In recent years the only feeling a Pars fan would have after a game at Dens Park would be one of immense joy after, usually, picking up three points. So why oh why - after today's game - does it feel as though you've just returned from a hard day at work to find your missus in bed with your best mate?!
No passion, no fight and - most glaringly of all - no tactical awareness contributed to the Pars drifting head first into a relegation battle with a trio of jokers steering the ship.
It had been five years since Dunfermline had lost an SPL match at Dens, but second-half goals from Steve Lovell and Brent Sancho gave the Dark Blues all three points.
After a cagey opening by both teams, the visitors took the match by the scruff of the neck after nine minutes when Darren YOUNG struck a terrific right-footed shot powerfully into the corner of the net following an Andy Tod lay-off. It was Young's third goal of the season and the strike left Derek Soutar in the Dark Blues goal with no chance.
From this point on the Pars were well in control of the match, creating chances and shutting down struggling Dundee. The home side had a rare chance to get back on terms after 18 minutes, but goalscorer Young cleared Garry Brady's shot off the line following a corner.
The only threat to Dunfermline's lead came only from their own players as lack of discipline handed the initiative to Dundee on several occasions. The Dens Park side had a penalty claim turned down on the half-hour mark when Lee Wilkie hit the deck in the area. Dundee received a further blow when Wilkie was stretchered off just before the interval with a suspected recurrence of the knee injury which has allowed him to play just 12 times this season. While the home side were temporarily reduced to 10 men, Noel Hunt tried his luck from 20 yards out but his shot went wide.
Dundee began the second half more brightly with Lovell seeing his header collected by Derek Stillie in the opening seconds. And their fortunes began to turn 10 minutes into the half when they were awarded a penalty following a Scott Thomson hand-ball. LOVELL stepped up to take the spot-kick and fired it high into the roof of the net to level the scores.
With Dunfermline on the back foot, Dundee took the lead seven minutes later when substitute SANCHO poked the ball in from close range after the visitors conceded yet another free-kick.
The desperate Pars tried to claw back an equaliser in the closing minutes with Gary Mason striking the post and Scott Wilson sending a looping header just over the crossbar.
Followed by a fairly large travelling support the Pars once again failed to deliver and - had it not been for some good luck and laughable finishing from Tam 'poofy hair' McManus - a heavy defeat could well have been on the cards. In all honesty I've seen more fight at a peace meeting then I did from the Pars players today. When the second Dundee goal trickled in, the heads went down and Beavis and Butthead on the sidelines did sweet FA to rectify the situation.
Out-thought by a far superior manager, Davie Hay made his substitutions - the wrong ones I'd hasten to add - far too late and consequently made little or no impact on the game at all. Two wins in fourteen league games surely says it all. Hay and his cronies surely cannot carry on at this club!
When a change needs to made, Hay spends about twenty minutes fiddling about with his phone - trying to get a signal - before relaying his message to Kirkwood on the sidelines - is it just me or does anyone else have a recurring nightmare that Hay and Kirkwood's tactical phone conversations are somewhat similar to Blackadder and Darling's troubled telephone conversation in Blackadder Goes Forth, i.e. "Terrible line at my end..." "He's got a lion up his bottom??" etc, etc.
Ah well, that's another eighteen quid down the pan! I'm off to apply to go on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire...with all my winnings going towards the three stooges' severance pay!!!
Man Of The Match - SCOTT THOMSON - One of only a few Pars players that looked in control of their game. Desperately tried to raise the players' game throughout the ninety.
PARS - Stillie 5, Skerla 6, Campbell 5, Thomson 7, Wilson 7, Derek Young 6, Darren Young 5, Mason 5, Donnelly 7, (Hristov 5), Hunt 5, (Mehmet 5), Tod 5, (Christiansen) 4.