These are strange times to be playing football but there can be no excuses for Dundee’s massively disappointing defeat to Hearts.
When the Championship season started at Tynecastle last Friday night, there were no fans in the stands to see the home team make a statement with a 6-2 win.
What should have been a packed stadium was empty and instead of electric the atmosphere was eerie but that didn’t appear to bother the Hearts players as they went on to dominate the game.
Let’s be honest, it was a really sore one for Dundee.
Manager James McPake and every single player will be hurting because of the manner in which they lost the game.
This, of course, is a shortened season because of Covid-19 and every side would have been keen to hit the ground running.
Dundee would have been looking to put down a marker in the division, hoping to make those who had Hearts down as promotion certainties think again.
Sadly, for them and the rest of the Championship, Robbie Neilson’s men only showed why they are favourites by a mile for the title.
When you look at the match in hindsight, it was over by half-time.
I suppose a plus point for Dundee was the performance of Charlie Adam and, in particular, his excellent goal.
However, Hearts merely upped their game again after Adam’s strike went in.
In saying all that, it was the first league match and I know that the Dundee manager James McPake will be working so hard to get it right when Morton visit Dens on Saturday.
Before that, we at Arbroath welcome the Jam Tarts to Gayfield on Friday night so it’s over to us now to try to stop them.
Neilson has the experience of winning the title with Dundee United last season and will be looking forward to this campaign with justifiable confidence.
Hearts also have, as they showed at Tynecastle last week, real strength in depth in their squad.
Like Dundee, we had a disappointing loss away from home to kick off the campaign, our defeat coming at Raith Rovers.
We look forward to perhaps the toughest challenge this division can throw at you but I am sure we can raise our game for a home match against the promotion favourites.
It was pleasing, as a fellow goalkeeper, to see Benjamin Siegrist play so well for Dundee United against Aberdeen at Tannadice last weekend.
While the 0-0 draw may not have been a thriller to watch, I’m sure big Benji enjoyed it immensely.
I liked the look of him in the Championship last season and he now looks composed as he beds himself into the Premiership.
United have a good one there and he will be worth more than a few points to them this season.
There has been some understandable anxiety among Celtic fans following that poor performance in the 2-0 defeat to Rangers.
However, as someone who knows Neil Lennon, I can assure them that, as well as hurting badly, he will be using all his experience and ability to find a way of getting back on top in Old Firm games.
My message to worried supporters is: “Remember the last nine years.”
Celtic have shown the consistency required over that time and have always come through in the end.
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