Author: Dee4life

Member stories

‘It was like a drug, we were completely hooked’: Ex-Chairman Bill Colvin shares his Dundee journey

Former Dundee chairman Bill Colvin shares his remarkable DFC journey with us and why he thinks being a member of Dee4Life is important…

Bill Colvin never intended to become involved with Dundee. He was a lifelong Dunfermline fan who had lived in the south of England for many years. He was approaching a point in his life when, after a highly successful career in the care industry, most would look to wind down their commitments.

Taking on a stressful and time-consuming new interest wasn’t part of the plan, and sinking several hundred thousand pounds of his own money into a football club he didn’t even support certainly wasn’t on the agenda.

Bill Colvin in the Dens Park directors' box during his time as Dundee Chairman
Bill Colvin in the Dens Park directors’ box during his time as Dundee Chairman. (Image by Derek Gerrard Photography)

But then tragedy and opportunity combined to change Bill and his wife’s Pam’s life and bring them into the orbit of a fanbase who will forever remain grateful or the role he played in saving their club.

Investing in Dundee

The history of Dundee FC is commonly told through football grounds across Scotland – West Craigie Park, Caroline Port and Dens, Ibrox, Hampden and Muirton – but the role that the 2010 Scottish Care Home Awards ceremony played in the club’s story is less well-known. It was at this event that current Dee4Life director Kenny Valentine sought out Bill, his friend and former colleague, to ask if he might be able to help Dundee out of the financial mess they had found themselves in. As it turned out, Bill had been thinking along similar lines and the conversation they had at the bar of the Glasgow Hilton would have far-reaching consequences for the Dark Blues.

“My father-in-law, Bill Gordon, was a big Dundee supporter,” explained Bill. “He was there when they won back-to-back League Cups at Hampden and he would take great pleasure in reminding me that Dundee’s record victory [10-0 in 1947] was against the Pars. Pam and I had bought her parents a house down here in Surrey so he hadn’t been to watch the team for a lot of years but I had a friend who was a business associate of Peter and Jimmy Marr. They very kindly arranged for me and my father-in-law to go to a game at Dens. Peter arranged for Bobby Cox to spend time with us and that meant so much to Bill. Bobby presented him with a Dundee tie and you would have thought it was made of gold he was so delighted.

Bill Colvin (left), his father-in-law Bill Gordon and Bobby Cox (right)
Bill Colvin (left), his father-in-law Bill Gordon and Bobby Cox (right)

That was my first experience with Dundee and it left me with a really positive impression of the club.

“Very sadly Bill died when he was on holiday with us up in Scotland a few years later. The following day, the club went into administration for the second time. We used to get the Courier delivered down here every day and it helped build the banter between Bill and I when Dundee were playing the Pars. We would read about how the club might not survive and think about how Bill would have felt about that. That got us thinking about using some of the money from his house to help his club live on. But it was just an idea at that stage and that’s where Kenny came in. I’ve known him for a long time through the care industry and he knew Pam’s dad had been a Dundee fan. I was asking him ‘how the hell do I get into Dundee to offer some help?’”

Kenny, who was volunteering with Dundee FC Supporters Society – as Dee4Life was then known – promised to connect Bill with club chief executive Harry MacLean. A follow-up call took place while Bill was on holiday on Bermuda. Kenny claims the money his friend was willing to pledge grew with every bottle of beer he sunk. By January 2011, when Bill flew up to Scotland to meet with Harry, his donation had ballooned into a very substantial sum.

‘Crazy’ Dee-fiant memories

Aside from the finances involved, news of Bill and Pam’s generosity helped fuel the ‘Dee-fiant’ spirit that was driving the club to defy the odds by surviving the 25-point penalty designed to ensure relegation. At a time when those involved with the club felt under attack from all sides, the Colvins showed that not only did Dundee still have friends out there, but also ones willing to fight for its existence.

“You have my wife to thank for all this, she’s the one who had been brought up a Dundee fan and who kept encouraging me as we got deeper and deeper in,” laughed Bill. “It was unbelievable that we survived the points deduction. What Barry Smith – one of the nicest men I’ve ever met – did was incredible. Then you had Steve Martin’s son-in-law [Craig Robertson] being called up from the juniors, Neil McCann scoring that goal against Raith and Sean Higgins playing with steak in his boots. It was crazy.

Bill Colvin alongside wife Pam at a Dundee Player of the Year Dinner (Image by Derek Gerrard Photography)

“The longer the unbeaten run went on, the more addicted we got. It really is like a drug, isn’t it? We were following every minute of it. If we couldn’t be at the games, we were following them on the television or the radio and Pam used to run around the coffee table every time we scored. She was already a fan but got deeper into it and I got hooked as well.

“I have so much respect for every one of those players who got us through. When Sparky went to Wolves and when Craig Forsyth went down south they waived their fee so the club could keep the cash. That was young guys giving up a substantial amount of money and I don’t think a lot of people know that. And there was everything that the supporters were doing. It was a real team effort to keep the club alive.”

American interest

The highs of the Deefiant season would prove impossible to maintain. Two unhappy years of fan ownership included an unexpected elevation to the top flight in the place of the imploding Rangers followed by a humbling relegation as the club struggled to find any kind of security. Throughout this period, Bill continued to support the club financially, helping to stave off disaster by ensuring wages were paid on one occasion. Originally Bill and Pam had envisaged making a single donation and stepping away when the club exited administration. Instead, Bill was elected to the club’s board of directors in April 2013 and was destined to become part-owner shortly afterwards.

“There were a lot of really good people doing their best, but the club needed money to get back on its feet again,” he said. “I was busy with work so didn’t really have time to get involved but as I was putting more and more money in, I felt I should maybe be having more of an influence over how it was spent.

“After I joined the board, [former CEO] Scot Gardiner called me out of the blue and said, ‘I’ve got these Americans who are really keen on putting money into the club’. Back in those days I was going back and forward to Houston every two or three months on business, so Scot and Steve Martin flew over to Houston with me to meet Tim Keyes and John Nelms. My company had a box at Houston Dynamo so we took them to the game. It was something of a validation that all the Dynamo guys I introduced them to already knew them through John’s involvement with youth football there and Tim’s business background.

“I talked to banks, people that worked with them, advisors, accountants. It was clear they had money behind them and, to be honest with you, the prospect of having someone to share the load was appealing to me.

“Dundee fans had been absolutely unbelievable. They had put a lot of money in but when money is required overnight, you can’t just go and arrange a fundraiser so I was quite happy to see another investor in there.”

Relationships were strained as the newly formed Football Partners Scotland sought to buy a controlling stake in Dundee while DFCSS directors held out for assurances how the deal would protect the club and to allow rank-and-file members to vote on whether to give up their hard-fought ownership. Tired of what they saw as delaying tactics, Bill, Steve Martin and finance director Iain Crichton resigned from the board, only to retake their positions once the sale was completed. Bill was the now the chairman of a club he had never imagined becoming involved with.

“Things did turn ugly in that period, but I certainly understood why they were cautious,” admitted Bill. “They had had to endure some fairly unusual owners, shall we say, who had made bold promises that didn’t materialise. Now they had people saying ‘we’re going to put all this money in’ and it was understandable they were wondering what the catch was.

“When John, Steve and I held meetings to appease fans who might have concerns about us, I was shocked at the number of people that turned up. The places were packed and there was a whole cross section of the city there. It showed the passion that people feel for the club and that’s what drove Pam and I on to keep supporting the club financially. We would look around the ground and see little kids at the games with their grandparents and such a diverse range of people and it was wonderful. At any club the fans keep it going and should be an integral part of it. I think it is important there are supporters’ organisations like Dee4Life looking out for fans and asking questions. I know from speaking to Kenny how hard he and the current Dee4Life board are working to ensure Dundee fans have a voice so I would encourage as many as possible to join up.”

Bill stood down as Chairman in May 2015, with the club having won promotion and achieved a top 6 Premiership finish since FPS had taken over. He had been instrumental in appointing Paul Hartley to the manager’s post and the two enjoyed a strong relationship for the rest of Bill’s time on the board.

“John Brown had done a brilliant job in nearly avoiding relegation the previous year but it was becoming obvious that we had to look elsewhere to ensure we got promoted,” recalled Bill. “Paul had done a great job at Alloa and he carried us over the line, thank God. There are two things that really stick in my mind about that time. The first was watching the game against Cowdenbeath the year we got promoted when Greg Stewart and Kane Hemmings tore us to bits. I ran downstairs after the game and said, ‘We’ve got to sign Greg Stewart’ and Paul looked at me and said, ‘it’s already in motion, Chairman’.

“The other was when we played Aberdeen in the cup and we were sitting next to Alex Ferguson at the game. He couldn’t understand why I was praying for a draw but it was because I wanted the replay money. And then David Clarkson came on and scored the winner in injury time!

“It was an exciting time. I tried to buy the stadium off John Bennett several times, but we never got it over the line. I never felt it was an absolute essential to own the ground and thought it was more important that we found money to keep it in good shape for the fans.

“It was an honour to be Chairman of the club and to have done something for the supporters, to have worked with the people I did and get to know so many fantastic players – guys like Peaso, Jimmy McAllister and Gary Harkins. Jesus, what a player Harkins was!”

Regrets?

So, given all that, does he ever regret stepping away?

Pam and Bill Colvin in the Dens Park board room.
Pam and Bill Colvin in the Dens Park board room.

“No. I think it was the right time for me to step back but we still follow Dundee to this day. Not as closely as we used to because it’s quite a trek from Surrey to Dundee. For a couple of seasons we were flying up for games every two or three weeks but we uncoupled ourselves a bit over the years. I’ve not been up to Dundee for a while, but we’ll hopefully be at Dens later this year.

“Everything we did was great fun. There are some great people around the club, and it’s such an important part of the fabric of the city. We got hooked and don’t regret a single thing. In fact, I’d do it all again. If it the worst ever comes to the worst again, I’ll be there for Dundee.”

To join Bill in the Dee4Life ranks, sign up today for just £10 a year.

society updates

AGM update and new board member appointed

Dear members,

I would like to thank all of you who came along to Saturday’s AGM and contributed to an impassioned discussion about the club we all love.

As a board, it is important for us to listen to our members and to have them shape our future direction. We are currently reflecting on all that was said at the AGM and will share our thinking, and any other developments, in our regular update at the end of the month.

I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce Andrew Pyke, our newest board member.

New Dee4Life board member Andrew Pyke
New Dee4Life board member Andrew Pyke

Andrew brings with him a wealth of experience in market research having worked for a number of multinational companies. His career includes nearly five years as Insight Manager at the Scottish Football Association. While there, Andrew set up the SFA’s first ever Insight function, established marketing planning, worked with UEFA to establish benchmark measures for football in Scotland and led Scotland’s EURO 2020 evaluation group.

More importantly, Andrew is a lifelong Dundee fanatic who is a season-ticket holder for the Bobby Cox Stand and a member of the Glasgow Dees, We are excited about the energy and ideas he will bring to Dee4Life.

Regards,

Keith Winter (Chair)

society updates

Dee4Life AGM reminder

A polite reminder that the Annual General Meeting of the Society for 2022/23 will be held at 11.00am on Saturday 11 November 2023 in the Dundee Social Club.  

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

  1. Minutes of the AGM held on 19 November 2022. 
  2. Report on the Society’s Performance. 
  3. Presentation of Revenue Account & Balance Sheet for year ended 31 May 2023. 
  4. Appointment of Walker Dunnett & Co as the Society’s Independent Examiner. 
  5. Election of Board Members. 
  6. Any Proposed resolutions 

An agenda has been emailed to members previously and it is hoped this will allow us 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 1pm at the latest.

Members have also should have been emailed links taking them to our latest accounts and minutes of our previous AGM minutes. 

These can be found via the following:

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

Chairman's Updates

Dee4Life update – October

Dear members,

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.

Best wishes,

Keith Winter, Dee4Life Chair

Chairman's Updates

Statement on purchase of Dens Park by DBPH

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.

Regards,
Keith Winter, Chair.

Chairman's Updates

Dee4Life update – September

Dear members,

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.

Keith Winter (Chair)

Chairman's Updates

Help Dee4Life hit 500 and win sponsored matchball

Dear Dundee supporter,

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.
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.
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.

A signed Dundee FC match ball
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.

Keith Winter,
Chair of Dee4Life

society updates

Dee4Life and South East Section team up for Tifo

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.

Members of the South East Section in the Derry at Dens Park.
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.

Member stories

‘Barry Smith asked me where I wanted to play!’: Die-hard Dee Craig Robertson’s Dundee story

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.

society updates

Entry issues, tannoy system, stadium maintenance – update

Dear members,

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.

    Regards,
    Kenny Valentine,
    Dee4Life Director