Dee4life

Dee4Life update – January 2026

Dear Members,

It’s always nice to send the old year out with a flourish and bring in the new one with a bang and Dundee certainly did that as 2025 became 2026. Hard fought wins over Falkirk and Kilmarnock heralded significantly improved and more enterprising performances from the players before the New Year derby at Tannadice saw arguably the best performance this season in overcoming the lot across the road.

On-field optimism

It wasn’t just the fact that they won with an excellent finish from a much-improved Ashley Hay but that they created at least six good chances to score and really should have been one or two more to the good at the final whistle. It was fantastic to hear Dundee fans singing and celebrating once again after what has been more of an attritional than a transitional season so far. Steven Pressley and his players deserve credit for digging so deep to find an extra 20% when they needed it the most.

Nine points radically altered the club’s league position and gave them a platform to build on in staying clear of Kilmarnock, now managed by former Dens pair Neil McCann and Billy Dodds, and Livingston. A narrow 1-0 defeat at home to Hearts, where they were denied by THAT save from Craig Gordon, was followed by a tricky Scottish Cup tie away to Kilmarnock. Despite falling behind, the team once again showed their growing resilience to bounce back and secure a place in the fifth round with a Drey Wright winner in added time. A stubborn but unadventurous performance at Ibrox coupled with a late collapse, which has been sadly all too familiar in recent seasons, summed up a 3-0 defeat to Rangers.

A huge determinant of where Dundee go from here in the remainder of this season will be the level of activity in the transfer window and it has been good to see some solid activity. Young winger Joe Bevan was signed from Burnley and was joined at Gardyne by defender Brad Halliday from Bradford on a two-and-a-half year contract and young midfielder Joel Cotterill from Swansea. The Club appear to be investing to try to secure their top league status and it has to be hoped there will be a few more arrivals. Certainly the revenue benefits of staying up will more than make up for any additional outlay.

Off-field matters

Off the field, things have been a little mixed. There was no sign of any application going before Dundee City Council Planning Committee’s January meeting. We also saw the publication last month of the SFA’s club licensing data which is based on four criteria – ground, first team, youth, legal/admin/finance. The Club was ranked bronze on ground alongside only one other SPFL team and several championship teams and on a par with Linlithgow Rose. They were ranked silver on first team (training/medical facilities etc) on a par with Dunfermline and Ross County and silver on youth on a par with Morton and Inverness Caley Thistle. Lastly they were ranked bronze on legal/admin/finance on a par with Arbroath and Cumbernauld Colts for example. All of this makes for worrying reading and suggests there is a lot of work to be done in a number of areas.

Elsewhere, there were some positive moves including the £10 offer for the Livingston match and subsidised buses to Kilmarnock for the cup tie. And Mr Nelms finally gave an interview, albeit a soft one, to the local media. This is to be welcomed but we feel that there are still many questions that fans and our members would like answered and would continue to urge the Club to be more communicative and transparent.

Special General Meeting

Turning to D4L matters, we are calling a Special General Meeting for Saturday, 28 February at 11am for 11.30am at the Dundee Social Club. The purpose of the meeting is to consider some updates to D4L’s rules and to review its strategy. We would encourage as many members to attend and exercise their voting rights as possible.

I have included a link to the Minutes from our AGM in November for reference. Please click here (member login required).

We are also currently on the lookout for a new treasurer following Grant MacGregor stepping down from the board. If you feel you would like to get involved and join the board please contact us at contact@dee4life.com.

I will close by wishing you all the very best for a prosperous and enjoyable 2026! Let’s hope this is the year in which Dundee secure their top league status and address the various off-field issues!

Keith Winter

Chairman

Chairman's Updates, society updates

Dee4Life update – December 2025

Dear Members,

Welcome to the December update. Another year passes and the festive period is coming fast.

The Dee4Life AGM took place on the 29th of November at the Dundee Social Club with a good turnout of members.

AGM round-up

The AGM received performance and finance reports for the twelve months to May 2025. There were two reappointments, with notification of two impending retirals from the Board, Grant Macgregor, as of the AGM, and Mike Woodcock from February 2026.

Following the formal AGM there was an open question and answer session. A lot of focus was on the current position both on the pitch and off the pitch.

There was a lively and open discussion on various aspects with a consensus view from those present that the focus for the coming months should be on pursuing a more stringent line with the management of DFC.

Fan experience concerns

Specific areas of concern raised included the condition of Dens Park for the fan experience, the delays at Camperdown around the new stadium, the general running of the club including the summer replacement of the first team manager and the recruitment approach and consequences as witnessed in the performances and results achieved so far this season. The board were charged to take this away and consider appropriate next steps. This to include raising a matter of no confidence in the day-to-day leadership of the football club.

Specifically on the new stadium there was no Dundee City Council Planning committee meeting held in December as it was stated there was no business to consider. This means therefore that the Planning Permission in Principle application for the stadium and related developments remains unready for advancement to committee. It is to be hoped this resolves itself early in 2026 and certainly ahead of February and the second anniversary of the submission date.

Turning to the results over late November and into December again this has been mixed with one win and a draw achieved. The performances again are a roller coaster as evidenced recently in the Livingston match, truly a classic game of two halves. Still, we are positive and hope for better returns over the coming weeks leading into the Derby on the 3rd of January.

DSA meeting

As advised before Dee4Life has been seeking to meet with our colleagues at the DSA. I am pleased to advise that we now have a date to meet in January and will update you after this.

Finally, all the best for the festive period to all our members and their families, a good stocking filler for a relative or family friend could be a Dee4Life membership, a well spent £10.00.

You can join us by clicking here.

So Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2026.

Regards,
Keith Winter
Chairperson

Chairman's Updates

Dee4Life update – November 2025

Dear Members,

Where to start after another month of peaks and troughs following Dundee?

The high of a first home win over Celtic in 37 years was followed by the lows of a defeat to Falkirk, beset by refereeing controversy, and then effectively a no-show against Hearts at Tynecastle where not a single shot on target was recorded. That stat improved to five shots on target in the home match with Rangers but unfortunately it made little difference to the result with another disappointing defeat recorded and no goals to show for it.

Regular readers will know we prefer to focus on encouraging the head coach and the players and we will continue to do so but it is fair to say that the concern and frustration among fans is becoming more apparent every week as the club slips closer to the dreaded bottom spot. We have to hope that something can galvanise the players to turn the situation around and achieve some momentum with a positive run of results and that it happens quickly.

The future is bright?

On a brighter note, it was fantastic to see three Dundee youths representing Scotland under-17’s in their three matches to clinch European Championships qualification. Warren Lyall, Ethan Crombie and Charley Oosenbrugh played their part across the matches including a memorable 1-0 victory over England in which Crombie intercepted a pass to start the move that led to the winning goal. Congratulations to all three players for doing their Club and their country proud.

AGM reminder

Off the pitch, we are looking forward to the Dee4Life AGM at 11.30am on Saturday, November 29 at the Dundee Social Club in Thistle Street. There will be complimentary tea/coffee and a prize draw from 11am.

A note with the agenda and information regarding election of board members, including the Election Rules and Nomination Form, was issued to members and published on Dee4Life.com.

We would encourage you as members to come along and take the opportunity to make your views known on what you would like to see the Board doing on your behalf.

Supporters Direct Scotland

At our November Board meeting we were delighted to be joined by Supporters Direct Scotland (SDS) Chief Executive Alan Russell and board member (and former D4L board member) Ian Baird for the first half hour of our call. Both have track records of working with fan trusts to help them have a more of a say in running their clubs.

Dee4Life is one of more than 20 trusts who are SDS members and our secretary Andrew Pyke sits on their board. We discussed how to maximise the benefits of our membership and highlighted two areas where SDS could make a contribution: communicating why the entrenched rights matter to fans and learning from other clubs about best practice in growing membership.

In our discussion with SDS we could not help but note the recent level of engagement between the American owners at our neighbours across the road and at St Johnstone. In both cases the owners have been out and about meeting fans and engaging with them to hear their concerns and understand what is going well for them at the clubs.

The lot across the road even managed to have an AGM last month where fans could attend and air their views on the progress being made. That is in sharp contrast to the situation at our own Club.

Club meeting request

We have to hope that the example being set by their near neighbours will inspire some similar ideas at Gardyne. The fans are yearning to have more engagement with Dundee and everyone would benefit if that were to happen. That is why we are once again requesting a meeting with the Club in the hope that we can play a role in helping to improve their engagement with the fans.

I will wrap up by wishing Steven Pressley and the players the best of luck for the busy pre-festive period of fixtures. Hopefully they can achieve some consistency and get more points on the board soon.

Best wishes,
Keith Winter
Chairman.

Header image by Sean Dee Photography.

Uncategorized

Dee4Life update – October 2025

Dear members,

With international breaks curtailing the on-field action in the last few weeks since our last edition the bulk of this newsletter will cover off the field issues. But briefly, while a last gasp penalty winner from Callum Jones gave Dundee a deserved win against Livingston, our hopes that it would tee up a positive run were dashed with a subsequent narrow 1-0 defeat away to St Mirren and a 4-0 drubbing at Pittodrie.

Plenty has been said about the results and performances on social media and in the Dundee forum but at this point I just want to wish Steven Pressley and his players the very best as they enter a vital period of the season beginning with the visit of Celtic.

I would also like to congratulate Luke Graham on his continued selection for the Scotland Under-21’s and the strong performances he has been putting in at both international and club level. Cam Congreve appeared for Wales under-21’s and Cesar Garza has also been featuring prominently for Mexico in the Under-20 World Cup in Chile and deserves huge credit.

Member feedback

As regular readers will know, we have been asking to hear your views as members and I’m pleased to say that we have been receiving some extremely helpful feedback. Much of it has centred around questions that you as fans have on crucial topics such as the status of the new stadium at Camperdown, the deteriorating state of Dens, ticket pricing, attendances and the proposed training facility at Riverside among others. We want to use the platform that we have at Dee4Life to help to raise these questions and encourage the Club to find ways to keep fans better informed. We will also continue to highlight any positive feedback we receive – with a good recent example being the important work of Alison McQueen and Dee Promotions.

The conversations I and my fellow board members have been having with our fellow fans in the last few weeks tell us there is building frustration at the way things are going and we believe the best way to alleviate that is better, more open communication between the Club and fans. We would like to hear from you on what you would like to understand more about from the Club.

We will also raise this as an agenda item at our AGM next month to give members the chance to air their views. We intend to use subsequent newsletters to raise these questions and equally to highlight any positive feedback that we receive. We are considering making an approach to the Club to discuss this in more detail and hope they will take it in the constructive spirit in which it is intended. As ever, please email your views to contact@dee4life.com.

AGM reminder

Turning to the AGM, I would encourage as many of you as members to come along. As a reminder, it will be held at 11.30am on Saturday, 29 November 2025 in the Dundee Social Club. There will be complimentary tea/coffee and a prize draw from 11am.

A note with the agenda and information regarding election of board members, including the Election Rules and Nomination Form, has been issued to members via email and are also available on Dee4Life.com.

I will close by wishing you all the best for a busy autumn period and hoping that we will see some positive developments both on and off the field for our beloved Club before we reach the end of 2025.

Best wishes,

Keith Winter

Chairman.

Uncategorized

Notice of Annual General Meeting Saturday 29 November 2025

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Society for 2024/25 will be held at 11.30am on Saturday 29 November 2025 in the Dundee Social Club. There will be a complimentary tea/coffee and a prize draw, from 11am.

The AGM will be conducted for the purpose of considering and, if approved, passing the items below requiring the approval of a majority of those members who participate in the AGM:

Minutes of the AGM held on 23 November 2024.
Report on the Society’s Performance.
Presentation of Revenue Account & Balance Sheet for year ended 31 May 2025.
Appointment of Walker Dunnett & Co as the Society’s Independent Examiner.
Election of Board Members.
Any Proposed resolutions (if you have any resolutions, please email them to contact@dee4life.com by Saturday 1^st November 2025)

We will email the relevant papers prior to the event, to conclude the formal part of the AGM more quickly, thus allowing members to engage in the subsequent Q&A session which will end by 1.30pm at the latest.

With regard to Item 5 – Election of Board Members:

There are two vacancies on the Society Board of ten elected directors. In addition, in line with the Trust’s policies, the two longest serving board members will stand down. Both (Keith Winter & Kenny Valentine) are seeking re-election.

Please also note that no other Board members are at the end of their three-year elected term. The nomination process commences today (Tuesday 14 October) and the closing date for nominations is 2pm on Friday 14 November 2025. The Election Management Group will report on all nominations and if the number of ‘valid’ nominations exceeds the number of vacancies an election will be conducted between 15 & 22 November with the result being announced at the AGM on 29 November 2025.

A copy of the Nomination Form and Election Rules are available to download by clicking the links below:

Alternatively, they can be provided upon request by emailing contact@dee4life.com. NB: All candidates and proposers must be registered members of the Society on or before 2pm on 24 October 2025.

Thank you very much for your continued support and the Directors look forward to your involvement in the AGM.

Yours sincerely,

Andrew Pyke

Secretary, Dee4Life

The Dundee FC Supporters’ Society Limited is registered with the FCA under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965

Registration Number 2639 RS – registered address DFCSS, C/O Walker Dunnett & Co, 29 Commercial Street, Dundee, DD1 3DG

Chairman's Updates

Dee4Life update – September 2025

Dear Members,

The uncertain start to the season continues for Dundee as the newly compiled team tries to bed in while off field matters continue to be shrouded in mystery. The desperate disappointment of a derby defeat was hard to stomach but the seeming lack of attacking endeavour compounded the misery for the Dark Blue faithful. We have had to suffer many defeats to the other lot over the years but few where it has seemed so flat both in terms of performance and atmosphere in the home end. The fact that home tickets did not sell out suggests that pricing is becoming an issue as well as the quality of the fan experience at Dens. Whatever the reason, it did not really feel like a derby and that is perhaps as much of a worry for all concerned as the result itself.

Fan frustration

The pattern of lower attendances continued with the Motherwell game which saw a drop of 1,200 on the last visit of the Steelmen. To the players’ and head coach’s credit they bounced back from a poor first half performance to secure a draw against Motherwell following the international break. There was some grit and fighting spirit on show in the second half which was certainly needed to get them back into the game and to get the home fans behind them. It wasn’t pretty but they hung in there and showed some resilience after the late, and harsh, sending off of Yan Dhanda in particular. Still three points from three draws is not a great tally from the first five games and they will have to get a win or two on the board soon if they are to move clear of the relegation zone. Even this early in the season it is important to build some momentum and draws are not enough.

The presence of Luke Graham has been one area of optimism for Dundee fans. Image: Sean Dee Photography.

We have heard many fans expressing their disappointment at the lack of activity toward the end of the transfer window despite the head coach Steven Pressley making it clear that he felt a few more players were needed. The lack of Scottish Premiership experience in the squad has to be a concern and while we have to hope that some of the new players will succeed in making the transition it is clearly going to be a step up for a good number of them. Doubts also persist in key areas of the park including in goal, midfield and up front but ironically, given how things went in the last two seasons, it is the back line which is giving the most reason for optimism, especially the form of Luke Graham. The young centre-half notched his first top flight goal against Motherwell and showed up well for the Scotland U-21’s. He already looks as if he is going to be a key figure this season.

Burnley link-up?

Another question which fans have been asking is what has happened to the much vaunted partnership with Burnley. After a succession of loan deals for some undoubtedly talented young players from Turf Moor in the last two seasons, the well has suddenly run dry with no explanation coming from the Club. With attacking flair apparently in short supply, now would be a good time to attract a few players north. At the same time the partnership with CF Monterrey in Mexico appears to have stalled. Victor Lopez was allowed to return home to Queretaro without really having had the chance to make an impact and Cesar Garza is struggling to gain a first team place despite the departure of almost all of the first choice midfield from last season. Once again fans would appreciate hearing from the Club on these issues so they can at least have a clearer understanding of what’s going on.

SLOs meeting

On a more upbeat note, we were delighted to meet the Club’s new Supporters’ Liaison Officers, Billy Douglas and Kris Scrimgeour, who joined our recent Board Teams call. Both Billy and Kris are Dees through-and-through and shared some of their fondest memories of going to matches with our directors. We value their knowledge and experience of all things Dundee and look forward to working with them in the months and years to come. We wish them all the very best in their roles and will do everything we can to assist them. If there are issues you would like us to raise with them on your behalf please email contact@dee4life.com.

I will close by wishing the players and the coaching staff the very best for a busy and challenging run of fixtures in the next few weeks, starting with the visit of Livingston.

Best wishes,

Keith Winter
Chairman.

Chairman's Updates

Dee4Life member update – August 2025

Dear Members,

As we move through the early stages of the 2025/26 season there are still more questions than answers swirling around Dundee FC.

On the field the new Head Coach Steven Pressley and his backroom colleagues have been scrambling to compile a squad. The lack of experienced new signings, the failure to progress in the Premier Sports Cup and the opening day defeat to Hibs were worrying signs regarding the readiness of the team but the gritty performance in gaining a point at Ibrox gave some grounds for optimism. The loss of income from the Cup will be particularly sorely felt compared to last season’s money-spinning tie away to Rangers. The loan signing of Yan Dhanda from Hearts brings some much needed top-flight experience and creativity to the squad. It is to be hoped that a few more signings of similar calibre will be made before the transfer window closes.

Off the field, there are plenty of question marks as well. There is still no sign of any determination on the application for the new stadium development at Camperdown. The earliest any decision can now be made would be at the September planning committee meeting of Dundee City Council but the indications (at the time of writing) are that it could be at the October meeting. The successful objection from a local environmental group to the Riverside training complex application has seen things grind to a halt on that front too.

The aura of uncertainty surrounding aspects of the Club at the moment cannot have helped season ticket sales, as the extension of the early bird offer would suggest, and while the upcoming derby should take care of itself we have to hope that fans will be patient and keep standing by the team.

Supporters’ Liaison Officer

Another area of change off the field was the departure of John Burke as the Supporters’ Liaison Officer. I always valued John’s contribution and his efforts on behalf of the fans and I know he was held in high regard by the Board of D4L.

On behalf of the Board I would like to thank him for all his hard work and assistance in the role and wish him all the very best for the future.

The question of who will replace John is another one waiting to be answered following the Club’s appeal for volunteers to cover the position with the application deadline date set for 31 July. It goes without saying that we wish them the very best of luck too.

Strategy day and season review

The Board took part in a strategy day at Downfield Golf Club over the close season, reviewing activities from last season and setting our priorities for this coming year.

A season review was also conducted and we looked at three key themes: whether fans felt engaged and were enjoying attending matches, whether DFC are competitive at the higher end of Scottish football and whether the Club is heathy off the pitch and looking forwards.

We would like to hear your views as D4L members on these areas and would encourage you to share them with us to help inform our views as the Board. Please email them to contact@dee4life.com.

We will be saying more about our priorities for 2025/26 in future newsletters but it is safe to say that they will tie in with these general themes. We have also been working hard to review and improve our procedures and processes as a Board and to ensure resilience in terms of being able to fulfil our responsibilities to members. The minutes from this session and all our Board meetings are available in the members’ section of dee4fife.com.

Fundraising

I will take this opportunity to remind members that you can assist with fundraising for D4L at no cost to yourselves. All you need to do is register at www.easyfundraising.org.uk and whenever you buy anything online money will be donated to D4L.

We have created a step-by-step guide with some more information on our website.

WIN a Dundee top

We are always looking to sign up new members and as the new season gets underway we have the opportunity for one lucky member to win the new DFC home or away shirt.

You can win a this season’s home or away top. Image: Sean Dee Photography

All members have to do is refer a friend as a new member. When that member joins up they will be entered into a draw to win the top.

If you want a chance of winning the new 2025/26 season shirt then email contact@dee4life.com confirming the new member’s full name. If they join prior to 19 September 2025 then you will be entered into the draw.

I will close by reminding you to stay in touch with us at D4L and let us know what you would like to see us doing on your behalf. Despite the controversy around his appointment we continue to wish the Head Coach all the very best and hope that he can find a way to fashion a team and keep Dundee FC in the top division come next May.

Best wishes,

Keith Winter

Chairman.

Chairman's Updates

Dee4Life member update – June 2025

Dear Members,

What could, and probably should, have been a quiet end to the season for DFC was anything but. After blowing through various chances to secure SPFL status and enduring a remarkable run of VAR and refereeing controversies, safety was finally secured on the last day of the season thanks to a Lyall Cameron double at McDiarmid Park. No sooner was the awards dinner concluded than almost the entire management team led by Tony Docherty was relieved of its duties.

New Head Coach reaction

A couple of weeks later fans were stunned by the news that Steven Pressley, he of across-the-road fame/infamy, was the board’s choice to take over. Combined with the somewhat complicated restructure, in which Pressley was appointed Head Coach and David Longwell became the Technical Manager, it led to some pretty vehement and largely negative commentary on fan forums and social media.

It’s hard to know what to make of this situation from a fan perspective. We have to give any new ‘Head Coach’ a chance. So much will depend on whether he can sign the players needed to secure the Club’s top six target – the initial signings of Paul Digby and Drey Wright suggest the emphasis is being placed on experience – in the next few weeks but it feels as if a huge chance to bring the fans back on board with a popular appointment that everyone could wholeheartedly get behind has been missed. Certainly if the Club does not make a strong start to the new season the pressure on Pressley will be palpable.

Before we close the book on the old regime it’s worth briefly reflecting on the seesaw season of goals galore with a fantastic return of 22 by player of the season Simon Murray in particular being sadly diminished by the flood of goals being conceded at the other end. That defensive frailty continued the pattern from the previous season with so many points being lost from winning positions. It will no doubt become one of the great Dundee conundrums for fans to ponder – what might have been if they had only been able to find a way to combine the excellent attacking football they often produced with solidity in defence. I would like to acknowledge Tony Docherty and his management team for all their efforts and, on behalf of all at D4L, wish them the very best for the future. Let’s hope that they don’t come back to haunt Dundee!

Fan frustrations

Many fans have expressed frustration at the lack of communication from the Club at key moments and the lack of engagement with the media or the wider fan base. As regular readers will know, I and the D4L board have regularly called on Mr Nelms and the Club to be more communicative with the fans. This could be an ideal moment for a reset in that regard. Now would be a fantastic opportunity for the Club to begin consistently engaging with fans and be clearer about how they plan to build a team for next season. This needs to go beyond scripted interviews for the Club’s social media channels and tackle some of the harder questions that are worrying the fans. If Mr Nelms is confident in his vision for the Club then there’s no reason to shy away from such engagement.

One of those harder questions is the status of the new stadium project. We are still waiting to see what will happen regarding the Planning Permission in Principle planning application lodged by Dark Blue Property Holdings in February 2024, despite the previous assurance from Mr Nelms that the Club would be kicking a ball at the new stadium in 2025. Currently the application is being considered by both Transport Scotland and Dundee City Council as the determining Planning Authority. Dark Blue Property Holdings, via their traffic consultants SYSTRA, submitted a further traffic submission on 19 May to address previous objections raised by Transport Scotland over the access and egress point from/to the A90. This will be reviewed and we have to hope that a determination will be reached soon. This shows the challenges in delivering the new stadium, let alone the other development aspects in the PPIP. Let’s hope that Dark Blue Property Holdings and their advisers have now delivered the requisite information so the PPIP can be released and the project can progress to the next stage.

Dee4Life raised questions about the development in early 2024 regarding the delivery, funding and phasing of the development. Many of these points still stand and we believe a close season update on where things sit would be welcomed by all fans. At a time when season tickets are on sale and attention is firmly on next season there is a window of opportunity which the Club could capitalise on to try to get the fans on-side and strengthen their hand as they look to consolidate in the SPFL next season. It’s hard to see a downside to that approach and we believe fans would respond extremely well to being brought into the fold more than they have been in recent seasons.

Future is bright

While the drama of the senior team was playing out, there was some extremely encouraging developments among the youth ranks. While a talented Kilmarnock side proved too strong for Dundee in the Scottish Youth Cup Final at Hampden, the U-16’s and U-13’s both won their respective Club Academy Scotland finals against Celtic and St Johnstone. It suggests the Club is doing a good job of nurturing talent and it has to be hoped that in the next few years we see some of these talented youngsters following in the footsteps of Cameron, Josh Mulligan and Finn Robertson to become first team regulars. Congratulations from D4L to all of the boys in these teams for all that they have achieved.

Dee4Life chair Keith Winter (back left) with some Dundee FC youths after presenting Dee Promotions with a cheque for £2,500.

Off the field, D4L was delighted to be able to continue to support the excellent work done by Dee Promotions. We presented a cheque to them for £2,500. Alison McQueen and the team are to be commended for their efforts and we look forward to continuing to work with them in future.

I will close by wishing all of you a relaxing close season as you recharge your batteries for the new season to come. Let’s keep some optimism that the new Head Coach can bring in the right calibre of players to ensure the Club can progress and firmly establish itself in the SPFL. Wouldn’t it be great to be looking up the league rather than down and challenging for Europe once again?

Best wishes,
Keith Winter
Chairman.

Uncategorized

Members’ update – April

After another seesaw month for Dundee FC it’s all going to come down to the final four fixtures in the bottom six of the SPFL to determine whether the Club can retain its top flight status or face a play-off.

The heartbreaking home defeat to Rangers was followed by a gritty win against a physical St Mirren side and then a disappointing heavy defeat by Hibs at Easter Road. Once again the team bounced back with a gritty away win against Hearts. While there have been some excellent performances throughout the team and times when they have looked anything but relegation fodder, now is the time when they have to learn how to back up a win.

Even now at the absolute crux of the season it’s hard to know which version of Dundee will turn up: the team with the ability, pace and tempo to overrun Rangers at times at Dens, the team that can keep a clean sheet at Tynecastle or the team which didn’t really turn up at Easter Road. The former performances speak to a top six team that could be challenging for a European place. The latter…well…let’s not go there. Ultimately, for a team with such an outstanding scoring record to be only two points clear of second bottom is quite incredible and we have to hope that the ability to get goals will give them the edge they need to avoid the play-off spot and stay up.

It feels as if the fixture computer hasn’t exactly been kind to Dundee all season (see, for example, a run of matches of Celtic, Rangers, Hearts and Celtic in January/February), and the post-split fixtures have continued that pattern. Starting at Tynecastle was probably the toughest fixture and the first of three away games, with home matches against Motherwell and Ross County sandwiched in between, culminating in a potentially seismic match at Perth on 18 May. We have heard many different cliches to describe vital matches already this season but suffice it to say that if ever we needed the Club to string together another two or three victories this is the time. All at Dee4Life wish Tony and the players the very best for the next few weeks in what is undoubtedly a crucial period for the Club.

New stadium

There has been a lot going on off the field as well. The news that the new stadium project is still in limbo due to issues between the Club and Transport Scotland was disappointing. We know many fans share John Nelms’ impatience to get things moving and that there has been some frustration vented in the direction of the public bodies. That’s understandable to some extent but clearly a project of this size has to be workable and feasible for all concerned. We continue to encourage Mr Nelms and the lub to do all that they can to move the project forward and to work with the various stakeholders involved to bring about as swift a resolution as possible.

Dave Forbes

I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Dave Forbes who passed away last month. Dave was a longstanding member of the D4L Board and made a huge contribution to the running of the organisation over many years. He was a former Director of the Club and served as Chairman of the Associate Board. Dave was well known to many fans and was a hugely popular figure who was one of the most ardent followers of the Dees you could ever hope to meet. On behalf of the current Board I would just like to record our sincere appreciation to Dave for all that he did to further the causes of the Club and D4L and for being a valued friend to so many of us. Our thoughts are very much with his family at this sad time.

I will close by reminding everyone of the role played by John Burke as the Supporters Liaison Officer (SLO) for Dundee FC. John is extremely helpful and plays an important role in raising any operational issues which arise with the Club on behalf of the fans.

We at D4L appreciate John’s continuing assistance and look forward to continuing to work with him in future. John can be contacted at slo@dundeefc.co.uk.

Best wishes,

Keith Winter

Dee4Life Chair

Chairman's Updates

Members’ update – March

What a difference a derby victory can make!

Just as things were starting to look really ominous with the spectre of a relegation battle looming large, Dundee pulled out a win for the ages with a comprehensive triumph over the other lot at Tannadice.

The spirit, desire and dogged determination which we have all been searching for suddenly appeared in abundance on a beautiful Sunday. The 4-2 win probably should have been even more comfortable and the players showed that they can still turn on the style.

Everyone played their part in an excellent team display with inspirational performances from a number of them including big Joe Shaughnessy at the back, two-goal Jordan McGhee and, of course, that man Simon Murray. If ever there was a team that needed a spark to reignite their season it was Dundee and surely this result will give them a huge confidence boost going into three difficult games before the split. I know many of us have been hugely frustrated by the slump in form and results since the turn of the year but now we can look forward with some optimism and belief that we can turn this predicament around. I’m sure we will all give the team as much backing as we can for the run-in, starting with the visit of Rangers on March 29.

Another silver lining in what has been a challenging period for the Club is the fact that we can now look forward to a Cup Final at Hampden. While sadly the senior team did not make it past their Scottish Cup quarter-final with Hearts at Tynecastle, it has been hugely encouraging to see the achievements of the under-18’s team in reaching the Scottish Youth Cup Final. Scott Robertson’s young team produced a strong performance to overcome St Mirren on their home patch with a 2-0 win in front of 1,400 fans. They will now face Kilmarnock in the final at the national stadium with the dates still to be confirmed. I’m sure there will be many of you who will take the opportunity to cheer the Dark Blues on in a national final and we wish Scott and the team all the very best.

Off the field, there does not seem to be much happening, at least publicly, around the new stadium project or the proposed training facility at Riverside. There was no submission to the last meeting of Dundee City Council planning committee and it is concerning for fans when there is no news and the situation appears to be dragging on. We appreciate the Club has a lot on its plate at the moment and the focus must be on Premiership survival but it would be good to hear a little more on how things are actually progressing.

Turning to our D4L prize draw, I am delighted to confirm that this month’s winner is Vincent Brady from Dundee. Eight-year-old Vincent, who joined Dee4Life in 2023, receives £30 worth of vouchers for the club shop. We would ask Vincent’s parent or guardian to email us at contact@dee4life.com so we can arrange delivery of his vouchers. Congratulations Vincent!

I will close by wishing Tony Docherty and the team the very best for the seismic upcoming matches they are facing. We have been here before as a Club and as fans and, to continue the silver lining theme, we know what it’s going to take to get out of this.

Who’s to say we can’t pull off another great escape?

Best wishes,
Keith Winter
Dee4Life Chair