I write this update still on a high from Saturday’s away win at Livingston and our ascent into the top half of the table. Whatever happens against Rangers tonight, I think we can all be happy with how Tony Docherty’s side have adapted to life back in the Premiership.
Last week, we met with Dundee City MSPs Joe FitzPatrick and Shona Robison to ask for their assistance in resolving the impasse we have reached in our attempts to have the club board address concerns raised by Dee4Life members.
In our discussion, Joe and Shona emphasised how vitally important Dundee FC is to the city and that they understand Dee4Life is seeking only to ensure that the future of the club is secure. They are sympathetic to our efforts to have boardroom representation restored and appreciate the importance of fans being able to ask challenging questions when appropriate.
Joe and Shona have asked to meet with us again once we have consulted with our members at this month’s AGM and we thank them for taking the time to meet with us and consider what they can do to help.
As you know, Dee4Life’s entitlement to two board places was agreed when FPS took over the club 10 years ago and is enshrined in Dundee’s Articles of Association. A lot has happened in the past decade so it may well be that what was negotiated back then might not be the best option for all parties now. As we made clear to Joe and Shona, if the club have an alternative model in mind then we are open to discussing it, noting that members will have the final say on any proposed changes.
The current board may feel the idea of oversight unnecessary and unfair given the financial stability that FPS have brought. We acknowledge this stability and would far prefer to be collaborating with them for the benefit of Dundee but, in line with our founding principles and with the agreement made 10 years ago, Dee4Life has a duty to ask difficult questions on behalf of fans, especially around the proposed new stadium development.
As we communicated with you a few weeks ago, we were pleased to hear that the club owners currently have no plans to sell Dens Park and groundshare, following Dark Blues Property Holdings’ purchase of our historic home. We believe the club owners are doing what they see as being in the best interests of the club, but there are still many unanswered questions about the stadium project that need to be addressed.
Also in October, Dee4Life Directors met with the committee of the Dundee Supporters’ Association and robust discussions about recent development took place. We believe it is healthy for open conversations to take place between all parties who have the best interests of Dundee FC at heart, and we will meet with the DSA again in January.
As recent communications from the club have shown, the DSA does a fantastic job of providing them with assistance and, as a long-standing Invergowrie Dark Blue, I know first-hand the work done to represent member clubs.
There is significant overlap between Dee4Life and DSA membership and, while our respective constitutions mean there are differences in the issues we will raise with the club board, we all want a Dundee that is successful on the park and secure off it.
I hope to see as many of you as possible at the AGM on Saturday 11 November (start time 11am in Dundee Social Club) and hope you can encourage family and friends to join us before then so they too can help shape our future.
We welcome the announcement that Dundee’s owners currently have no plans to sell Dens Park and groundshare ahead of the new stadium development being completed.
We acknowledge the ongoing financial commitment of the club’s owners but also believe Dundee’s supporters deserve the fullest possible information about the risks as well as rewards of this project.
The fact that Dark Blue Property Holdings (DBPH) now own Dens Park and will own the proposed new stadium rather than the club itself raises questions about what happens to Dundee if DBPH is later sold. Other clubs have found themselves in dire straits in similar circumstances and we are keen to hear what measures are in place to protect the club.
We remain supportive of the Camperdown development in principle but once again call on the club’s owners to provide clarity about whether there is a plan B should the project not come to fruition, through no fault of their own.
Finally, we would like to thank John Bennett for the role he has played in ensuring that Dundee FC still exists.
When Dee4Life directors pledged to do everything in their power to seek answers about the proposed new stadium development, it was made clear that diplomacy would have to be exhausted before a different course of action would be pursued.
Over the past year, we have been guided by legal advice and have asked for nothing beyond what FPS agreed to when they bought the club 10 years ago. We have sought help from intermediaries and offered to go to arbitration to establish a framework for fan representation. We produced a proposal that highlighted the ways we can help the club in return for them fulfilling their legal obligations. We demonstrated our willingness to work alongside the club and provided financial assistance for projects. Most recently, we requested a Q&A session so that outstanding stadium issues could be addressed.
We have worked hard to find an amicable solution but, with the club still failing to answer the perfectly reasonable questions put to them, we feel now is the time to appraise you of all that has happened to date.
Board nomination
In December 2022, we nominated Trust director Kenny Valentine to sit as our primary representative on the club board. The response, signed ‘Dundee Football Club Limited’, made clear this was regarded as a hostile act. Much of the anger appeared to be linked to the fact that a Dee4Life director had, while acting in a personal capacity, responded to the Camperdown statutory consultation by noting that they opposed the plan as it was presented at that time. We had restated Dee4Life’s position – support for the development subject to assurances about the risks facing the club – in our official response to the same consultation.
We immediately sought legal counsel and were advised to resolve the situation privately. Our lawyer wrote to the club noting that the concerns expressed were clearly those of an individual, reminding them that we had acted within our entrenched rights, and offering to meet with company secretary Lindsay Darroch to discuss next steps.
While it would have made our lives easier to outline every detail with you, we were advised that any public fallout would jeopardise any chance of progress. We ultimately took the view that to go public would be to fail our members by making it less likely that they received the answers they sought.
While discussions were ongoing between lawyers, Kenny met with club GM Greg Fenton and received confirmation that Dundee would be playing at Dens Park the following season. This didn’t answer all our questions, but it did address fears that we would be groundsharing for 2022/23.
Over the months that followed, some progress was made. Despite the language used in their response back in December, the club had not said they wouldn’t agree to a Dee4Life rep on the club board and, at this stage, the direction of travel seemed to be towards this happening.
Frustrated progress
Kenny and I (Dee4Life Chair Keith Winter) held robust and constructive discussions with John Nelms, emphasising why increased engagement was positive while pushing back firmly but professionally where appropriate.
An example of this came when we launched a survey in response to the club’s season ticket launch. Two hundred of you took the time to complete the survey and to ask other questions. Despite having agreed to provide answers to FAQs, the club then said they would prefer to answer them on the club’s channels so that all fans could be addressed simultaneously. We still await these answers.
By this time, we had finalised a formal proposal outlining how we saw a relationship between the club and the Trust working and this was sent to Dundee directors once the season ended. We called for several measures intended to increase engagement and communication, along the lines outlined in the club’s own Customer Charter. There were also examples of the ways in which we could help the club as part of a mutually respectful partnership.
While there was agreement in some areas – including willingness to take part in a Q&A – there was significant disagreement in others. Whereas discussion on the board place were of the ‘when, not if’ variety a few months ago, there now appeared to be a hardening of the club’s position. This culminated in us being told that attempts to have a Dee4Life rep appointed would continue to be resisted.
Q&A request
Over the past year, we have made clear that we sought a reset in relations with the club but the supposed actions of “individuals associated with Dee4Life” were repeatedly cited as reasons for the club’s reluctance to engage. With no movement on the board place we requested the Q&A that John Nelms had indicated he was willing to take part in. The response we received offered only a further meeting rather than direct discussions about the issues we had raised. We had previously been offered a Q&A with Tony Docherty but it would have been inappropriate to take part in this while we seek answers to the Camperdown questions.
It has been frustrating not to be able to share all we have been doing with members, but it was necessary that discussions remained confidential while there was a chance of diplomacy succeeding. We also had to be able to evidence the steps we had taken to resolve the impasse in a professional and amicable manner. Our aim was to be above reproach in all that we did.
Next steps
For obvious reasons it isn’t in our interests for the full legal advice we received to be in the public domain but, to summarise, the only way to enforce Dee4Life’s entrenched rights would be by raising legal action against the club. We don’t have inexhaustible funds but the majority of our reserves are ringfenced for legal action if it is ever required to fight a very clear threat to Dundee’s existence.
Our primary focus over the past year has been to fulfil the pledges we made at the last AGM and for fans to receive the information they deserve. The board rep nomination was a means to an end for us – that end being to get answers to the stadium questions and to ensure this kind of situation does not arise again. With club directors now explicitly saying they will block this move and with John Nelms now apparently unwilling to take part in a Q&A, it is now time to consider next steps.
We will be meeting with Dundee’s two constituency MSPs over the next few weeks to ask for their assistance in resolving this situation. We will update you on these talks and anticipate laying out the options available to us and recommending a course of action ahead at our AGM in November, at which point members will be able to vote on the direction we take.
We note today’s media reports about the imminent purchase of Dens Park by FPS and will consider the implications for the club as we obtain more information on the matter.
Following our day of action at Saturday’s game, the Dee4Life membership now stands just shy of 500. This is the highest the figure has been for almost a decade but is still below where we want to be.
I want to welcome our new members to the fold and to thank existing members for their ongoing support. I would also like to ask the non-members among you to consider joining and supporting our efforts.
Dee4Life were the matchball sponsor at the Kilmarnock game (with four of our members randomly selected to enjoy the hospitality places we received) and we will be raffling this off to members this week.
Dee4Life competition winners in the Legends Lounge hospitality suite with Joe Shaughnessy and Malachi Boateng.
All supporters who sign up by 5pm on Wednesday will join existing members in the draw to win the signed ball that was presented to our party after Saturday’s game.
Over the past year we have raised a number of issues with the club that members have brought to us. These include maintenance of Dens Park, entry issues, disabled parking and access, the way season ticket sales were handled, the 1893 Foundation and tannoy problems.
We supported Community Trust initiatives, helped connect the club with tradespeople willing to carry out maintenance work at Dens, and have put several thousands pounds into the club in the form of sponsorship and advertising.
We have handed out thousands of flyers at games and have greatly improved our relationship with the Dundee Supporters Association. We offered to subsidise memberships for the relaunched Junior Dees to help families during the cost-of-living crisis and our long-standing offer to support the introduction of eticketing remains on the table.
One of the Dee4Life advertising boards we have pitchside at Dens.
We recently took out two advertising hoardings at Dens and sponsored the South East Section’s first Tifo in order to attract a younger membership. We have been more active on social media, in addition to making the updates we send to members available to all fans via these channels.
Dee4Life are the club’s second largest shareholder and custodians of the A shares purchased with money raised by Dundee supporters. That means we have a responsibility to work on behalf of the entire fanbase so want to be as representative as possible by ensuring our membership is as broad as possible.
Our primary focus has been to establish a formal framework for fan representation with the club and to have the board address the concerns that our members have raised around the new stadium development. This has been a lengthier and more complicated process than we envisaged and we will be providing a comprehensive rundown of these efforts in our next monthly update.
What is clear is that the more members we have, the stronger the fan voice is so if you are a non or former member, please consider joining for just £10 a year. And if you do so before Wednesday, you have the chance to win the ball signed by the Dundee squad.
The signed match ball you can get your hands on.
For existing members, please encourage family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances – anyone you’ve ever heard express sympathy for DFC basically! – to sign up.
Let’s hit 500 this week and keep growing from there.
We are delighted to be sponsoring the South East Section’s first ever tifo at Saturday’s game v Kilmarnock. 🇨🇷
Coloured cards will be placed on every seat in the South Enclosure for fans to raise as the team takes to the park. A Dee4Life flyer containing a details on who we are and what our objectives are along with a QR code to allow you to join the Trust is printed on the reverse side of the cards and we hope as many of you will choose to sign up.
This forms part of the activity we have planned for Saturday’s game, which we are the matchball sponsors of. Four Dee4Life members who won our competition earlier this week will enjoy a day in hospitality while our directors will be on hand out side the Bobby Cox and Main Stand handing out flyers and answering any questions fans may have before kick-off.
You may also notice the new Dee4Life advertising boards on display at the trackside.
Some of the SES squad who have helped add to the atmosphere at Dundee games.
The SES lads and lasses have done a great job in helping to improve the atmosphere at Dens over the past 18 months so let’s join them in getting behind the team and greet them with a sea of blue, white and red when they emerge from the tunnel.
Life-long Dark Blue and Dee4Life member Craig Robertson recalls some of his favourite moments following Dundee, the time he turned down Jim McLean’s offer to join United and when Barry Smith made his dreams come true by asking him to play for The Dee…
All my family are Dundee fanatics so there was never any doubt about who I would support. My first game was a resounding 4-0 defeat at home to Aberdeen in March 1985 when I was four (the programme is in a frame at home), so I suppose you could say it set the tone for the years that followed. Luckily I don’t remember anything about the game other than snow being piled at the side of the pitch, but it was the whole experience of going to a game at Dens – the walk from the car, climbing the stairs in the main stand, the smells of pipe smoke, seeing so many blue and white scarfs – that meant I was hooked evermore.
The walk to Dens from whatever direction, especially when the floodlights are on, still gives me that childlike buzz of excitement. Being able to play under the floodlights at Dens is a moment that will live with me forever and I still feel incredibly fortunate to be given that opportunity. My favourite player around those early years was Jim Duffy. He always seemed to have loads of time on the ball and the way he headed the ball back to Geddes or Carson is a very vivid early memory. I then graduated to Keith Wright, mainly because he was left footed, but also as he always seemed to give United defenders a hard time, no more evident with his hat-trick in the 4-3 home win in 1989. Other favourite games include the Hearts League Cup game in 1995 and vaulting the greyhound fence onto the pitch after the penalties, the title win at Raith in 1998 and being in the Derry melee after Adamczyk’s late equaliser v United the season after. The noise in the main stand when Wighton’s winner went in is also a highlight.
I didn’t miss many games throughout the 90s, home or away, and at that point and climbing the 44 steps of the Derry was just as important to me as the actual result. Maybe that’s because we spent most of that period in the second tier, but results are sometimes the least important thing about supporting a club like Dundee. It’s getting stories passed down from your Dad, who had the same from his Dad. It’s going to the game with family and friends, sharing experiences good or bad. A lifetime ambition was to see Dundee away in Europe and that is my standout supporter memory. Along with five friends we made the trip to Vllaznia, 20 years ago this month, with a memorable planes/trains/automobiles experience. The trip was built around a week’s 18-30s holiday in Kavos. We got in at 4.30am ahead of a 5am taxi to the port for a ferry to Sarande in the south of Albania. We then needed to barter with the local taxi drivers to get our best price for a 6-man taxi to Tirana in the North, a journey which took 10+ hours on roads best described as cliff-hanging dirt tracks. When we finally got to the 5-star Sheraton hotel (a far cry from our horrific digs in Kavos) we were greeted by Jimmy Marr and Di Stefano before meeting up with fellow Dees who had travelled a little easier on the chartered trip! Shout out to Blair Morrison who was our logistics man and who I’m still thank to this day for making that trip possible.
Craig with a young Albanian he managed to convert while on his Vllaznia trip.
By that point I wasn’t making as many Dundee games as I would have liked as I was playing most Saturdays. I had been ‘S’ form with Rangers and United wanted to sign me, but I wasn’t keen for obvious reasons. I would train with their youths and play in friendlies, but I always wore a Dundee top underneath the United shirt. My brother used to say ‘never let that badge touch your skin’. Even at summer tournaments on the hottest day of the year I’d still have two layers on. Eventually Jim McLean cornered me in the dressing room and told me I had to make up my mind. He was swinging this golf umbrella about and looking as menacing as you’d imagine. When I said I didn’t want to sign he walked out without saying a word. I think I was lucky not to be chinned!
After that I played for Forfar’s youth team for a few seasons and was about to sign for Lochee United when I went down to Grimsby for a pre-season friendly. We had just signed the likes of Caballero and Nemsadze and about 800 fans made the trip because of the sense of excitement about the club. I came home, apologised to Lochee and got a season ticket for Dens.
When I did eventually sign for Lochee, I still took every opportunity to go to Dundee games when I could. It just so happened that my testimonial year with Lochee was coming up when Dundee went into administration for the second time. We’d talked about getting a game between Dundee and Lochee at the end of the season but it was my mate Paul McMillan who came up with the idea of using it to raise money.
I think we raised something like £14,000 in the end with more than 2,000 turning up and Artero and others taking a game for Dundee. Someone had asked earlier that day if I fancied taking a game for Dundee in the second half and I was delighted. At that point that was living the dream for me and I really didn’t expect what came next.
I was in the office one day and I got a call from my Lochee manager, Paul Ritchie, who asked if I fancied playing for Dundee. Obviously I was stunned but I thought it could be a wind up so I wasn’t totally committing in case the call was being recorded or something. He told me to keep the line free as Barry Smith was about to phone me.
I was standing outside the office with my heart thumping but until I heard Barry’s voice I was still half-thinking it was a joke. I phoned my mum and dad and then my brothers. Once he got over the shock, my older brother started giving me lifestyle advice, telling me to start stretching immediately and get out for a run that night then go straight to bed.
At the pre-match meal, Barry asked if I wanted to start on the left wing or in the middle? I was being asked to pick where I played for Dundee! I think he just wanted me to feel as comfortable as possible and not to make a fuss over me. He told me to go out and do what I’d been doing all season. Then when we got to Starks Park, I was handed the number 9 shirt. It was absolutely crazy! It had all happened so fast I didn’t have much time to get worried. I just floated through on adrenaline but then I was watching the away end fill up during the warm-up and I was suddenly like, ‘shit, I’m actually away to play here.’
My wife and her family, my parents, both my brothers and a couple of car-fulls of mates were there. They’ve told me on numerous occasions since that it was the proudest moment of their time supporting Dundee, which means a lot. You think guys don’t talk about their emotions. Then it comes to football!
I can’t remember much about the game. It went by in a blur. All I was thinking was ‘don’t give the ball away’. Going back into work the next day was surreal. Some guys I worked with had been at the game and everyone wanted to talk about it. I didn’t do a scrap of work that day. I just hid behind my computer screen reading match reports and trying to find my rating out of 10!
The Morton game the following Saturday was different. There was a four-day build up. The adrenaline had worn off and I was thinking about all kinds of stuff – I would be playing for Dundee at Dens. I’d be wearing the dark blue this time rather than the away strip. I kept thinking about all the great number 9s who’ve played at Dens. All these stupid things were going through my head and I didn’t play nearly as well.
Craig in his final appearance for Dundee at Dens Park against Dunfermline. Image: Sean Dee Photography.
Barry told me I could play another game as a trialist and ‘not to do anything stupid at weekends’. I was about to go on my stag do a few weeks later when I got a call saying I was needed to play against Dunfermline in a couple of days. There were about 30-40 boys meeting up but I ended having two pints and going up the road early. My mates had my stag do for me.
It was 1-1 and I came on as a sub. In the last couple of minutes the ball fell to me nicely on the edge of the box and I immediately played it out wide. The first thing my wife said after wards was ‘why didn’t you just shoot?’. I’ve thought about it a lot over the years but in the moment I wasn’t thinking about grabbing the winner or anything like that. Since then I must have had 50 people tell me I should have just hit it but for every single minute I played it was in my head not to do anything stupid. I didn’t want to be in any way responsible for ending that run. I was asked to keep things simple and that’s what I did. Since then a lot of people have told me that I was living their dream for them and that always makes me think about how lucky I am to have had that experience.
I’m still a season ticket holder at Dens. My girls both enjoy coming along to games with me and have been season ticket holders since birth, although they prefer “the seats with a back” in the main stand to the Derry buckets. And I think the younger one enjoys the hot dogs more than the actual game. However it’s my duty as a father to pass the Dundee experience on, there is no option in our family to support anybody else. My older daughter was just one when the Championship was won in 2013 and it’s a great family memory having her in between my wife and I at the final whistle, with her uncle [Declan Gallagher] on the pitch and her grandfather [Steve Martin] in the stand as he was a director at the time.
Craig’s daughters – he has made sure they follow the team in dark blue.
I joined Dee4Life for the same reason I go to Dens every week. Whoever the custodians are, their job should be to steer the club to the best of their ability but never forget why the club exists in the first place. Fans are the biggest stakeholders in every club in the world and as such deserve to have some sort of representation. It’s logical to me that the more involvement you give a group like Dee4Life, the more invested they become and organic growth of the fan base comes from that. By that I don’t mean involvement as in making decisions, but in the way of ideas/suggestions.
On paper, Tony Doc looks to have done a decent job of re-assembling a depleted squad so I’m cautiously optimistic of making it to 10th spot which really should be the only ambition this season. Top league consolidation obviously isn’t an option open to my brother-in-law’s new team this season! To be fair to Declan, it’s a great move at this stage of his career, offering security and gets rid of the three-hour daily round trip. That said, I never feel more like singing the blues than when Dundee win and United lose, and I won’t be slow to remind him of that!
To join Craig as a Dee4Life member, sign up here for just £10 a year.
I spoke with DFC General manager Greg Fenton last week to discuss several issues that members have raised with us. I have summarised these, and Greg’s responses, below.
As we outlined in our recent partnership proposal, we want to work with the club to resolve issues as well as raising them. Our proposed next steps are outlined in italics.
A section of the Dundee support in the Bobby Cox Stand at the Motherwell game. Image: Derek Gerrard Photography.
Tannoy system
Several members were concerned that the South Enclosure tannoy system that has been inaudible for several seasons is now a bigger issue given the need for VAR updates.
Answer – the club invested in the SE tannoy in the summer and are monitoring the situation to test for its effectiveness.
We have received mixed feedback from the Motherwell game, with some fans reporting an improvement and others noting no change. We have offered to liaise with the company that DFC use to see what further options there are to improve the tannoy system and to potentially fund any improvement.
Ticketing
As we shared with you at the start of the month, we have been discussing this longstanding complaint of fans with the club, have proposed temporary solutions and have offered to support the introduction of eTicketing.
Answer – the club felt the new collection booth worked well in reducing club shop queues prior to the Motherwell match and are considering additional resources that would make it quicker and more convenient for fans to purchase and collect tickets.
Our offer of support remains in place and we are happy to explore any other ideas members might have.
Condition of South Enlosure seats
Dee4Life directors and members reported finding broken and dirty seats upon arriving at the Motherwell match.
The condition of some of the seats in the South Enclosure prior to the first game of the season.
Answer – all seats were cleaned in the days prior to the opening match of the season and stained and/or broken ones have now been removed, with replacements in place for the Hearts game. Seats in the areas worst affected by bird droppings are covered until 1pm pre-match.
As the club only has covers for a fraction of the total number of seats we are looking at whether we can fund more.
General stadium maintenance
Members expressed disappointment at finding old signs, bottles, cones and general debris upon arriving at the ground last week.
Answer – the club would appreciate any support to help clean up articles that litter the ground.
Earlier in the summer we helped connect the club with tradespeople willing to help out with stadium maintenance and we are liaising with individuals and other groups to see what further assistance we might collectively provide.
In addition, we were also asked to contact the club by a member regarding concerns about disabled access following on from the new parking restrictions introduced by the local authority. We thank DFC Disability Access officer Declan Gall for providing a speedy response confirming that disabled parking places for supporters are available on Provost Road and North Isla Street.
Any members who would like to provide their own feedback or raise any issues they’d like raised with the club then please do not hesitate to get in touch by emailing contact@dee4life.com.
Former fanzine editor, award-winning football writer and one-time Sportscene guest Alan Pattullo tells us why the 87 Skol Cup semi beats any World Cup final, how he risked expulsion from school to watch Dundee play Brechin City and why he joined Dee4Life…
I was born at DRI in April 1973 – so I was just about alive when Dundee last won a major trophy – but grew up in the rural badlands of Angus. I think I picked Dundee to support out of cussedness as much as anything. I note with some pride that my first Dundee match was the first game of the 83-84 campaign at Dens v Montrose in the League Cup. We all know what the last competitive game held there had been. But I chose to shun success at that time and I’m forever glad I did.
While it’s often said that such areas as rural Angus are dominated by United, Dundee were and are definitely well represented in my neck of the woods. But that certainly wasn’t the case at the school I went to on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Rugby was sadly king and a few of us would break out of school on Saturday to attend football matches. I was the only one bound for Dens Park though and it’s funny to look back and think I was risking expulsion to watch us play Brechin City. But the passion was very real then and it’s barely dimmed since, even if the stakes are not quite as high now when it comes to attending games.
Early Dee hero
My first hero, perhaps surprisingly, was Walker McCall, whose No 9 play and height caught my eye. Iain Ferguson was another early favourite, as was Tosh McKinlay, who was a class apart as a left back. Early standout games were Scottish Cup ties v Celtic and Rangers at Dens – I’ve a memory of Ferguson being straight through in the latter game and the ref blowing up for half time! Was always thus.
It was Dens as much as the team that stole my heart, sitting in the old Section F ‘Father and son’ section in the main stand (before being old enough to graduate to the Derry) and the intoxicating whiff of tobacco smoke and pies. I was sitting there with my dad and sister – who, absurdly, cannot remember the game at all – when I witnessed what I consider my greatest match (and I’ve been fortunate to cover three World Cup finals): 2-1 v Dundee United in the Skol Cup quarters, 1987. I can still feel the surge of emotion when Tommy Coyne equalised towards the end. I’m not sure anything has come close to that feeling since. These reasons, among many others, are why I’m not an advocate for the Camperdown development. Dens is our home.
I grew up on a farm and with a friend down the road – an Aberdeen supporter who then switched loyalties to Forfar – started writing a fanzine that would become It’s Half Past Four …And We’re 2-0 Down (HPF). It summed up that feeling towards the end of the game when you had been reduced to making deals with God if it meant getting a goal that might spur a comeback. Invariably of course that didn’t happen. I remember looking at the clock in the corner at Dens many times and hoping against hope. The first issue was a more general football fanzine but by issue 2 we had decided to make it a Dundee FC-centric publication. I think my friend, who was a good bit older than me, had found other things to interest him such as girls. I meanwhile was happy to stay up until the wee sma’ hours writing diatribes about Angus Cook and composing all time Dundee disaster XIs etc.
Four edition’s of Alan’s It’s Half Past Four …And We’re 2-0 Down fanzines.
There was not too much content about Dundee to savour beyond what the Courier was reporting. There was barely even a book to buy before Jim Hendry’s fantastic Dundee Greats. I just wish HPF might have extended to more than eight issues.
Challenges of being a Dee and football writer
One time, Ron Dixon invited me to Dens Park. I was just a student and so had to smarten myself up for a boardroom visit. He sat down in front of me and told me that I reminded him a lot of himself, which I wasn’t sure whether to take as a compliment or not. He’d actually bought a copy of the fanzine outside Dens. He thrust a tenner into the hands of one my friends I’d recruited to help me sell them, and drawled: “keep the change”. I like that image.
When I became a football writer professionally, I suppose the biggest problem was that I wasn’t always covering Dundee. I had to get used to not watching them play on a weekly basis. I started freelancing for Scotland on Sunday. Although my first assignment was a 0-0 between Morton and Dundee at Cappielow, it wasn’t always a Dundee game that I was handed. I remember sitting at Palmerston Park while Dundee were winning the league in Kirkcaldy in 1998 and finding that quite hard. But you get used to it and of course, it solved the problem of not having to criticise the team I loved! I didn’t fancy doing it in print that much and having former chairman Derek Souter phone me up to complain, which he did a few times. But Derek and I are all right now. I’ve had a seat near him in the Derry in recent seasons and I enjoy his insight. Although Angus Cook did recently put the phone down on me….
There’s certainly been plenty of news to cover at Dens over the years, that’s for sure. I suppose it started to get really interesting when the Bonettis came in. The Caniggia signing is still hard to process and while I was fortunate to bag a one-to-one interview with him a few months into his stay, I’m still annoyed that my sports editor sent me to interview Robert Prytz – then assistant manager at Hamilton Accies – rather than to cover Caniggia’s unveiling.
Interviewing Caniggia on the Copacabana
He did redeem himself by sending me to Albania for Dundee’s return to European competition in 2003. That was certainly memorable and a real privilege – to be paid to see what I always dreamed of seeing: Dundee in proper European action (I don’t count the Intertoto).
Also memorable but in a less positive sense was the night Scotland were humped 6-0 by Holland in the second leg of the Euro 2004 play off. Reports were just emerging that Dundee were preparing to go into administration the following day and so I was trying to process that amid the wreckage of another failed major finals attempt. I have to confess the Dundee news was uppermost in my mind but I had to try and be professional and concentrate on the Scotland story.
Another memorable moment, and I don’t think I will ever beat this one, is interviewing Claudio on the Copacabana beach during the World Cup finals in Brazil in 2014. I stalked him after spotting him at the Maracana during the France v Germany last 16 game and the following day waited outside his hotel until he emerged. He gave me about 20 minutes of his time and was utterly charming and happy to chat about Dundee after giving me what I needed on what looked like being Messi’s last chance to win the World Cup.
Bringing it slightly more up to date, the recent title winning game v Queen’s Park was a privilege to be at. I would not have been able to go had I not been working as we all know that tickets were like hen’s teeth. Even getting press accreditation was hard enough. But I did and all was going swimmingly until about 12 minutes in when Dundee decided to make it a bit more interesting by conceding two quick goals. My sports editor phoned up at half time requesting 1000 words on the final whistle rather than the 500 previously agreed. They came fairly easily fortunately. And the pint at Larbert station en route home in a pub full of Dundee fans has rarely tasted sweeter.
When I first started the job I did fear it would compromise my relationship with Dundee and maybe it has to a certain extent. You see and hear things you sometimes do not want to. But I’m happy to report that even now when I go to a match as a fan, I slip effortlessly back into the mindset of the teenage me. A week is made a lot brighter if I know there’s a trip to Dens at the end of it, and I can get my scarf on rather than sit in the press box.
Dee4Life and raising a future Dee
I’m still a member of the Capital Dark Blues, I had been aware of the club when I was at school in Edinburgh and even contacted the then convener Grant Anderson about getting lifts up to games but the timings didn’t work. And then I started at Dundee Uni and didn’t have such worries about getting to games. But since returning to Edinburgh to live I’ve had more involvement and in the early 2000s the club was very vibrant – though I also remember attending a Dixon/David Holmes meeting in Edinburgh in the early 90s and Holmes marvelling at the number of Dundee fans present. He said something like if Hearts or Hibs organised a similar meeting in Dundee, they’d be holding it in a phone box! So Edinburgh has always had a really healthy number of active Dundee fans, but I think it was at its peak in the early 2000s, when Ivano and Dario Bonetti were coming for question and answer events in Italian restaurants and the annual dinner was being attended by around 150 people.
My love for Dundee remains as strong as it ever was an I now hope to pass that on to my son, Jack. I’m always struck by parents who take a casual view of the matter of their offspring’s loyalties. I know of several who are simply happy if it’s the local team rather than their own. Well, there’s no way I’m taking Jack – who is still only five – to Hibs or Hearts games at the expense of Dundee. Fortunately, he seems to be showing interest. His first game was away at Livingston, the last game of 2021-22 season when we were already relegated. I thought that would be a chilled-out one to introduce him and I was eager for him to be able to say he once saw Charlie Adam play in dark blue – or light blue as it was that day. He’s since been to Dens – a 2-1 win over Ayr United, when Paul McMullan scored a worldie. Jack wears his Dundee strip to tots’ football coaching each Sunday morning and it gives me pride to see that standing out amongst all the usual football tops you’d expect on an Edinburgh pitch.
Dee4Life member Alan Pattullo and his five-year-old son Jack.
That’s one of the reasons I’m a Dee4life member. This is a tricky and potentially defining time in the club’s history. We all need to ask the right questions and be wary of plans that potentially put the club’s very future at risk. It’s what I would be doing in fanzine days and what I’m trying to do now in a professional capacity.
On the pitch, I’m pretty optimistic. I’m fairly easy to please. Simply knowing I can enjoy Lyall Cameron and Josh Mulligan in a Dundee shirt for another season at least is a welcome bonus, as I had doubted seeing them again after the Queen’s Park title game when they were out of contract and on the radar of other clubs. I’m passionate about seeing young talent from the Dundee area being given a chance and it does seem like Dundee have got their act together on the youth recruitment front.
As for the first team, Tony Docherty has done a sterling job of rebuilding again and I’m glad to see so many from last season returning. I was saying to someone the other day that for the first time in my lifetime there’s not anyone at Dundee United I would take over the current Dundee player in the corresponding position. Not that this is relevant this season when it comes to securing safety in the top flight. But I’m hopeful we can do that.
To join Alan as a Dee4Life member, sign up here for just £10 a year.
Another season is upon us, and we look forward to seeing the Championship flag raised at Dens Park on Saturday. On behalf of the Dee4Life board, I would like to wish Tony Docherty and his players and staff all the best of the Premiership campaign ahead.
This Saturday, sees the start of the 23/24 Cinch Premiership season and we welcome Motherwell to the Kilmac Stadium on the opening day.
With a bumper crowd expected for the Motherwell match, we hope not to see any repeat of the lengthy queues at the club shop and turnstiles that have been a regular feature over the past year. This is the issue that members have contacted us about most frequently and we appreciate that work, family, and other commitments mean fans are often unable to purchase and collect tickets in advance or to turn up some time ahead of kick off.
A queue outside the Dundee Direct shop prior to the Inverness game.
Our Chair Keith Winter met with John Nelms last week and once again raised the possibility of introducing eticketing and/or a cash gate. The Trust previously offered to financially support the introduction of eticketing and this remains in place. Positive talks took place with the club on this matter but it appears that current contractual arrangements prevented it from being implemented for this season. On implementing a cash gate there remain some issues to address also, though this will again be followed up.
We appreciate some fans remain frustrated about this option being available in the away end and, when Keith raised this point, he was told that this only happens with clubs who cannot operate any online arrangement. We will continue to explore this issue and willing to help fund a short-term solution for season 2023/24 as it is one of our priorities to make it simpler and more appealing for supporters to attend games.
Dens Park could see a bumper crowd this weekend. Image: Derek Gerrard Photography.
In our recent proposal to the club we outlined ways we can fulfil our key objectives and hope that the club fully engage with us in taking matters forward. I want to thank all of you who took the time to share feedback on the proposal, the vast majority of which was positive.
All our efforts with the club are geared towards fans receiving the information we believe they deserve. In line with our proposal, we would like a Q&A to take place where supporters’ representatives can ask questions relating to the proposed new stadium development and other matters of concern and interest to Dundee fans. The club expressed a willingness to hold such a forum earlier this year and we hope to bring you news on this shortly.
I had my first meeting with Dundee FC Managing Director John Nelms as Dee4Life Chair last week and the proposal we submitted to the club in May was the main subject of discussion.
While there is alignment in some areas there remains a significant distance between the two parties in others and further talks aimed at reaching a formal agreement will be necessary.
We believe the Trust’s proposal – which members can read in its entirety here – is fair and has the potential to help our club prosper. While outlying several ways we can help Dundee’s development, it asks for nothing beyond what Dee4Life is legally entitled to as per the club’s Articles of Association and as outlined in its customer charter.
A huge amount of time and work has gone into rebuilding Dee4Life’s relationship with the club, the objective of which has been to create a vehicle for supporters’ views to be heard and respected at boardroom level whilst agreeing areas of activity the Trust can take in support of the club.
While that relationship has undoubtedly improved, we are fully aware that the most substantive concerns of Dundee supporters remain unanswered. We are giving diplomacy every chance to succeed and have been guided by legal advice throughout but if this path does not lead to the type of engagement we have sought then we anticipate consulting our members over alternative options.
We are keen to hear the views of as many of our members as possible about the proposal and efforts to have fan representation to the board reinstated so invite you to send feedback to contact@dee4life.com. The more members we have, the more representative of the club’s support we are and the more influential the fans’ voice can be. Please encourage other Dark Blues to sign up.
Dee4Life 