If visiting Ibrox has become a little wearisome for clubs of a certain size, somebody forgot to tell Gary Bowyer, the Dundee manager, who cannot disguise his excitement ahead of tomorrow’s Premier Sports Cup quarter-final tie against Rangers.
Dundee are big enough to have been regulars at Ibrox in recent years, but their last victory there was in 2001, since when they have lost all 14 games and conceded 44 goals in the process. While that kind of record can have a demoralising effect on supporters, Bowyer sees it as a thrilling, career-enhancing prospect.
He loves nothing better than the opportunity to test himself and his players against one of the country’s biggest clubs in one of its biggest stadia. It was the same in England, where he managed Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Bradford City and Salford City before joining newly-relegated Dundee in the summer.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “For me personally, it is going to be really exciting taking the team to one of the most iconic venues in football. I was fortunate as a manager at Blackburn when we went to play Manchester City and to Anfield. I took teams there as manager and that was really good for me personally and the group. It will be the same on Wednesday.”
Bowyer needs no reminding that it will be a huge task. He says his team must play the best game of their lives, take their chances and hope that Rangers — perhaps with a few youngsters thrown in — have an off day. “Put all that into the mix, say a couple of prayers, keep our fingers crossed and wear all the lucky things we’ve got … that’s the recipe we need.”
Bowyer’s previous giant-killing efforts have been commendable. Blackburn drew with Manchester City at Ewood Park before losing 5-0 at the Etihad in January 2014. More memorably, they drew 0-0 with Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool in an FA Cup quarter-final tie at Anfield the following season.
His team narrowly lost the replay, but they did themselves proud, especially in the first game. Bowyer recalls the 6,500-strong travelling support, as well as Liverpool’s front three — Raheem Sterling, Dean Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho. Had it not been for Simon Mignolet’s outstanding save, Alex Baptiste might have won it for the Championship side.
“It was an unbelievable experience. The year before Liverpool were going to win the Premier League, Steven Gerrard slipped and they lost it. Coming up against the quality and calibre of their squad was a challenge for our boys. I learned a hell of a lot. A number of players from that Blackburn team went on and played in the Premier League and had great careers there. Those experiences they went through were invaluable.
“That season in the cup we beat Stoke and Swansea, who were both in the Premier League, on the way to the quarter-finals. We used to say, ‘these are real good benchmarks to see how far you can go in the game’. If some of our lads have good displays on Wednesday night and back it up in the league then who knows where their careers can go? I am really looking forward to seeing how many of them step forward.”
Bowyer’s only previous visit to Ibrox was when he brought a Blackburn youth team north and took in a first-team game afterwards. While playing there will be a new experience, he needs no introduction to Rangers. Their kit manager, Jim McAlister, a former Dundee player, was his captain at Blackpool. And he got to know Billy Kirkwood, their loans chief, when Stephen Kelly was at Salford last season.
Bowyer’s Dundee team have been inconsistent this season. They are fourth in the Championship, three points off the pace with a game more played, but he has not been able to make his mark on the squad. Until last week, when he signed striker Derick Osei, his only permanent acquisition was Tyler French, a defender from Wrexham who has added pace to the side.
Even if Giovanni van Bronckhorst rotates his Rangers squad, they should have too much for Dundee. Bowyer laughs off suggestions that their opponents will be vulnerable, pointing out that their recent struggles have been mostly in the Champions League and that their last home game, a 7-1 thrashing by Liverpool, was thanks to the second-half introduction of Mo Salah and Diogo Jota.
It will be something new for Bowyer as he expands his managerial horizons, but he will not be treating Ibrox as a tourist destination, nor should his players. “No chance. What’s the point of saying ‘oh, yes, it’s just a day out’? It’s not. We’re competitors. I’m going to learn. I’m going to see, by the way they perform, how many of our lads think that [way]. How many of them stand up and say ‘we’ll have a right good go at this’. If the stars align, you never know.”
•Gary Bowyer was promoting Premier Sports’ live and exclusive coverage of Rangers v Dundee on Wednesday October 19 from 8.15pm. Premier Sports is available from £9.99 per month and is available on the following platforms — Sky, Virgin, Amazon Prime and the Premier Player.
