Top 10 Dees

[Cobra]

Been chatting to @Cerulean Pretty low-key poster but you might have encountered his sharp wit. Anyway he's a great Dee and shared this with me (originally posted some years ago). He doesn't think it's worth sharing but I disagree.

It's the kind of stuff I love reading. Hopefully others will appreciate it.

1. Barry Smith

....and his Skeleton Crew. Without which we wouldn't be where we are today.

2. Jim Duffy

An absolute gem of a player pre-injury, two cup finals as manager and did so much more than is given credit for behind the scenes during some dark days.

3. Archie Knox

I really thought he was gonna be our JYM. And I believe he could've been. Gutted when he left and I'm sure he must look back and think about what could've been if he stayed.

4. Claudio Caniggia

I've always hated Brazil. Hated them. Since being devastated as a 12-year old watching them horse Scotland in 1982 I have never bought into this "Samba stars-everybody-loves-us-even-when-we're-pish" nonsense. I started a small affinity with Argentina after being mesmerised by the the ticker-tape World Cup of 1978 and since they were Brazil's biggest rivals (and even more sweetly noising up England in later years), I have remained an 'Argentina Man'. CC33 was one of my biggest heroes in all my time watching football. When the first pics of him posing in a Dundee shirt beside Bonetti came out I just sat stunned. Laughing, but stunned. I simply couldn't believe it. To not only see Caniggia play in the flesh but actually for Dundee is something I'll always cherish. On only two occasions have I left a Dundee match where we have lost without feeling enraged, down-hearted, furious, annoyed, gutted, etc, and CC33's first match at Dens was one of them. Sitting in the Bobby Cox against Motherwell, 2-nil down but murdering them, Caniggia's chip left me speechless. I fully expected a rasping shot, hit with power from the position he was in but what followed was a strike of sheer brilliance. Leaving Dens that day, after a defeat, I was still hyper after witnessing that goal. Just Wow!!!

5. Billy Pirie

Ah, King Billy. My first hero. The football playing cards, the Admiral strip, standing at the corner of Provie Road & Sandeman Street asking for a sneaky-in, getting a sneaky-in to the away end at Tannadice wearing the afore-mentioned Admiral top and joining in with the away songs. Football was much simpler back then. 44 (forty-four) goals in 76-77 then another 38 (thirty-eight) in 77-78 and STILL no promotion. (Sigh......)

=6. Tommy Coyne & Keith Wright

Sorry Ludo but I'm not separating them! Neither the Mongoose nor the Cobra was the same player without the other. I doubt we'll see such a lethal partnership in Dark Blue ever again. It was with disbelief when I read the paper and saw that we had signed 'another Colin Harris' from Raith Rovers and, even worse still, a Dundee United reject who couldn't target a bovine's posterior with a stringed instrument. How wrong I was.......

8. John McCormack - strange choice #1.

John used to come into Stakis Casino when he was Duffy's assistant and we'd blether away during card shuffles. Just before the start of the 97-98 season he came in a bit worse for wear and during one of our conversations he grabbed my arm. He looked me straight in the eye and promised me we'd go up that year. He kept repeating himself. It was quite weird because he was so sincere and I knew that he meant he every word. He told me the amount of hard work he and his staff had put in since taking over when Duffy left and scouting for the players they'd brought in and left nothing to chance. We were going up! Man of his word, even though he wasn't given the chance to see the job through. I still feel sorry for John to this day as it was his work which laid the foundations for Jocky to carry us to 5th place the following season. A proper gent.

9.Jocky Scott

I never witnessed Jocky as a player (although I was at his testimonial match) so it's only based on his times as manager. The period from Knox up to (but not including) Smith was a good time to be a Dee. Scoring for fun, playing some good football and noising up the Arabs. Even though we reached a couple of cup semi-finals and perhaps underachieved, there was a sense of stability about the club. There seems to be conflicting stories of whether he jumped or was pushed at the end of his first tenure but what followed until his return almost a decade later was certainly anything but stable. The 5th place SPL finish remains our highest placed position since we regularly achieved that in the early seventies.

10. Brian Scrimgeour - strange choice#2.

Brian's made the list for two reasons. Number One is Number One! We always went into derby matches in the eighties as underdogs. If today's youngsters think Dundee United were media darlings (until recently) then they will have baulked at the reporters and pundits constantly slavering over them during their 'golden' period of 3 domestics trophies out of 33 in the eighties (compared to Aberdeen's 10, Rangers' 10 and Celtic's 9). Nonetheless, we always went into them full of optimism that, on our day, we could take them. So to the second of my 'left-the-ground-but not-too-downhearted-after-defeat' matches. When Geddes suffered an early injury, Scrimgeour went in goal and we didn't hold out much hope, especially after United stormed into a 2-0 lead. In the second-half we completely went at them and suddenly found ourselves 3-2 up! Consternation in the away section of the fondly-remembered North Terracing. The fact that we capitulated in the end and conceded three late goals which, at the time, were devastating quickly disappeared as full time came. The players were applauded to a man and I know that it seems a weird thing to say but it was the 'best' I've felt after a derby defeat. We gave everything that day and with a 'proper' keeper, would've won. Nobody could blame Scrimmy that day even though he was at fault for a few goals. He stepped up and took on the responsibility. The game itself remains one of my favourite ever derbies, even though we lost and Brian was a huge part of that day. Fast forward 12 years to 1995 and I almost missed my most memorable Dundee FC match ever. I'd got p*ssed with a few mates after the nightshift and went to bed around noon before the Coca-Cola cup match against Hearts and kept snoozing the alarm. I eventually got up after seven with a raging hangover and quickly got ready. I lived in Black Street at the time so started hot-footing it along Dudhope Terrace with about ten minutes to kick-off knowing full-well that I wouldn't make the start of the match. Given that I'd stopped to puke and couldn't even manage a slow jog, I thought 'f**k it' and, feeling like absolute sh**e, was about to turn back when a taxi appeared from the junction of Law Street. I'd no money for the fare but saw the driver waving and pointing as it turned onto Dudhope Terrace and stopped. I curiously hurried after it and it was none other than Brian Scrimgeour himself. Brian was another who would occasionally frequent the old casino I'd worked in and we'd blether about the Dees so he knew me. He didn't even ask if I wanted a lift to Dens, he simply insisted that I got in the car and he drove furiously towards Dens. I explained that I'd no money for a cab but he waved away my protestations and got me there just in time. The game kicked off as I headed up the Derry steps to witness my most memorable match as a Dundee supporter.

[Cobra]

Anyone want to suggest their own top 10?

[Cerulean]

@HMac I hope he remembers me from Morgan Academy and the wasp in the back of the motor!

[Valentke]

Thanks for sharing @Cobra and thanks for writing @Cerulean.

You must be of late 60s vintage like me, as many of my best memories are as yours. If I was to write one I’d find a place for GGH, Georgi plus Bill C.

Great read to start a day where DFC will dominate my thoughts! 

[HK Blues]

5 hours ago, Cobra said:

Anyone want to suggest their own top 10?

Purely based on players around my time watching the Dees (no particular order) - 

1 Jim Duffy

2 Billy Pirie

3 Tommy Coyne

4  Jocky Scott

5 John Brown

6 Bobby Glennie 

7 Tosh McKinlay

8 Bobby Robinson 

9 Erich Schaedler 

10 Keith Wright

(11 - honourable mention for Albert Kidd) 

 

[thegen65]

My top ten, again in no particular order.

Thomson Allan.

Erich Schaedler.

Dusan Vrto.

Graham Harvey.

Jim Duffy.

Keith Wright.

Paul Mc Gowan.

Gary Harkins.

Johnny Duncan.

Stewart Rafferty.

[Guest HMac]

8 hours ago, Cerulean said:

@HMac I hope he remembers me from Morgan Academy and the wasp in the back of the motor!

@Cerulean You're gonna have to give me a better clue than that mate!

For my top ten I'm going to not only pick players but people i was lucky enough encounter over the years, either as a fan or working at Dens. They're not in order but the come straight from the thoughts....

1. Wullie Reilly - never forgotten

2. Sir Bobby Cox - always had time for a word and my great honour and privilege to have known the man

3. Pat Liney - an absolute gentleman and a pleasure to be regaled with his stories.

4. Barry Smith - My friend. And what service to our Club.

5. Erich Peter Schaedler - Simply by favourite Dundee player ever. Lucky enough to have spent time with his friends and heard his amazing stories.

6. Cammy Fraser - for putting Davie Provan in the air and running off with a red card before he landed. Oh and for taking the beers off Utd players on the shared bus to the Tennants 6's.

7. Glorious Gary Harkins and Georgi Nemsadze - Not splitting these two, one gets in for the amazing footballing ability and the other would miss out while being no less talented. Counting them as one for the football I love to watch. If i had to pick one it would be GGH because of his styling it out in the onesie at training. 

8. Graham James - commercial manager at Dens before, during and after my time there. The ways he found to get a pound or two together to get the players away paint balling or other things in the Deefiant season is never talked about. Thank you Graham. 

9. Eric Sinclair - One of my most prized possessions is a pic with Sinky and Billy Pirie. Heroes to me when i was a boy. Sinky gets in for the winner in the derby at Dens circa 79 with a segregated Derry. Peter Mackie scored the next derby winner after him.

10. Bill & Pam Colvin - without whom our Club would not exist today. Gratitude doesn't cover it.

 

I could go on and on with another 10 quite easily from our great Club, looking forward to doing 11-20!

9. 

 

[blueboy]

Based on charisma as well as skill and in particular order apart from the top two:

Jocky

Billy Pirie 

Jim Duffy 

Gary Harkins 

Claudio Cannigia

Georgi Nemsadze

John Duncan 

Jim Steele

Erich Schaedler 

Sir Chas of Adam

Honourable mentions to Gordon Wallace, who never makes these lists, and the rest of the Dec 1973 team. Soft spot for Alex Pringle too. One word you'd never associate with him. 

Sinky, Coyne, Wright, Bomber, Tosh too. 

 

Edited 21 May 2021 by blueboy

[ThelegendthatisBeto]

Wieghorst

McCann 

Nemsadze

Gorgeous Greg

Smith

Zura

Fabcab 

CC33

Griffiths

Fintry Pirlo

 

[DarkBlueKnight]

1 hour ago, ThelegendthatisBeto said:

Wieghorst

McCann 

Nemsadze

Gorgeous Greg

Smith

Zura

Fabcab 

CC33

Griffiths

Fintry Pirlo

 

Love that - fintry pirlo

[thegen65]

37 minutes ago, DarkBlueKnight said:

Love that - fintry pirlo

To the same tune as  its Fabian Caballero

You know you know, Its Charlie the Fintry Pirlo

The Dees get excited, he hates United,

Its Charlie the Fintry Pirlo

You know  you know.

 

 

[Cobra]

19 hours ago, Cerulean said:

@HMac I hope he remembers me from Morgan Academy and the wasp in the back of the motor!

If people are wondering why Cerulean referenced HMac it's because I originally posted praising certain Dees and then decided it didn't add to the thread in a meaningful way.