The following is an excellant article by the Sunday Times Reporter Simon Buckman
Dario Bonetti has seen an ugly side to Scottish
football during his time as assistant to his brother at
Dens Park
March 11 2001
FOOTBALL: SCOTLAND
AS DOUBLE ACTS go, they are certainly doubles of each other. He might have a taller frame, but Dario Bonetti has the same angular features as Ivano, his brother. The perception of Dundee's management team as contrasting characters stems from the former's still limited grasp of English. It is assumed he is a quieter, more withdrawn figure than his often outspoken brother, although nobody has got round to finding out. Once you do so, the realisation is almost immediate. They are different, but the same.
At their former club, Sestrese in Italy, it was Dario, the elder by three years, who was manager, but at Dens Park the roles are reversed. The reason is simple enough. It was Ivano to whom Dundee offered the job. Renewing a partnership which saw them play together at Juventus and Sampdoria, Dario was promptly made his assistant. "I was the obvious choice," he says, with Dario Magri, the club co-ordinator, translating, "but Ivano is the manager. I'm only supporting him."
That support extended to clinching the signing of Claudio Caniggia. The Argentinian knew Ivano, but the longer-standing friendship was with Dario, a Verona teammate more than a decade ago. With friends like that, it is tempting to think Dundee can hardly fail - but to date, although richly entertaining, results have been poor. Of the 14 SPL games Caniggia has started, Dundee have lost nine. Being worse for his inclusion almost constitutes an achievement. They are outside the Premier League's top six and in midweek exited the Scottish Cup at home to Hearts.
The older of the two Bonettis is not short of theories as to what has gone wrong. At first, he is reluctant to expand on his views through fear of invoking controversy, but he soon relaxes and opens up old wounds. It is as though he has been waiting to give his verdict and, presented with that opportunity, can delay no longer. He cares too much to keep his counsel.
Bonetti received a three-month touchline ban in October last year for his furious reaction to the injury sustained by Fabian Caballero during the previous month's Dundee derby. The tackle on the Argentine forward, a joint effort between Kevin McDonald and Jason de Vos of United, is the root cause of Bonetti's concerns. A former defender himself, he has no objections to tackles being hard, if they are fair. Right now, he contends, the ball players are being forced out of the game here by those who play the man.
When he first alludes to his grievance, Bonetti is cagey. "We've had a lot of external problems, but cannot talk about these, because it would mean attacking sections of the game in this country and that doesn't help anyone," he says. He continues to repeat that he doesn't want to talk about it, but keeps mentioning it regardless.
When asked if he means a lack of financial clout, he finally hits out. "No, no, no. Money isn't the most important factor. In football, you can work with money or with contacts. Dundee have spent zero in transfer fees. People say we have spent a lot. We haven't spent a penny in transfer fees, yet we have quality players.
"The problem is of a different nature. International players should really be more respected here. You cannot apply your own rules as to how you treat them and then expect they [referees] will accept that in Europe, because that's not the case. Maybe the attitude of the footballers is a problem, especially towards the big names."
Is Scottish football too physical? "I don't think it's that. If you went around the world you'd find more physical games, or faster games, or more technically gifted. More than anything, it's an excessively hard way of play bordering on illegal, which goes beyond it when you go into Europe."
Bonetti is in full swing now; no longer just looking, but also sounding like his brother. "The responsibility starts with us managers," he says, in an attack on Scottish coaching methods. "We should be the first ones to work on improving technical ability and physical fitness. We should do that rather than expect our players to go in on leg-breaking tackles - otherwise they're not up to our standard if they don't. The mentality of a player depends on what a manager teaches him."
At that, Magri's phone rings. Are the so-called Largs mafia bugging the place? While Magri deals with his call, Bonetti continues his argument in faltering English. "Rangers and Celtic are big teams," he says slowly. "The problem is in Europe it's not possible for their players to make these challenges, here it's possible."
Magri rings off and Bonetti returns to his native tongue. "It's a man's game. Hard tackles will fly in. It's where you've no chance of getting the ball but you go in and hurt the player. Those things must be punished. Our best player at the start of the season [Caballero] was written off for six months after a tackle in a dead part of the pitch there was no reason to make."
He wants increased SFA use of video evidence, because overseas-based players are rewinding the same footage. "We've struggled to convince international players to come across, because they said the little they've seen showed them they wouldn't be shown respect playing football."
It is more than a local complaint. "This must concern all the clubs. I've no problem with Scottish football being a physical game. It's the amount of people who end up in hospital for tackles which are nothing to do with football."
Yet while no Dundee player has made the kind of challenge which sidelined Cabellero, the only word to sum up their own disciplinary record of 10 red cards is undisciplined. Bonetti blames individual errors. He applies the same theory to the charge that just nine wins in their 28 League matches constitutes an under-achievement, even in a transitional year.
He highlights a late goal here and a harsh penalty there, but are the Bonettis missing wider trends? Their team gives the impression of having been built from front to back. Contrast Martin O'Neill's back-to-front way of doing things at Celtic. Dundee's back line is the kind their own forwards would probably enjoy playing against. In its defence, though, only Gavin Rae among the existing midfielders is anything other than attack-minded. Being positive can have a negative outcome.
Bonetti reckons too much is being expected too soon. Caniggia might have arrived; but as a team, Dundee haven't. Yet.
"The signing of a great player by itself won't change everything because a player needs a team to support him," he shrugs. "It'll take time. Being a close friend with Claudio was a major factor in him joining, but Ivano and I showed him our three-year plan and he liked it. He's taken it up wholeheartedly and knows he's a major part of it. He wants to come close to winning the League towards the end of the plan."
Will he stay that long? "Claudio is committed to staying at Dundee until the end of his contract. There have been rumours of Celtic and Rangers being interested and that's certainly no surprise. Claudio could still play for Juventus, AC Milan or Boca Juniors and do well there, but he's committed himself.
"Claudio is a champion on and off the pitch. His attitude to the game is right. He's very humble. He's put his roots in Dundee and is happy to stay until the end of the three years."
The Bonettis are not going anywhere either. The Marr brothers cannot abort their experiment now, nor should they. Under Jocky Scott, they could not be distinguished from too many of their rivals. Well-organised and well-run but, well, dull. At least Dundee are now living a little.
"Everything has been learned along the way - next year our identity will be shown a lot more," says Bonetti. He assures you he is more in control of his emotions than his brother, but when asked to compare himself to Ivano, finds only similarities. "My instinct is the same," he smiles. "My desire is the same."
simon.buckland