a few nervous glances. But I have also spoken to him a few times and he is a good lad.
“The Dundee lads clocked it straight away but the first person who mentioned it was Karen the physio, who said, ‘You look just like John Bishop!’
“If I had a £1 for every time I had heard that, I would be a rich man. But I don’t mind it as he is a good lad and popular. There are a lot worst people to look like than John Bishop.”
He may bear a resemblance to a comedian but the position Simonsen and the rest of the Dundee players currently find themselves in is no laughing matter.
Anything less than a win against second bottom St Mirren in Paisley today will see the Dark Blues rele-gated from the SPL. That is something Simonsen is refusing to contemplate.
He said: “It is three points or bust for us now really. We are desperate and we will carry that into Saturday. If we can get three points then the gap closes and we can take it into the next week.
“It would maybe put a wee bit of pressure on St Mirren.
“A few years back, I got relegated with Sheffield United from the Champion-ship to League One. It is not pretty or enjoyable but it is part and parcel of football and you sometimes have to experience these things to enjoy the highs in the game.
“I have had plenty of highs in my career and this would be one of them if we could manage the great escape.”
Simonsen admitted that having settled in at Dens and having had a chance to assess the qualities of his team-mates, he finds it hard to believe they are on the brink of being relegated.
He said: “Everyone at the club has been very welcoming. The lads have been great and I am really enjoying being here.
“To be honest, I am surprised they are in the position they are in. There is a lot of quality in the squad so I am a bit surprised that they are at the foot of the table.”
Dundee are set to advertise the manager’s position in the national press on Monday and while Simonsen would not be drawn on whether he believed interim boss John Brown should be awarded the job on a permanent basis, he did admit he felt Bomber had transformed the Dark Blues’ fortunes since taking over.
He said: “It’s not for me to say whether he should get the job permanently but on the face of it, things have definitely improved.
Dundee will be without the injured Davide Grassi, Stephen O’Donnell and Jamie McCluskey.