Dundee (Scotland)

 

Dundee FC is a professional football club from the city of the same name on the east coast of Scotland having been formed in 1893 following the merger of Dundee Our Boys and Dundee East End, adopting Our Boys dark blue colours. 

‘The Dees’ or ‘Dark Blues’ played their first match at the West Craigie Park home of Our Boys against Rangers. Dundee moved into Carolina Port, the former home of East End and then Strathmore while struggling in their initial decade in existence. In 1899 Dundee departed Carolina Port by the harbour and moved up hill to Clepington and a new stadium called Dens Park.

The move worked wonders as The Dees finished as league runners-up in 1902-03, 1906-07 and 1908-09. The first trophy arrived at Dens in 1910 when Clyde were beaten 2-1 in the Scottish Cup Final at Ibrox Park after two replays. John ‘Sailor’ Hunter netted the winning goal.

Following World War One, forward Dave Halliday scored an incredible 103 goals in just 147 appearances for the club. This assisted Dundee to reach the Cup Final again in 1925 before going down 2-1 to Celtic at Hampden Park. The Dees were relegated just before the outbreak of World War Two but regained their place in the top flight in 1947. In 1948-49 the club once again ended as league runners-up.

However, more silverware was just around the corner. A world record transfer fee of £23,500 was spent on Billy Steel from Derby County in 1950 before the League Cup was won in 1952 as Rangers were seen off 3-2. In the Cup Final of the same year Motherwell hammered the Dark Blues 4-0 in front of a staggering attendance of 136,274.

Dundee returned to Hampden the following year to retain the League Cup with a 2-0 win against Kilmarnock. The team included the likes of Bill Brown, Tommy Gallacher, Doug Cowie, Alfie Boyd and Bobby Flavell alongside Steel,

Bob Shankly, the brother of Bill, was appointed as manager in 1959. In 1961-62 Dees were crowned as champions of Scotland following their win at Muirton Park against St Johnstone. The team included skipper Bobby Cox, Ian Ure and Alan Gilzean.

The following season Dundee defeated 1FC Koln, Sporting Clube de Portugal and RSC Anderlecht in the European Cup before losing to AC Milan in the semi final. In 1964 Dees reached the Cup Final once again. This time they went down 3-1 to Rangers. Shankly departed the club in February 1965.

Former player Bobby Ancell took up the managerial reigns and took the side to the League Cup Final of 1968, where they lost out 5-3 to Celtic. In the same seasons’ Inter City Fairs Cup Dundee reached the semi final before going out to Leeds United over two legs.

With Tommy Gemmill as skipper and David White as boss, Dees defeated Celtic 1-0 at Hampden to lift the 1973 League Cup. Another final was reached in 1980. This time the opponents were near neighbours Dundee United. The game was played at Dens Park with United winning 3-0. In 1990 the side won the Challenge Cup with a 3-2 victory over Ayr United at Fir Park.

In 2000 Dundee hit the headlines as they spent big on famous signings. Ivano Bonetti came in as Player-Manager along with the signings of Claudio Caniggia, Temuri Ketsbaia and Julian Speroni. The signings helped Dees reach the Cup Final of 2003 where Rangers won 1-0. However, the signings also led to financial disaster as the club entered Administration in 2003 with debts of £23M.

Dens Park was sold to secure the clubs future as the team were relegated to the second tier before skipper Fabian Caballero moved on. Alex Rae was sacked as manager with Jocky Scott having a third spell at Dens. Dundee lifted the Challenge Cup with a 1-0 win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2010 before Scott departed.

A few months later the club entered Administration for a second time with a tax bill to HM Revenue & Customs. Many of the clubs directors moved on before a twenty five point deduction was imposed. Despite this the team went on a twenty five match unbeaten run to retain their second tier status under manager Barry Smith.

In May 2011 Dundee exited Administration with the supporters trust becoming majority owners. More reshuffles arose behind the scenes as the club looked for stability with an ethos of ‘cutting your cloth’ being adopted.

In July 2012 Dundee were invited to take the place of Rangers in the Premier League. Their spell in the top flight lasted just one season as Smith was replaced by John Brown who couldn’t save the team from relegation despite improving results.

Bill Colvin came in as the new Chairman of a board which invested £650,000 in the close season. Brown lasted until February 2014 before Paul Hartley took over as results had fluctuated. Hartley’s side went into the last game in front of a sold out Dens Park crowd against Dumbarton needing to win to seal promotion.

Dees won 2-1 while Hamilton Academical completed a remarkable 10-2 victory over Greenock Morton to finish just short. Hartley spent the summer of 2014 rebuilding the side in preparation for top flight football once more.

Hartley’s side consolidated well in the top flight before finishing eighth in 2015-16 and relegating neighbours United at Dens Park in the process. However, relegation was narrowly averted by the Dark Blues in 2016-17 with Hartley being replaced by Neil McCann near the end of the campaign.

Dees finished one place higher in 2017-18 before McCann was sacked in October 2018 with the team stranded at the bottom of the table. Jim McIntyre arrived at Dens Park but could not save the team from the drop.

James McPake replaced McIntyre in May 2019 with former starlet Gordon Strachan being given a role as technical director. The goals of Kane Hemmings helped the team to third place when the 2019-20 campaign was halted by the outbreak of Coronavirus.

Dundee FC will play in the Scottish Championship in the 2020-21 season.

My visits

Dundee 1 Kilmarnock 0 (Wednesday 21st January 2015) SPFL Scottish Premiership (att: 5,141)

I found myself on a mini adventure to Scotland thanks to my accrued Loyalty Points and refund vouchers for poor service from East Coast trains during a week off work. The previous evening I’d been to the Highlands to take in the clash between Inverness Caledonian Thistle and St Johnstone.

The scenic train journey from Inverness to Aberdeen had taken me past the grounds of Elgin City, Forres Mechanics and Huntly, before the second leg of the trip took me down the coast with a good view of Arbroath’s Gayfield. I got out at the seaside resort of Broughty Ferry, a few miles east of Dundee. This was where I was to stay for the night.

It turned out to be an inspired choice. It was cold but the sun was shining and offering lovely views up and across The Tay as well as showing the town at its best. I had a lovely walk before turning in for a siesta.

The lady at the Invermark Guest House was hospitality personified after I’d got her attention following a misunderstanding. My room was top class and warm. I felt brand new after a nap, shower and change of clothes before I headed off to meet up for my ride to the match.

Research had led me to the Ferry Branch of the Dundee Supporters Club who met at the Fort Bar. After a message on Facebook to them a week before I was invited to travel to Dens Park and back with them.

While I’m a real ale man by preference, the McEwans 80’ on smoothflow was excellent while I caught up with the day’s action on Sky. I introduced myself and made sure I was in the right place! The fans soon started to arrive.

I had a nice chat with the fans, which were most welcoming on the bus. On the subject of the transport, it was the first time I’d ever been on one with five seats in a row. The small aisle reminded me it was time to hit the gym. The fella in charge even tried to sort me a ticket out.

On arrival at Dens I went inside the club shop to buy my £20 ticket and £3 programme. I also got hold of a teamsheet in return for a small donation to the clubs youth set up. I was soon inside the Bobby Cox Stand behind the goal with pie and Bovril on a cold but dry evening.

I’d imagined I’d like Dens Park and I wasn’t let down. The old Archibald Leitch Main Stand was simply stunning as at angled away from the pitch in the middle, with seating in two sections. The lower was once a terraced paddock. Originally the stadium also staged greyhound racing and with curves behind the goal with vast swathes of terracing. 

Signs of the track were still in evidence in some areas, particularly down the sides. The ends had been squared off with two identical stands facing each other. The home end sat in the Bobby Cox Stand with the Bob Shankly Stand at the far end with Tannacide Park just a hundred yards or so behind. 

The final side has the South Stand or Shed towards the east end. It was a former terrace converted to seating. The open terrace alongside it was now out of bounds. Killie’s hundred or so fans were placed in the far end of the Main Stand as the Shankly remained closed.

The game kicked off at a far faster pace than the game I’d seen the night before. The deadlock was broken in the eighteenth minute when Dees Jim McAllister was brought down inside the box. The impressive former Cowdenbeath man Greg Stewart put the spot kick away with aplomb.

The referee was Andrew Dallas, son of the discredited former official Hugh. He kept up the family reputation with some strange decisions. The star of the show for me was Dundee midfielder Gary Harkins who showed lots of skill and passing ability, but I could also imagine him leaving Dees fans tearing out their hair. He was not unlike Tom Huddlestone at Hull City. The home keeper Scott Bain pulled off a couple of top class saves.

At the break I went for some more supplies. I’d not been hungry at tea time and didn’t want to spoil the beer! It was nice to see displays under the stand celebrating the league title over fifty years previously.

The second half wasn’t as exciting, but it was a decent enough game. Dundee should have really added to the scoreline. Some of Kilmarnock’s players showed a high level of petulance but not a lot else. The right team certainly won.

We got back on board and were away in no time. I was told that the bus was quiet with it being a midweek game, but I pointed out that it was great that they ran a bus and the gate of over 5,000 was impressive.

We were back in The Fort before too long, despite some comments of the driver taking us on a magical mystery tour. I joined three of the fine Dees and enjoyed a few pints before saying farewell as they headed off.

I fancied one for the road so I popped into the Weatherspoon establishment; Jolly’s Hotel. Within a couple of minutes I was back out. The fella behind the bar ignored me while he cleaned up, the ale choice was totally unimaginative and it smelt like a restaurant rather than a pub. 

Instead I had a decent pint in The Royal Arch by the station, which had some smashing old pictures of both big Dundee clubs on the wall. I didn’t take any rocking once I got back to my room. It had been a long but fantastic day.

Dundee 0 Motherwell 3 (Saturday 18^th January 2020) Scottish Cup Round Four (Att: 2,407)

My long weekend off work coincided with the Scottish Cup weekend. The TV schedule had afforded me the opportunity of another trip to Ibrox for the Rangers v Stranraer game on Friday evening before heading north east the following morning.

After a short stop and change of trains in Dundee I continued up the coast to Arbroath for the 3pm cup tie between the Red Lichties and Falkirk before returning to the City of Discovery for the evening match on BBC Scotland at Dens Park for the visit of Motherwell.

A taxi eased the strain of a walk or ride up the hill to the Strathmore Avenue Travelodge where I was to stay for the evening. I’d just about thawed out from the afternoon as I had a brief nap and readjusted my clothing, looking to fit on as many layers as possible.

It was bitterly cold as I walked towards the stadium with the majestic four corner floodlights illuminating the clear night skies. A coachload of loud young Well fans had been dropped off on Moncur Crescent, availing themselves of the adjacent playground for relief.

They continued belting out their songs on the walk up Provost Road. It took me back to bus days of my own past. Full of beer, ready to let the locals know we’d arrived. A bit of menace in the attitude but most on board as soft as pups.

A few older local bears growled at the posse as they sang on the walk past the shop and ticket office. Some of the youths nearly messed themselves. It was all good fun. I went inside to collect me pre-paid £15 match ticket and purchase a team sheet.

I’d decided to grab the opportunity to sit inside the magnificent old Main Stand at Kilmac Stadium at Dens Park to give the old place its official sponsorship title. After grabbing a reasonable pie and Bovril I headed up to the seated tier.

An officious old steward asked if I knew where my seat was? He was surely taking the Mick? Although it was twenty minutes before kick-off there was maybe only another dozen fans inside. We would definitely have the choice of sitting wherever we fancied.

Dees were just inside the Championship play-off positions with Motherwell in mid-table in the Premiership. The tie was attractive on paper, but it hadn’t caught the imagination of the locals with nearly half the attendance being made up of away fans.

The Steelmen fielded a couple of former Dees in their line up as their side started the brighter. Host keeper Jack Hamilton snuffed out an effort from Liam Polworth before James Scott saw his effort flash wide after a tricky run in front of the vocal visiting support.

Declan McDaid fired in a shot from wide in the box for Dundee which was easily dealt with by Motherwell keeper Mark Gillespie. Referee Steven McLean upset the home bench on twenty one minutes when he gave Well a free kick on the edge of the box.

Scouse forward Chris Long saw his kick take a big deflection off Graham Dorrans on the end of the wall to go into the net leaving Hamilton stranded. Kane Hemmings came close to equalising with a header which defender Richard Tait cleared off the line.

Motherwell doubled the lead before the half hour mark when a fine passing movement ended in Polworth setting up Long who expertly lifted his curling shot over Hamilton into the corner of the net.

At the interval I got chatting with an elder Welsh fellow about the first half. He turned out to be a fellow groundhopper who was sleeping in his vehicle. He was irked at going to Dundee Violet that afternoon before the ref called it off just twenty minutes before kick-off because of a small frozen patch.

I sympathised. There’s nothing worse, though I did ask him why he didn’t pop along to Arbroath? It was as though he hadn’t thought of that option and the penny had just dropped. Apparently, Violet had thirty visitors there on a hospitality package, so it wasn’t ideal all round.

Hemmings came close to halving the arrears shortly after the restart when his flicked header from a Dorrans set piece came back off the bar. McDaid saw a low effort from outside the box fizz just wide of the post. Danny Johnson had an effort for Dees as the hosts put together a good spell.

Cammy Kerr then had a header saved by Gillespie. However, the contest was over with just over fifteen minutes remaining. Long fired in a long range shot, which squirmed through Hamilton’s outstretched hands and into the net.

A couple of fellas behind me laughed along with almost gallows humour on a Saturday night out until then changed their moods. It’s fair to say that they were not happy as they passed on their feedback in the direction of the pitch before storming down the steps on their way out.

Long came close to making it four just before the end when he cut inside Jordan McGhee before firing just past the far post from a narrow angle with his left boot. A fourth goal would have been most harsh on Dundee in my opinion.

As I lefty the iconic stand I was in a quandary. Yes, I was tired, but should I head into the city centre for drinks? I knew that the city of The Beano, The Dandy, RRS Discovery, Ricky Ross, The Associates and George Galloway would have something to offer in the way of nightlife.

However, it was cold, and I wasn’t really dressed for a Saturday night out. I knew that there were local choices. Andy McGregor, a Scottish gent from the excellent Non-League Matters forum had offered pre trip tips. It would have been daft to ignore them as he was usually spot on.

I decided to initially try out the Athletic Bar. Crikey. The locals had been on it, as Andy had suggested that they might. The most drunk one tried to be my best mate as I tried to get served. I couldn’t understand a word of what he was trying to say, and it was karaoke night.

It was real Rab C Nesbitt stuff with unbelievable airings of Sunshine on Leith and Puff the Magic Dragon. That said, it wasn’t threatening in any way and the Tenants was good. People were enjoying themselves. I’m all in favour of that.

However, one pint was enough! Frews Bar up the hill on Strathmartine Road a much better option with a fine pint of Ossian Golden Ale from Inveralmond Brewery in Perth on hand pull. It was a vibrant bar which my cab driver had recommended to me as we passed on the way to my hotel.

All was fine but I had noticed that Marini's fish and chip shop was still open when I went past. I handed over my cash for a magnificent battered haggis supper which would have fed a couple down south.

I returned to my room with my food and made a mug of tea to enjoy while watching Sportscene with a full round up of the days Scottish Cup ties including highlights of the two games I’d attended.

After a proper night sleep, I was ready for more adventures the following morning visiting non-league clubs and taking a look outside of Dens Park in daylight before heading to the Dundee United v Hibernian cup tie.