COLIN HENDRY believes his career could easily have a Made In Dundee tag on it.
The former Scotland captain enjoyed a superb playing spell and Premier League glory at Blackburn Rovers, Treble joy at Rangers, and a World Cup finals with the national team.
Colin Hendry won a Treble in his first season at Rangers[/caption]
The all-action defender also won the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers[/caption]
But he insists he would have been a different player if not for four years at Dundee[/caption]
But Hendry will never forget starting out at Dens Park in 1983, after stepping up from Highland League outfit Keith.
It’s where he feels the qualities that served him so well over 20 years with the boots on were instilled in him.
Hendry, 59, would be thrilled if Tony Docherty’s Dark Blues beat Hearts in the Scottish Cup, and go all the way to Hampden glory in May.
He said: “Dundee will always be a special club for me.
“My late wife Denise came from the city. I met her just not long after I signed for them back in 1983.
“Don Mackay signed me, Archie Knox took over, and then Jocky Scott came in and he sold me to Blackburn.
“At Dens it was four years of, well, I don’t think they would get away with it these days, but it’s how it was back in the day! It stood me in good stead though.
“It really was an education and you sank or swam.
“I saw a lot of players, great footballers, who just couldn’t handle the pressures of becoming a professional.
“I was 16 or 17 in the first pre-season. The digs I had at the top of the Hilton in Dundee, you had to go down two or three steps to then come back up to get in.
“After the third or fourth day of pre-season, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t walk down three steps to go back up three steps. I physically could not do it!
“It was just running all the time. But it gave you the basis of conditioning to move on and be better. Without realising and knowing at the time, I would have said those four years at Dens gave me what I needed for the rest of my career.
“I went to Blackburn as a free spirit, a centre-half or striker, and not a care in the world. I just went and played.
“I played my first game against Ipswich in the semi- final of the Full Members Cup, we beat them 3-0. Then three weeks later I was in a the final at Wembley in which I scored the winner from defence.
“Then the following Saturday we played West Brom at home and I played as a striker.
“My attitude was, ‘Play me wherever you want, it’s not a problem’.”
On Dundee’s chances of winning the Cup for the first time in 115 years, Hendry added: “It would be great. I played in the infamous Dundee v Hearts league game in 1986 alongside Jim Duffy.
“I was up against Sandy Clark and there was a penalty incident.
“Then wee Albert Kidd came off the bench for us and scored his famous brace.
“Celtic also had to beat St Mirren at Love Street to win the title, which they did.
“Dundee’s a special place in my career. There were no apprenticeships or full professionals in those days, it was the young lads and first-teamers.
“We just had to muck in with the chores that were needing done. It didn’t matter if you were 16 or 20, if you were a young lad that’s how it was.
“It also didn’t matter if you were a first-team player, you did your bit. But it’s all changed these days.”
*Colin Hendry was promoting Premier Sports’ live and exclusive coverage of Hearts v Dundee from 7.15pm on Premier Sports 1. Watch Premier Sports via your TV provider on Sky, Virgin TV, STV Player and Amazon Prime as an add-on subscription, and on the Premier Sports’ streaming platform.
Hendry hopes for a win for Dundee in the live Scottish Cup semi on Premier Sports[/caption]
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