Time for a wee break now, so no more posts till January.For any newcomer to the Shrine who is not yet used to the layout, here's a quick guide..Anytime you visit the Shrine you will only see a few of the latest posts on the page. To view ALL the material, go to the BLOG ARCHIVE in the green panel on the right of the page and click on any month to open that months items, then you can scroll through them.If you want to leave a message, there is a small COMMENTS feature at the bottom right of each post, again just click onto it if you have something to say.A big THANKS to those of you who have dropped comments on so far.I've got loads more to put on over the coming months, so stay tuned and I'll be back in full flow early next year with another bundle of goodees!CHEERZ GG
Here's a golden oldie that we're never fed up of!
Slade were top of the charts in December 1973 when Dundee were top of the stairs in Hampden collecting their League Cup winners medals. Every year since, when I hear that #1 tune "Merry Christmas Everybody" blasting out during December, I always remember the #1 team in the '73 Final.Below is some rare footage of the extended version of the medal ceremony where every DFC player gets a mention in a roll-call of honour.
It was 35 years ago today Dundee won the Scottish League Cup. 15th December 1973 was the big day and it was a match I was at. I'd be aged 15.I remember making a customised scarf for the special occasion. I came up with the idea of adding the words "DUNDEE FC" to my regular dark blue scarf, so what I did was get on old white pillowcase, cut all the letters out from it then painstakingly sew them all onto the scarf. Took me all evening but the end result was pretty smart!We Dundonians were up against the odds that day - Celtic being in their 9 in-a-row season. We were up against the elements too - the atrocious winter weather nearly had the game cancelled, and we were up against the government - there were power cuts and transport strikes all over Scotland. Despite all that was chucked at us, we still came out on top.Here below is a wee film that gives a glimpse as to what the Dees trip to Hampden was like on the day we beat the odds!Photo by DC Thomson.
A wee seasonal graphic if anybody wants to download it. Click on the image to get the large version.
A wee reminder of Dundee's return to the European football scene in almost 30 years.14th August 2003 was the day that had Dee fans wiping the dust from their passports and preparing for some UEFA Cup action again.KS Vllaznia, based in Shkoder in Albania was the opposition, and in this 1st leg tie Dundee managed to get the competition off to a great start, winning 2-0. Lovell and Novo popping in the goals.Below you can watch some footage of the team & fans setting off for the game, followed by clips of the 2 goals from the Loro Borici Stadium. Commentary is in Albanian.
I don't know what all the fuss is about with frozen pitches. When Dundee's undersoil heating failed a few years ago, they just got on with it!
A rare wee souvenir from '68, although it be a bit tatty now.The Fairs Cup was a kind of precursor to the present UEFA Cup, and this Elland Road game was the 2nd leg of the semi-final. The 1st leg at Dens Park ended 1-1. This return match in Leeds was Dundee's very last game of the season, but unfortunately we lost it 1-0. Leeds, whos team consisted of legends like Bremner, Lorimer, Giles & Hunt, went on to lift the trophy.
Dundee FC used to be dead famous in the 1960's. No joke! The team and individual players were 60's celebs well known for their jet set lifestyle. In fact, the Dee were so famous they actually made TV shows. One was called "Dee Time" and another was called "This is Ure life". Sadly, no footage of the content survives, but I have managed to find very rare film of the intros to the two shows.
Here they are below, Shrine exclusives!!
Photo by the Scotsman.
This aerial shot of Dens Park was taken in 1988. It shows the bench seating in place around the Provost Rd - Dens Rd section.The 87/88 season was a rather average year in the SPL, with the Dees finishing 7th.Tommy Coyne was our top scorer with 37 goals.The way some of the cup ties worked out meant that Dundee ended up playing Dundee United an incredible 9 times that season!We did get a trophy however, winning the Tennents Sixes indoor tournament... so no too bad!
On a snowy December in 1976, Dundee FC had a Gala Day at Dens Park. There were stalls laid out selling various goods, the fans could meet the players, and there was music and other entertainment on throughout the day. Because it had snowed the night before, the pitch was cleared so that a charity game could take place, with the snow being swept to the side of the pitch. In amongst the entertainment taking place on the day was a scheduled appearance of the Batmobile, and sure enough, in through the Tannadice Street gate at the side of the Stand came the Batmobile, with Batman & Robin waving to the crowd from inside the car. The car drove around the track at the side of the pitch then stopped in front of the Stand. Out popped the Dynamic Duo to pose beside the Batmobile and greet the crowd. Bad move!! While they were posing and waving, a group of kids ran over to the snow that was piled up at the side of the pitch and started chucking snowballs at them. They were absolutely pelted! Next thing was the hilarious sight of the Caped Crusaders scarpering back into the Batmobile for protection then screeching off back out of Dens. You could almost see the words POW - SPLAT - THUD pop up as Dundee's bairns chased the crimefighters back to Gotham City!!
This turned out to be more duff than Duffy merchandise! The idea behind it was a parody of TV's "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" using Duffy's name in it's place. It even had the DFC badge in blood! Anyway, it never reached the mass production stage and there were only 2 sample shirts made. Jim Duffy himself saw the humorous side of it and actually signed the one I have, but I've no idea what happened to the other one, maybe it ended up being used as a duster by the cleaner at Dens!
Jim Duffy had 2 stints as Dundee manager -1993 - 19962002 - 2004Duffy took the Dees to 2 cup finals at Hampden as manager. League Cup in 1995 & Scottish Cup in 2003. However, it was more than just footballing managerial qualities he contributed to the club as his involvement behind the scenes when Dundee were going through troubled times, assisted in the club's survival.Above is Jim Duffy with one of his "Manager of the month" awards in 2003.Photo by DC Thomson.Below is a wee tv ad for the 95 final.
Jim Duffy had 3 stints as a Dundee player - 1984 - 198819901992 - 1996A Dens favourite, Duffy rarely put a foot wrong in defence and wasn't afraid to get stuck in as the above photo shows, from a game against Rangers in 1987 in which he got booked for his efforts.He played a total of 238 games for the Club.Photo by Newsquest.Tints by GG.
I'm not referring to the "transfer window" here, I'm talking about kids transfers. In the 60's when I was a school kid, we used to get transfers "free" in comics and from the rag man who used to drive his van around Dundee's housing schemes for jumble. There were usually about 10 transfers on one sheet of paper, and what you did was, cut around one of the images, wet your arm or back of hand (usually by licking), place the transfer onto the wet patch, hold into position for about a minute then peel off the back paper leaving the image on your body like a tattoo. Good fun, although they always flaked away after a few hours.The transfer above is an original unused one from the 60's which was too precious for me to waste my saliva on!
This chant was popular at Dens in the very early 70's. It uses the tune from Jesus Christ Superstar which was a rock opera stage show in 1970.The short karaoke below should be good enough for you to sing it out loud!Photo by DC Thomson.Tints by GG.
I've been on a few "football specials" in my time, buses and trains, but back in the 50's (before my time!), Dundee used to have trams to do the job. This was when Dens attracted crowds of 20 to 30,000 regularly.On match day, around 20 extra trams were laid on to take fans from Albert Square up to Dens. After dropping the crowd off at the ground, the trams would then turn around at a point in Moncur Crescent and trundle back down to the city centre to pick up some more supporters. This shuttle service would operate up until kick-off, then the trams would wait outside Dens until the game was over to take the fans back down town.Below is some rare footage of the Dens Park football specials in full flow.
Here is the official match programme from USA when Dundee played FC Seattle at their Memorial Stadium on 2nd June 1985.This was 1 of 4 matches Dundee took part in during a summer tour of America and Canada.The opening paragraph on the cover reads : "All of a sudden, our kids (Seattle) are playing the world's great soccer teams. On successive Sunday's at the Memorial Stadium, Dundee come in from Scotland, Santos arrive from Brazil and Universidad de Guadalajara of Mexico is next on June 16th".The Dees won the match 1-0 with McGeachie scoring. Crowd 4,500
Just before the 2003 Scottish Cup final, Dundee introduced new shirt sponsors - Magners.What happened next was a cautionary tale in Dees history that mirrored what someone goes through when they fall victim to the demon drink.It all started off fine, the Club enjoying a taste of the Cup final. Then a round of European games was making it even more pleasurable, and now starting to get a bit merry. Still keeping the high going, the Club are involved in another Euro round, getting a bit drunk on success at this stage. But this time it was one round too many. The Club couldn't handle it. As the fun disappears, the habit kicks in. To try and get the high back again, the Club now need to borrow money to feed the habit. Loans keep the Club ticking over for a short while but no highs with it. It gets indulgent, then out of control. Desperation sets in and the situation worsens as the Club now start to sell their valuables to survive. Then the inevitable happens...relegation, and one hell of a hangover to recover from. The Club seek counselling for help. The Club lose a lot of friends but there are still some charitable people who are willing to help. The Club is in seriously bad shape and go through a period of Deetox. After a lot of care and attention the Club are helped back on their feet again.Photo by DC Thomson.
I can remember 2 or 3 "give us a goal" chants. This is one that was sung at Dens in the late 60's. You could either choose a player or the team in the tune. I've gone for the team option in my wee sing-along karaoke demonstration below.The original song is by The Troggs called "Give it to me" which was a pop hit in 1967.Photo by DC Thomson.Tints by GG.
Wonder how many people can remember this brand of washing powder?I can still picture it on the shelves of our VG store back in the 60's. Apparently it was really good at tackling those stubborn grass scrapes.There was a commercial on TV that used to be broadcast on Grampian too, and I have the only known film of it here below.Quality product!
A great shot from in the crowd looking across at the Provie Road end.The reason for the party atmosphere? It was the day Dundee returned to Dens after becoming First Division Champions the week before at Starks Park. Over 8,000 turned out on 18th April 98 to cheer the team on as they were presented with the Champions trophy in the centre of the park. There was a match to be played too, against Ayr Utd, and it finished up 1-1.
If anyone wants to use this Dens billboard image to make a birthday card, click on the picture first to get the large version.
It's now the semi-finals of the European Cup and Dundee's brilliant run is coming to an end. The result in the1st leg played at the San Siro was just too much of a gap for the Dees to recover from, the Italians winning 5-1.The dark blues weren't finished notching up victories however, as the 2nd leg at Dens on 1st May 1963 was yet another win. DFC 1 v 0 AC Milan.But the dream was over. The sensational run that stunned everyone, came so close to seeing Dundee be the first British team to lift the European Cup.Crowd at Dens 38,000. Crowd in Milan 78,000.
We've now reached the Quarter Finals and Dundee just can't seem to stop banging in the goals. The 1st leg against RSC Anderlecht was an away tie and yet again the Dees went goal crazy, winning 4-1.The next week back at Dens on 13th March 1963, Dundee grabbed another couple of goals with a 2-1 victory on the night.18 goals in 6 European matches and a semi-final spot the reward.Crowd at Dens 40,000. Crowd in Brussels 60,000.Below is some rare footage of the Dees in action in their 4-1 win at the Heysel Stadium.
Trailing 1-0 from the 1st leg in Portugal, the return tie at Dens on the 31st October 1962 against Sporting Lisbon turned out to be another match with lots of goals, with Dundee coming out on top, 4-1. A Gilzean hat trick and a goal by Cousin was starting to make Dundee's progress in the European Cup seem easy!Crowd at Dens 32,000. Crowd in Lisbon 50,000.
Becoming Scottish League champions in 1962 meant Dundee got to compete in the European Cup ( the Champions League as it is known today, but still the same trophy). It has only happened once in the Dees history and so I am going to put up the full set (4) of souvenir programmes that DC Thomson published to accompany the games at Dens.Starting the run off with the match against FC Cologne on 5th Sept 1962. A game in which Dundee caught everyone by surprise by bombarding the Germans on the night, winning 8-1. Goals by Gilzean (3), Penman, Wishart, Robertson, Smith & an o.g ensured that even when we got gubbed 4-0 over there, we still came out comfortable winners on aggregate.Crowd at Dens 25,000. Crowd in Cologne 40,000.
Captain sensible, Doug Houston, is one of the Dees longest serving players in their 115 year history. He was at Dens from 1962 to 1973 and played a total of 341 full games. In his latter years he became Dundee's regular captain. Although he played midfield he did manage to bang in a few goals from time to time, including scoring a goal in his final match for the club at Dens against Hearts in the last game of the season, April 73.The above photo shows him leading the team out at Tynecastle in 1971, a game that ended in a 0-0 stalemate.Photo by The Scotsman.Tints by GG.
Dundee FC have one of the first ever examples of what happens when football & music get together to make pop records.In 1962 the Hector Nicol single called "The Dundee Song" was released in which all of Dundee's team get a mention in the lyrics as a tribute to them becoming Scottish League Champions. Hector, however, was an entertainer, not a footballer and there were no players involved in the recording.In 1964 up popped Hammy & The Hamsters, a group formed entirely of Dundee players. Alex (Hammy) Hamilton, Kenny Cameron, Andy Penman, Alex Stuart, Hugh Robertson & Craig Brown. All were first team players at the time. They performed on stage locally as well as recorded. In April 1964 they came out with a pop single called "My dream came true" on 7 inch vinyl, which is now extremely rare. Needless to say it sold mostly in Dundee and surrounding area only.Here below is a short excerpt from the track including Hamster Craig Brown explaining how the group originated.I'm not 100% certain but I think they may be miming on the clip below...see what you reckon!!
Rab stopped to pose for this shot outside Dens just a couple of weeks before he moved to Celtic in 2000. By the look of his shirt design, he was already in the process of getting accustomed to hoops! He did also go on to be Scotlands regular keeper for 3 years.Great to have him back at Dens again though and still in top form.Incidentally, an anagram of "Rab Douglas" is ABSURD GOAL...something he may shout one day!
The aptly named "Turf" cigarettes came out with the FAMOUS FOOTBALLERS card collection in the early 1950's. This is one of their original cards from the series featuring talented Dundee star, Billy Steel.For you younger ones, back then a football used to be called a "tub", and a throw-in was called a "shy"...or "sheh" if ye wur oary!
Another free DFC graphic for you to download. Click on the image first to get the full size version.
Here's a snap of the Sunday Post dated 2nd May 1999 showing details of the previous days match at Tannadice in which the Dees won 2-0.Below is an extra wee reminder of the goals, one by Brian Irvine and one by James Grady.
Saturday evening, 15th December 1973, and here is Gordon Wallace parading the Scottish League Cup on returning back to Dundee from Glasgow. It was of course Wallace who netted the winning goal at Hampden, against Celtic, that won us the trophy.You can't tell from this photo just how awful the weather was that Saturday, but I was one of the one's who braved the horrendous conditions to travel through on the day to watch the final. Then again, we didn't really notice the weather after the final whistle went!Also in the picture is, George Stewart centre and Bobby Ford on the right.Photo by DC Thomson.Tints by GG.
Here's another chant that originated in the 70's. The tune used was from the chorus of a song by STEAM called "Na na hey hey kiss him goodbye", which was in the charts in Dec 1969 / Jan 1970.The chant is as simple as it gets, with a few variations to the ending. At Dens for example, after the "na na hey hey" part, we used to sing "Dundee FC" at the end of it. Or if a player was having a good game ( or scored ), we'd sing "Gordon Wallace" say, at the end.For this little karaoke demonstration below, I've used Jocky Scott for you to sing along to, using the original pop tune.
This rare item is a programme from Dundee's tour of USA & Canada back in 1959. The tour lasted a month, mid May to mid June, and during the tour the Dees had many encounters with local teams as well as playing a couple games against clubs from Europe. One was Legia Warsaw (Poland), a 3-3 draw played in New York, and the other was England's West Bromwich Albion. As a matter of fact, DFC and West Brom played each other 3 times during this tour, twice in Canada, and this game (above) in New York. The above match took place at Ebbets Field, the home stadium of the famous Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. A crowd of 21,000 attended the game which ended in a 2-2 draw.
If you can think of a use for this graphic for yourself, feel free to download it.Click on the image to enlarge it first to get the full size version.
Here is Brooks addressing the supporters at Dee4Life's "Ure Dundee" campaign in June 2006. Miles said "Boards and owners may change but the fans are there for good. If the fans want the club to survive, their commitment must be forever. Dundee and the Dee4Life Trust will be held up as an example to others, not just in Scotland but throughout Europe."Brooks Mileson - football fan and philanthropist.
Health & Safety would have a fit if they saw this scene happen in this day and age. Dens at bursting point, fans precariously balanced on the fence. The picture, however, was taken in the 1950's when crowds of 30-40,000 were commonplace at Dens.Photo by DC Thomson.Tints by GG.
This was one of the kits Dundee played in around the 1973-75 period. We used to call it the "Clunk Click" strip because it looked like a car seat belt. For those of you too young to know, "Clunk Click" was a slogan used on a series of TV public info films on car safety in the early 70's, reminding drivers to always use their seat belts.Here below is a snippet of one of the ads with Jimmy Savile giving the lowdown.
Here's hoping the new Jocky era can bring the passion back to Dens!!
This was the 2nd time Dundee had played AC Milan at the San Siro, the first encounter being the semi-final of the European Cup back in 1963, in front of 78,000.Not such a large turn-out for this UEFA Cup tie played on 24th November 1971, and although we lost the game 3-0, we did go on to beat the Italians 2-0 at Dens 2 weeks later.The above photo shows the moment when captain Gianni Rivera thumps in their first goal. That's big Jim Steele #4, Dave (Biffo) Johnston #3, George Stewart in-between and I think that could be Ian Scott nearest to 1970 World Cup star, Rivera. Furthest away in the distance is Gordon Wallace... he always had his sleeves rolled up!
The date was 24th November 1971 and it was the 1st leg (round 3) of the UEFA Cup tie against AC Milan at their San Siro Stadium. Although we were beaten here 3-0 on the night, we did win 2-0 in the 2nd leg at Dens a fortnight later, which I remember being at.The picture above shows Bobby Wilson in the air, with Ian Phillip looking on and that's Jocky Scott in the distance. The photo captures the build up to Milans 1st goal. Prati heading the ball into the path of captain Rivera, in the armband, who then goes on to thump it home.
These tinfoil badges were given away free at garages when drivers purchased ESSO petrol back in 1970. The DFC badge was just one of a series of Scottish & English crests in the collection, and there was also a gatefold folder that went with them to keep the full set in.This particular round "red crest" was used on Dundee's strip from 1970 to 73. I remember you could also buy a cloth version of this badge from sports shops which you peeled the back off of and stuck onto the replica shirt. However, after a few washes the badge lost it's stick and fell off, so they usually just ended up on scarves and school bags.
The above picture of James Grady celebrating his goal, was taken on 6th May 2000 in a game at Dens against United. The Dees won 3-0, Falconer getting the other 2.Below are 2 clips of the Grady goal viewed from opposite angles. The first is from the main Stand enclosure, and the second from the Derry gantry. It's a really good team goal, the move starting way back at the corner flag in our own half.Photo by DC Thomson.
An atmospheric evening shot from Easter Road, taken on 18th September 1963. This game against Hibs was the 2nd leg of the Scottish League Cup Quarter final, which we lost 2-0. The week before in the 1st leg at Dens we drew 3-3, so it was a full house in Edinburgh to see who would go through. We did fair a bit better in the Scottish Cup that season, reaching the final, but losing out to Rangers in front of 120,000 at Hampden.The 2 main Dee players in the picture are, Stuart #6, with Ryden leaping up beside him.Photo by The Scotsman.Tints by GG.
This aerial shot of Dens was taken in 1952. The only cover available at this time was still just at the main stand. 1952 saw us finish mid table and our average gate for the season was 20,500....but of course we did lift the Scottish League Cup that year.
Well no need to get too carried away with this bit of Dee trivia, because it's a "blink and you'll miss it" feature, however, my eagle eye spotted this picture of the Dundee team (circa 1959-60) flash past in the video in a split second. The promo video is by UK's best indie band and John Peel favourite,The Fall, for the single "Kicker conspiracy" made in the early 80's. The photo crops up during a black & white archive sequence in the middle of the track. The vid itself was filmed at Burnley's Turf Moor ground.Keeping the football / music theme going, Dundee player, Alex Hamilton, in the above photo, top left, released a pop record 20 years earlier under the name Hammy & The Hamsters. I bet Peelie never had that one in his collection..!!
Here's Deewok pondering on who the next manager is going to be while keeping his seat warm for him!
My brother managed to get Alan Gilzean's autograph just a few months before he was transferred to Spurs. Gillie sent this photo (which he autographed on the back), along with this wee letter. Dated 9 June 1964 it reads - "Sorry to have taken so long to answer your letter, unfortunately I have fallen behind with my fan mail - thus the delay. Enclosed is an autographed photo & trust you will support Dundee in the future."Aye...still supporting them!
Time for a wee break now, so no more posts till January.
