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The Dark Blues Blogs

A group blog by TheDarkBlues in General

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Various Blogs written by members of the Dark Blues forum.

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Members Blogs

The Season Ahead

I'm normally always quite optimistic about a new season, and I always look forward to it, even when we were Club 12. When everyone and their dog said, we had no chance of staying up, and we were favourites to go straight down. However, I don't want to get all Prince Buster and dwell on the negatives here, but I feel as a club, we are making the same mistakes over and over again, expecting different results. It's Groundhog Day again — another new season and another inexperienced manager. Wha
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Jocky Scott

Jocky Scott is a former Scottish professional football player and manager, best known for his time playing for Dundee FC and Aberdeen FC Born in Dundee, Scotland, in 1948, Scott began his football career as a youth player with Dundee FC. Scott made his first team debut for Dundee FC in 1967 and quickly established himself as a key player for the club. He played as a forward and scored numerous goals, helping Dundee FC to win the Scottish League Cup in 1973. He also represented Scotland at int
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The Time Dundee FC Were Nearly Own By an African Prince

If You Use Email, Then You May Have Come Across Those 'i Am a Nigerian Prince' Scams and Believe It or Not, People do Fall for Them and Lose Their Money. Yet, back in the 1990’s, this is more or less what happened to Dundee Football Club. Were we nearly scammed? At the time, Dundee was owned by the flamboyant entrepreneur Ron Dixon, who was looking to sell the club and move on. Dixon wanted to sell the club to then vice-chairman Malcom Reid and manager Jim Duffy. An offer was made that would
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End? Of Season Report Card 2019/20

With It Looking Likely That the Season Is Officially Over, Now Feels Like a Good Time to Look Over a Season That in Reality Maybe Never Was.... A season yet to be finished or a season that never was? Promotion through reconstruction? Play-off bound? Or denied a crack at the top flight through our own fault or circumstances? Who knows? Either way now seems as good a time as ever to have a wee look back over what has been a (part) season that’s often promised much without ever really delivering.
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Eh' Mind O' the Dave Rogers Kick That Never Was

Tales From the Scrapbook Part 6 - 1997-98 Season Part 1 With a busy summer of recruitment rounded out by the signing of Livingston ‘keeper Robert Douglas, Dundee fans entered the 1997/98 season not just with the perennially unwanted tag of favourites around their necks but with the actual belief that this time a squad might have been assembled that was capable of living up to those expectations.  A solid, if not quite spectacular pre-season tour of England kept spirits high - although manager
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The Pay At the Gate Scandal

No Not the Watergate One With Nixon, but the Dens Park Payatthegate Scandal. I naturally understand that we move with the times, and we as a club are no exception to this rule. However, there are times when you have to start questioning whether change is change just for the sake of it or whether it is indeed necessary.  Pay at the gate, is what most punters are accustomed too. We go to the game, queue up and hand over our hard-earned cash at the turnstile and make our way to our seats to wat
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Eh Mind O’ Jacky & Isla

Tales From The Scrapbooks Part 5 Even following the worst of seasons, after a few weeks most football supporters can’t wait for the whole thing to start again. However, as the 1996-97 season came to an end with yet another failed tilt at the title, or indeed even a play-off spot, there was palpable excitement amongst the Dark Blue faithful. Over the next few weeks barely a day would go by without another reason for that anticipation to build and build, with reports of player acquisitions and a
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End Of Season Report Card

We’ve been relegated before - sometimes in heartbreaking circumstances, sometimes through sheer bad luck and sometimes through little fault of our own. However the complete shambles that was the 2018/19 season has to go down as one of the worst. We’ve been relegated before - sometimes in heartbreaking circumstances, sometimes through sheer bad luck and sometimes through little fault of our own. However, the complete and utter shambles that was the 2018/19 season has to go down as one of the mo
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Eh Mind O’ 1996-97

As Dundee stumbled their way towards the end of the 1996-97 season it was off the field where the real drama had occurred. As Dundee stumbled their way towards the end of the 1996-97 season it was off the field where the real drama had occurred. The Dark Blues’ form had  imploded after the departure of manager Jim Duffy to Hibs, while the player who had followed him there, Chic Charnley, and subsequently Paul Tosh and Lee Power, had left a gaping hole in the playing squad. However, the real f
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This Season: Where Did It Go Wrong?

This season right from the start has been nothing but an unmitigated disaster, from our transfer ins and outs, formations and tactics. Neil McCann believed he brought in players who he thought were the same class as the players at Serie A sides like Milan and Juventus but the fans could see from the offset that most of the new additions weren't good enough. Our defence has been a shambles and it doesn’t really matter who seems to play there, nothing really changes and that is testament to th
Members Blogs

Upturn In Form Or Relegation Form?

2018-19 has been tough for Dundee supporters to endure. A mid-season manager change was meant to kickstart the push to stay in Scotland's top league but has the introduction of Jim McIntyre led to an upturn in form, or a continuation of relegation form? Looking back, as I have been, over Dundee FC’s 1996-97 season for the occasional ‘from the scrapbooks’ blogs, it’s difficult to take in the turmoil the club was going through at the time. Having just missed out on silverware the year before, to
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1977-78 Bobby Glennie Remembers

All Hearts fans will have their own memories of that fateful day in 1986 when Dundee dealt the Jambos’ title hopes a fatal blow on the last day of the season at Dens Bobby Glennie’s Dens memories. We venture back in time again with Billy Campbell's Ghost, he talked with Bobby Glennie and his memories playing for the mighty Dee. But, back in season 1977/78 it was Hearts who put Dundee's bid for glory on hold for another season as the Dark Blues made their second vain attempt to get out of the
Members Blogs

1976-77 Pirie & Sinky Rule

How the whisky flowed as Pirie and Sinclair scolded the Bairns! We venture back again with Billy Campbell's Ghost, this time he remembers the days when the likes of Pirie and Sinky were scoring goals for fun. At the end of season 1975/76 Dundee had sadly been relegated from the inaugural Premier League and doom and gloom were the thoughts of fans as the First Division loomed and the prospect of trips to places they had never even dreamt of visiting before became reality. Alloa, Dumbarton, et
Members Blogs

1973-74 Sunday Travels

Do you remember the dark days of winter in season 1973/74? If you think we are in a recession now, back in that winter Britain was reeling under three-day working weeks, power cuts and enough doom and gloom to last a lifetime - except at Dens Park! SUNDAY SOCCER TREATS FOR DENS FANS! We venture back again with Billy Campbell's Ghost, this time his 1992 article on Dundee's 1974 Scottish cup run which ended in a 1-0 defeat to Celtic in the semi-finals. With the power cuts came early kick-offs
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1973-74 A Cup Double This Time

It is interesting to note the great coverage in England of Arsenal's attempt to achieve a unique cup double in England this season and the more unusual circumstances of them playing the same opponents in both Wembley finals - Sheffield Wednesday. DUNDEE UP FOR THE CUP DOUBLE! We look back at Billy Campbell's Ghost 1992 Dundee FC programme piece which features our games against Hibernian in the 1974 Scottish Cup. This is not entirely new in Scotland with both old firm sides having won trebles
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1971-72 then AC Milan Again

While all Rangers fans are rubbing their hands at the prospect of a European Cup Final against the seemingly invincible Italians of A.C. Milan, Dundee fans can recall with some pride our club's record against the Latin giants. We look back to another article written back in 1992 from our very own Billy Campbell's Ghost - Enjoy! A.C.MILAN - AGAIN For the record it reads:   P  W   D   L            F   A        %Success 4   2    0   2            4   8         50% These were home and away leg
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1971-72 Cologne Again... And

I was recently watching some coverage of the Bundesliga on Sky when news of the relegation area mentioned that the once great Cologne were now in the danger zone and the very mention of the name of that great club brought memories flooding back of a glorious night at Dens on 3 November 1971 - just over 21 years ago when Dundee's participation in Europe was expected by their fans, and a European night at Dens was very special indeed! Ask anyone who was at one! COLOGNE - AGAIN We look back to
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1967-68 Leeds Fairs Cup Semis

Last week's feature on the Leeds v. Stuttgart game whetted my appetite to do further research into Dundee's jousts with the great Leeds United team of the sixties and seventies during our Fairs Cup (now the UEFA Cup) campaign of season 1967/68. LEEDS & DUNDEE – THE FAIREST OF CITIES Dundee had already reached the League Cup final that season and gone down in heroic fashion to the all-conquering Celtic by an amazing 3-5, and this early season form was perhaps an indication of what was to c
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1967-68 A Saintee Had A Dream

We are all well aware of our friends across the road's liking for playing and actually scoring major successes at Dens Park, but the situation was reversed long before United were regarded as a major force in Scottish football. DUNDEE SHATTER ORMOND'S SAINTS EUROPEAN DREAM! In fact Dundee probably started the trend of big tournament successes on each other’s ground when they earned the right to meet tonight's opponents St. Johnstone at Tannadice in the Semi-Final of the Scottish League Cup in
Members Blogs

1964-65 Hearts Broken - But Not By Albert Kidd

Everyone (especially in maroon) will remember the poignant scenes at Dens Park in May of 1986 when the Jam-Tarts were pipped at the post on goal- difference by Celtic for the Premier League title. DUNDEE BREAK HEARTS TITLE HOPES WITH MAGNIFICENT SEVEN! Without raising the pain barrier too much too soon, I will skip back three decades to another season when again our Edinburgh friends were beaten by a whisker to League glory, this time by Kilmarnock in season 1964-65 by what was then goal-ave
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1964-65 Alex Totten Recalls Shankly's Babes

Back in the swinging sixties Dundee fans had lived and enjoyed the glorious 1962 championship win to the full and on the park at Dens there were signs that the halcyon days were over and rebuilding had to be done - Ure and Gilzean were off to the big mone SHANKLY' S BABES ROCK 'WELL! Season 1964/65 came around and Dundee had followed up their '62 success with a brave but failed Cup Final effort against Rangers in April 1964. It was a new season but with a disastrous start. The old-st
Members Blogs

1963-64 Scottish Cup Final

There were 90 seconds to go in what would go down as the greatest Scottish Cup Final of all time at a wet and windy Hampden Park on Saturday 25 April 1964 in front of what seems now an incredible crowd of 120,982. 90 SECONDS TO GO! ....... DRAMA IN THE CUP FINAL It was Dundee versus Rangers, who incidentally were aiming for only the second domestic treble of their illustrious history. While Dundee, still displaying the artistry of the championship winning side of two years earlier were deter
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1951-52 Dundee Aim for Cup Double

Although it seems rather belated to the extreme, as it is the first time we have played Motherwell since their Scottish cup triumph, I'm sure everyone at Dens would like to congratulate them on their wonderful efforts! DUNDEE v MOTHERWELL, SCOTTISH CUP FINAL 1952 I must add that this has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that they beat United to prevent them completing their full complement of domestic honours!  (honest!) What is important about their victory, and that of Hibs in last s
Members Blogs

Divided We Stand?

Sometimes it's difficult to shake off the feeling that Dundee supporters actually want their managers to fail. All manner of reasons given over the years as to why no matter the man in charge, he simply isn't the right guy for the job. I think you have to go back to Gordon Chisholm to find a manager that last achieved a feat that no other Dundee boss has since. Whether Barry Smith, John Brown, Paul Hartley, Neil McCann or the current incumbent, Jim McIntyre, not one of those gaffers has unite
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How Not To Manage a Manager

If there was a manual on how not to appoint a football manager, then surely it was written by John Nelms and the board of Dundee FC. Since coming into the club in 2013 the American has now had to appoint, quite staggeringly, three managers, what with John Brown capitulating with the promotion finishing line in sight, Paul Hartley admitting he had run out of ideas as his team stared relegation in the face and now, the unbelievably convoluted removal of Neil McCann. Arriving after Hartley blur
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