In any other city, asking a squad of professional footballers to run the gauntlet between their own stadium and that of their rivals – on matchday, no less – would inspire some curious looks, if not a mutiny.
But the city of Dundee is unique, in many ways. And no more so than in the idiosyncrasies that are an integral part of the derby between its two football teams.
The close proximity of the city’s two stadiums is the stuff of football legend. As everyone knows, Dens Park and Tannadice are separated only by a small stretch of Sandeman Street. Long ago, therefore, a tradition was born where the ‘away’ side would congregate at their own ground before simply strolling along the road to take on their rivals.
There are no luxury coaches dropping the players in an underground car park here. The wearing of oversized headphones, which seem to act as blinkers to the pampered stars of the English Premier League as they routinely blank their supporters, is discouraged.
So, for those who have been a part of it and made that walk among the fans themselves, the distinct Dundee experience that makes this derby so special, their advice to the players of the present day is to simply drink it in.
When Mixu Paatelainen arrived in the city mind you, and saw just how close the two stadiums were, he admits that particular discovery - along with finding out he would be expected to walk up to Dens Park - was a bit of a culture shock.
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“Obviously, it's very surprising first of all that the stadiums are so close to each other, that was quite bizarre to me,” Paatelainen said.
“In Europe, if that was the case, they would share the same stadium. It was quite strange coming in.
“If you think about it though, using a bus would be ridiculous to get from Tannadice to Dens. The walk makes it unique and makes it different.
“You go to your own stadium, you have a pre-match meeting over there and then you walk across and get changed. I don't think it happens anywhere else. I'd be very surprised if it happens anywhere else.
“It is just a thing for this derby, and it is quite strange actually, because normally away games, you're always on the bus, you go to the hotel, pre-match meal or whatever and then you jump on the bus again, you arrive at the stadium. But this away fixture you walk into the stadium from your own stadium, which is funny.”
“Oh aye,” he laughed in his lilting twang, which is as much Hilltown these days as it is Helsinki.
“Right when you walk out, the fans would be there, and they are expecting us. You walk across the road, and you get the stick and all that.
“It's part and parcel of the derby. I think that is all great, as long as it doesn't go overboard. I think it's great to have the banter and to get stick from the opposition fans. You get stick, no question but it's within the limit. That's what I like about it. It's great.
“You are totally open for banter when you walk those 200 yards. And then back again, of course!
You wouldn’t want to do that if you had lost, but it was always the right side of the line.”
You might not think that home advantage would count for so much when the away ground is just a short stroll away, but for Paatelainen, there is no doubt that it does.
“It was a totally different dynamic,” he said.
“Dens Park was always difficult for us. It was a very difficult place to go to. We got more success in the derbies at Tannadice, though we had our victories at Dens Park as well, but it was always difficult.
“They were a good team. In those days, the matches were always very even.”
Even for a Scot from outside the city, the peculiarities of the Dundee derby, and the whole idea of walking to the opposition ground, was a bit of an eye opener.
Firmly entrenched now as a favourite on the dark blue side of the city, James McPake admits it was something of an eyebrow raiser, even for him, when he was told he would be strolling down to Tannadice through the crowds milling around in the build-up to his first away derby.
“Never mind the foreign boys, it was a surprise to us at the start as well!” McPake said.
“I remember when it was first spoken about and it raised some eyebrows, including mine. I had obviously just come from Hibs, so the Edinburgh derby was a bit different to that! I don’t think that would happen there.
“There would be the odd shout maybe but that’s as bad as it got. It's a unique derby in that sense where I don't know many others even in any league where that kind of thing happens.
“It was always okay. I can't think back to ever remembering much bother walking down or walking back up from the ground.
“Obviously, you're desperate to beat your rivals and to start with a walk down, when you're new to that, you're maybe thinking this could be a bit tasty. But that was never the case.
“There were a few times where we had lost at Tannadice and when you go to step outside, you’re wondering, ‘ooft, don’t know what this will be like’.
“But again, there's never been anything that I can remember from either Dundee fans or Dundee United fans when you're walking back up that's crossed the line.”
A common theme of both Paatelainen’s and McPake’s recollections is that more civilized nature of the Dundee derby – outside of the actual 90-plus minutes of action, of course – that marks it out from the other big derbies in Scotland.
“It's the way football should be, in my opinion,” McPake added.
“I've played in them, I've managed in them, and I've done punditry in them as well. They're just fantastic occasions where everything gets left on the pitch, with both teams, both sets of supporters, because they're all in for the 90-odd minutes on the pitch as well.
“During the game, it's as intense as any other derby that I've either been at or been involved in, so that maybe makes the walk that wee bit stranger. Before and after it, it's the way football should be.
“It's a fantastic game, and I think for me it's a game that, as a fan, you want it to be in the Premiership. It's exciting, it’s great for the city, and it’s great for Scottish football.”
There are no prizes for guessing who Paatelainen and McPake are backing when the teams go head-to-head once again at Dens Park this afternoon. As Paatelainen thinks back to those heady days when he was a Terror on the field as well as still now, in his heart, you sense that he wishes he was making that stroll up the road to Dens this afternoon with the United squad once more.
“The derby match starts there,” he said.
“When you start walking that is the start of the derby. The opposition fans are there and you hear all sorts. It’s unique and it is fantastic.
