VICTOR WANYAMA fell over and slapped away the loose ball to land a debut red card.
But he stood up in the Dunfermline dressing room and promised his new team-mates that they won’t take a tumble.
Victor Wanyama had a nightmare on his Dunfermline debut when he was sent off[/caption]
But he’s been backed to come back stronger for Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline[/caption]
And team-mate Joe Chalmers remembers the Kenyan being ‘untouchable’ back in their Celtic days[/caption]
Pars ace Joe Chalmers — who grew up with the “untouchable” Wanyama at Neil Lennon’s Celtic — says the Kenyan was deeply distressed to be sent off just 20 minutes after coming on.
And he also revealed the 33-year-old addressed his new pals after the final whistle, and vowed to play a big part in keeping them up.
Midfielder Chalmers said: “Victor is devastated in there.
“He was just saying how he’s come in to help us, and is so gutted about what happened.
“He spoke in front of the boys there and was telling us how much he wants to help us. I am confident he will bounce back.
“He’s not played a lot of football — it’s just a slip and, in the heat of the moment, he’s stuck his hand out.
“I am sure Victor will be able to get himself fit and play a massive part for us because he’s a quality player.
“Even him being there in training in the last couple of days gave everyone a lift.
“Getting to train with someone like him is important. You want to do well, and you want to impress him.
“Just by having him around is going to be a big thing for the squad in the games coming up.
“He’s suspended for the next one, but he can guide us and help us just by being there in training.”
If Chalmers was shocked when ex-Hoops boss Lennon was appointed at the start of last week, he was truly stunned when Wanyama signed on too.
The former Southampton, Spurs and CF Montreal star had been training with non-league Barnet since returning from the MLS.
Chalmers added: “It was a bit of a surprise to hear Victor was coming.
“Not just to our dressing room, but to the whole league probably.
“There’s a lot of noise about it, but Victor is here to win and help us. We can see he’s determined to do it.”
Wanyama was sent on as a sub in the second half at Somerset Park — but landed a debut dismissal.
He slipped on the soggy surface and, as Ayr sub Mark McKenzie sought to profit, extended a hand to slap the ball away.
Ref Iain Snedden, having already booked new Pars boss Lenny, flashed a straight red card.
It means he’ll miss an East End Park bow against Livingston on Wednesday night.
But Chalmers believes Wanyama can bring some of the dynamism he displayed in their days together at Parkhead.
He said: “We trained a lot together when I was at Celtic.
“He was on a different level back then, especially in a physical sense.
“He was untouchable, such a quality player and a great man too.”
Chalmers is also happy to be reunited with Lennon, who put him back at centre-half in the defeat at Ayr.
He added: “It’s been a bit strange with the short turnaround between managers.
“We’ve gone from having one manager’s ideas to the other one’s.
“Neil Lennon’s been excellent, really positive and clear in his instructions of what he wants from us.
“Every day we’ve worked hard on it, although it was disappointing not to finish the week off with a result.
“My time with him at Celtic was a long time ago.
“He’s managed hundreds of games since then so will have learned a lot from that.
“A lot of his principles are the same. The way he speaks to you, and the way he commands the room are all still the same.
“He’s brought in Iain Brunskill as his assistant who’s been positive. He’s put on some really good sessions and worked with us on the team shape and things they want from us.
“We need to just get over this and then keep working on those ideas and hopefully things can turn us round.”
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