Blakemans View: Calm Before a stormer from Rae

By Matty Blakeman
September 21 2002

Another Edition of Matty Blakemans excellent article Blakemans View. This week highlighting what Gavin Rae could do tomorrow. It highlights Gavin Raes spell as a player through at dens. Can Gavin score tomorrow what does Matt think?

Calm before a stormer from Rae? 

Ah well another week passes by in the life of what is commonly known as Dundee Football Club. And what is there to report of? All is quiet on the transfer front as will probably be the case for a number of months. Our worst showing of the season has just passed us by in a boring game at Partick while this weekend we attempt to keep Chick Young et all happy with goals of any kind though many would prefer if they came from Celtic. More on that later. Instead, it has come to my attention that a certain midfielder seems to be bringing an end to a bad patch in his play extending to years rather than months. It’s the man who comes second to Eoin Jess in terms of being referred to as a youngster by the media for the longest period of time, Gavin Rae. 

Our undeserved equalizer at Firhill brought the second goal in a few days for Rae and has gained us valuable points under Duffy. So what is it that has been missing from Gav’s game for all these many games? Effort? Never. It’s all too easy to see how badly he wants this team to do well through his sheer disappointment whenever he misplaces a pass. He plays for the shirt, even if he doesn’t play very well at times. Confidence is something that quite possibly could be called in to question. Even the cockiest of players can lose belief if they have a few stinkers in succession. This is what makes Rae’s recent goals all the more vital. Hopefully, this can spark more sharpness into him and he can take us to the brim of our seats with his unstoppable runs through the centre of midfield, showing the type of power that very few in this country can match. Bouncing back to form has never been a problem for Gavin who was initially introduced to the team many moons ago under Jim Duffy ironically. However, he was ignored under the reign of “Cowboy” McCormack and had to spend over a year out of the side before being brought back to the side by Jocky Scott where, for me, he produced his best form in our first two seasons in the S.P.L. He had to make his way into the side again after being initially left out of Ivano’s plans when he first joined over 2 years ago. It was then that he turned from into the £10m man in what was possibly the pinnacle of Ivano’s many “Ivano-esque” comments. Scotland caps followed before Vogts left him out. When Berti was about his first Scotland squad, I didn’t think that Gav deserved to be in it. When I ended up seeing the squad however, nuff said. And now, hopefully, it could well be safe to say that Gavin Rae is back to form.

Rae’s best will definitely be needed this Sunday as we take on Celtic. When I started typing this article, I was thinking that there wasn’t much of a better time to play the champs than now due to their defeat to Motherwell and close victory over a poor Hibs side not to mention a dry spell in front of goal from Mr Larsson. However I have just been informed that Celtic just won the European tie 8-1 with Henrik scoring a hat trick. Mind you, if FC Suduva can score against them…. who knows? Thankfully, Nemsadze will return to the side after missing the Partick game and, by all accounts, will be badly needed following the side’s performance. Prediction time and I believe that, with Nemsadze, this Dundee side has the strength to beat either half of the Old Firm. 1-0 The Dee. No surprises in me seeing 3 goals in as many games for Super-Gav.