Pattullo Recalls Dee-lights of San Siro

The Canny Man's. An Edinburgh institution, the kind of pub you either love or hate. It's a hostelry where the landlord allegedly ups the prices at Christmas and any festive frivolities are positively discouraged.

If the bar staff like the cut of your jib you get a wee dish of mini sausage rolls with your pint or a handful of peanuts and if you are really part of the in-crowd you can reserve a table in the bar for your leisurely quaffing.

So I popped in the other night to meet Daily Record hack Lynn Davidson for an after work swifty. La Davidson used to live round the corner and the Canny's bar takings must have suffered after she moved away.

But it was the other journo in the bar who caught my eye, the affable and urbane Alan Pattullo, sports writer with The Scotsman. I've always liked big Alan because, despite being a Dundee supporter and quite proud to admit it, I've always got the impression he has a soft spot for the Hibs.

We got chatting on his way out and it turns out his follically-challenged and equally urbane drinking partner with the familiar face was Patrick Barclay, the Sunday Telegraph football columnist and fitba telly pundit.

Patrick was visiting Edinburgh for a few days as he runs down his time at the ST before taking up the Chief Football Commentator post at The Times. Being the nosey sort I wondered what the connection was and it turns out Patrick, who earns his crust following the cream of European football, is also a follower of The Dark Blues.

Mr Pattullo explains: "Patrick was born in Dundee, went to Dundee High and like me supports Dundee. Dundee were the only team in town in those days I guess.
It's funny how I got to know him which was because of an article he did for the Independent in 1987. It was headlined "Dundee's street of shared fame" and appeared on the morning of the Dundee United v Gothenburg UEFA Cup final second leg and has pride of place on the first page of my first Dundee scrapbook.

"Basically, in the article he tells United fans to stop crowing, cos our European history was just as illustrious at the time. I liked his style! I then introduced myself to him at an Inter Milan v Manchester United Champions League game at the San Siro in 1999 and that's how we became friends."

Alan could have stopped there but he felt the need to tell me The Dee suffer from almost as bad a Scottish Cup hoodoo as the Cabbage - they last won it in 1910 (us 1902).

And from dreaming of past glories at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, (cap 80,018) Pattullo was brought back down to earth on Wednesday when he took up his position on the press bench - at glorious Glebe Park (cap 3960) for the Brechin City v St Mirren Scottish Cup tie. That'll teach 'im.