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.
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.
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.
Here is the official match programme from USA when Dundee played FC Seattle at their Memorial Stadium on 2nd June 1985.
Just before the 2003 Scottish Cup final, Dundee introduced new shirt sponsors - Magners.
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.
Wonder how many people can remember this brand of washing powder?
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Dundee FC have one of the first ever examples of what happens when football & music get together to make pop records.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
