FESTIVE BREAK

Time to shut shop now for a mid winter break.
All going well, the Dark Blues will still be on top, or even further ahead, when I get back to the Shrine in the New Year.
Anyone new to the Shrine can catch up with all the past items by clicking on the dates in the Archive down the right-hand side of the layout. They will open up to display previous posts.
So to wish you all a Merry Christmas, here below, is a rare recording of a tune you will all recognise, taken on location at a church somewhere in Dundee.
Well the do say football is a religion!

2 OLD SCHOOL DEE SCARVES

You will have spotted the scarf the Major was wearing in the DJ photo a few posts ago. Well here is that very one, in all it's 70's glory!
You can click the image to enlarge it if you want to zoom in to view the period patches.
The scarf on the right is a genuine original from the 60's, and has to be my all time favourite.
An iconic classic!
Big THANKS to Jock.

DUNDEE'S BRACES STRIP - LATE 70'S

This is the short sleeved version of Dundee's braces shirt the team wore in the 1976 - 79 era. Still looking pretty smart too!

Admiral made the original official strip back in the day, but you can still grab a replica top from retro sportswear outlets these days.

The photo underneath it is Jimmy Johnstone wearing the full kit in 1977.

Jinky was at the tale end of his career when he signed for DFC, and consequently only managed to play 2 full games in the Dee colours. I, however, saw him play a couple of extra games, because I used to go watch the reserves play too in this era, and I can tell you he actually played better in the reserves than he did in the big team. Not the wee wizard he once was, but still managing to run rings 'round the youngsters at times.

Thanks to JF & GK.

JOCK FERGUSON AKA HANNIBAL

Here's Jock flaunting a Dee scarf in the middle of the desert in Egypt.
The date is 26th November 1995, the day of the Scottish League Cup final v Aberdeen.
Work commitments meant that Jock couldn't get through to Hampden for the game, so when he was playing Hannibal for an American TV documentary about ancient civilisations, he managed to brandish the blue & white club colours while having a bit of fun during an outtake sequence, just to remind everyone his thoughts were elsewhere!!
Big thanks to Jock.

JOCK FERGUSON AKA ROBERT THE BRUCE

Jock has been known to enjoy a bit of dressing up now and then, sometimes for fun, but mostly to accompany his ideas, and here he is here as Robert The Bruce, a character who has performed at Dens Park.
One of the times Bruce entertained the Dens crowd was an appearance at a Dundee v Rangers game. He, along with the Dee-Lites, did a song called "The Man Who Would Be Disco King", but unfortunately, some members of the crowd didn't appreciate the free entertainment that was laid on and expressed themselves by pelting them with coins!
Bruce also appeared on the Dens pitch at a game against Hamilton. On this occasion though it was to show off his football skills! All that got hit this time was the back of the net!!

JOCK FERGUSON AKA MAJOR LONGHORN

This candid shot of Jock Ferguson's alter ego, Major Longhorn, was taken in the hi-tech surroundings of the DJ room at Dens in 1979.
He was the DJ for 2 full seasons, but also did the odd stint up to around 1990.
There was a noticeable change in the music blasting out of the tannoy at Dens when the Major took charge, the most obvious one being introducing the sounds of punk & new wave, with bands such as The Clash, The Cure & The Damned, a selection that often lead to complaints for being too loud! There was one occasion when a fan heard The Dead Kennedy's booming from Dens, when he was halfway down the Hilltown!
He would also spin a quirkier set from time to time with the likes of Nellie The Elephant, The Laughing Policeman and Jimmy Shand, an act who always got the crowd in the stand stomping their feet!
We do, however, have the Major to thank for being the chap who revived the Hector Nicol gem from 1962, "The Dundee Song", the scratchy old record played when the team run onto the pitch.
Other Dens duties included reading out the half time scores, and on the occasions when United were losing, he would keep that till last, giving it a big build up!
He also had a go at doing the commentary at Dens when there was an under 16 World Cup tie being played, and was struggling to pronounce impossible Chinese names!!
Other Major output was as contributor to the match day programmes, writing his own columns, accompanied at times with a cartoon or two.
A few years later, Jock helped put together the DFC cd "It's my Dundee", featuring the updated version of "Johnnie Scobie", another tune that still gets belted out at Dens.
Finally, some of you may recall the Dee related tales of Bandy Conacher on the net, well yep, that was also one of Jocks creations.
Anyway, that was just a brief introduction to Jock and the Major, there will be more to follow.
Thanks to Jock.

BILLY PIRIE - GOAL GETTER

Centre Forward, Billy Pirie, was something of a goal machine for Dundee.
In the 4 seasons he was at Dens - 1976 to 1980 - he scored an impressive 106 goals in 137 appearances, and was the Dees top scorer 3 years on the trot!
The picture is of Billy, typically going for goal, in a game against East Fife in 76/77, his debut season which had him bang in 44 in total!
Photo by DC Thomson.
Thanks to GK.

COUSIN ON TARGET - SAN SIRO - 1963

This is the magic moment Dundee's Alan Cousin finds the back of the net against AC Milan in the semi final of the European Cup at the San Siro, in front of 78,000.
April 1963.
Thanks to GK

RAVANELLI'S HAT TRICK - 2003

Although Fabrizio Ravanelli only played 5 full games for Dundee in the 2003/04 season, he managed to grab 3 goals, all of which were against Clyde in a League Cup game that took place on 29th October 2003. The match ended 5-2, with Novo & Wilkie scoring the other 2.
The above photo of Rav & Novo was taken at that very match.
Thanks to GK.

DUNDEE SQUAD 2004-05

The official DFC team photo for the 2004/05 season.
It's so formal and symmetrical, even the 2 balls have been posed to match exactly!!
Photo by DC Thomson.

ALEC CALDWELL IN ACTION - 1977

Alec Caldwell taking control of the situation in a Scottish Cup tie at Dens against Aberdeen on 26th Feb 1977, with 17,000 in attendance. The score here was 0-0 but we managed to win 2-1 in the return leg at Pittodrie.
Caldwell was at Dens from 1973 to 1980 and played a total of 137 full games.
He was the only Dee player I can remember, who around 1973/74, had a Bowie haircut..!!
I think that is Davidson beside him, a Don who later became a Dee.

THOMSON ALLAN CAUGHT IN TRAFFIC

"Pull over" shouted the traffic police.
"£10 fae Markies" Thomson Allan replied.

This picture of Dundee's ace keeper was taken in 1972. The motor in a safe pair of hands.

DEEFAX

It doesn't happen very often so thought I'd capture the moment of the Cup Final score on view on BBC's text service.

THE DFC BIN AT DENS

What do you think of the opposition so far?
RUBBISH!!!

BOBBY COX - 1965

Here's Bobby Cox projecting a confident, but rather intimidating pose, back in 1965.
Glad he was on our side!!

3 CHEERS FOR US!!!

In contrast to the photo I posted in my December 2008 Archives of the team in a formal pose with the Scottish League cup, here's the squad on the night they won it. They'll have downed a few bottles of champagne at the Angus Hotel by the time this picture was snapped!!
Photo by DC Thomson.

GORDON WALLACE ON SHOOT COVER

In his DFC debut season of 1969/70, Gordon Wallace made the cover of UK football magazine, Shoot. The date of the mag is 23rd May 1970, and shows him doing battle with Dunfermline's Doug Bailee. The game itself was played at Dens on 8th November 1969 and was a 1-1 draw. No prizes for guessing who scored... yep, our star man, GW.

GORDON WALLACE IN 1969

A fresh faced Gordon Wallace posing in dark blue for the first time, in 1969, having just signed for the club.
He got his Dee career off to a great start, being Dundee's top scorer in his debut season, with 23 goals in 1969/70. He later went on to become club top scorer in 1971/72 & 1975/76.
Little did he know when this photo was taken that he'd end up scoring against the likes of Cologne & AC Milan, and most famously, getting the winner that won us the Scottish League Cup in 1973, thus achieving legend status!
So then, in his career from 1969 to 1976 he played in a total of 259 full games and hit the back of the net 119 times, making him the 6th highest scorer in DFC's history.
A few years later he also had a stint as club manager - 1989 to 91.

GEORGE "PUD" HILL - 15 YEARS A DEE

As a player, Pud was way before my time, his playing days at Dens being from 1940 to 1955. So although I never got to see his wing wizardry in action, I did actually get to meet him quite a few times. He used to drink in our local, The Boars Rock in Arbroath Road, and sat with us regularly. He had a great memory and told many DFC tales that had us all hooked, especially when he'd name-drop Billy Steel and so on. In fact one time we all ended up back at his house in Craigiebank for a wee New Year sing song! A really good guy.
He had plenty story telling material, his 15 years at Dens seeing him play in a total of 257 games.
Pud died in 2002, and this article from the Courier, Dec 2002, tells a bit about his talent.
Click image to enlarge.

BILLY WILLIAMSON - 1977/81

A windswept Billy Williamson posing in the DFC braces strip in 1977.
When he first played for Dundee, he was a striker and managed to bag 17 goals in his debut season of 77/78 which is no bad going, but for some reason he was moved to a more midfield position the following years and as a consequence the goals were few and far between.
So, during his 4 years at Dens he notched up a total of 93 full games, with a 24 goal tally.

CENTENARY CUP FINAL - 1990

The word silverware is usually mentioned when a team wins a trophy, however on this occasion, Dundee ended up with a piece of crystalware for the display cabinet. It was a one-off prize to mark the centenary of the Scottish Football League, in 1990.

The game against Ayr Utd finished 3-2 to the Dee, after extra time.

No need for me to give you the lowdown on the match, as you can read about it yourself in the cutting.

And you can click the link here to view the game -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u7baEgCg4o

BIG JIM STEELE - 1971

Just a reminder of the physical stature of Jim Steele. Here he is getting ready for the clash with Hearts at Tynecastle in 1971, a game that ended 0-0.
Photo by the Scotsman.

JIM STEELE - 1966 TO 1972

You couldn't miss Jim Steele when he was on the pitch, what with him being so tall and having bright red hair. He always did put in a good sturdy shift too, I recall.
He came to Dens as a young lad in 1966 but he didn't get a regular game until 1969, and it didn't take too long for his midfield skills to catch the eye of other clubs, Southampton eventually snapping him up in 1972. The Saints were a good team back then!
Jim played in a total of 104 full games for the Dee.
The photo is dated 1971.

DUNDEE FC HANDBOOK - 1983

Don't know who decided to do the cover pink but anyway, this handbook was brought out for the 1983/84 season. Not a particularly good year, finishing 8th and just avoiding relegation, although we did manage to reach the Scottish Cup semi's.
Some of the content includes - DFC's history - a word from chairman, Ian Gellatly - photo of new manager, Archie Knox - a few player profiles - quiz - action shots - squad picture - 82/83 results and 83/84 fixture list.

JIM SHIRRA - 1977 - 81

Jim Shirra in the thick of the action during a game against Falkirk in a Scottish Cup tie at Dens on 25th Feb 1979. A Pirie penalty sealed a 1-0 victory for the Dee on this occasion.
Shirra was with DFC from 1977 to 1981 and played a total of 111 full matches. He usually managed to bang in around half a dozen goals per season.

AC MILAN PROGRAMME - 1971

A game I was at, and a belter too!
Although Dundee were 3-0 down from the 1st leg at the San Siro and this return match seemed like mission impossible, it being AC Milan we were playing and the UEFA Cup, made for a great atmosphere at Dens. I was 13 and remember watching their star player,Rivera, the year before on the telly in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. The star of this show though, wasn't from Milan, but was the Dee's Duncan Lambie, who's runs at goal were causing havoc on the night. All that pressure paid off as we won the game 2-0, goals by Wallace & Duncan. Although it wasn't enough to go through on aggregate, it certainly was a victory to remember!
You can watch the goals on this link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg54Yn5utSg

LEEDS PROGRAMME - 1968

After beating Zurich in the Fairs Cup Quarter Finals, Dundee were up against the mighty Leeds United in the semi's. Leeds really were mighty back then with the likes of Bremner, Giles, Lorimer, Charlton etc, the team who eventually went on to win the trophy.
This game at Dens on 1st May 1968 was a 1-1 draw, Bobby Wilson scoring for the Dee.
The away leg at Elland Road ended 1-0 to Leeds, and the programme & ticket can be viewed on the Shrine - just type "Leeds" into the search box.

FC ZURICH PROGRAMME - 1968

This programme was for the Quarter Final of the Fairs Cup. Zurich were no pushovers, having beat Barcelona and Sporting Lisbon to reach this stage. Dundee, however, managed to beat them home and away, with this 1st leg tie at Dens on 27th March 1968 finishing 1-0, a goal by Jim Easton. We also won the 2nd leg in Switzerland by the same margin, with Sammy Wilson getting the winner.

DUNDEE FC SQUAD - 1990-91

The 1990-91 season was a rather average kind of year, missing out on promotion, finishing 3rd in the First Division. We did at least win some silverware though, the B&Q Centenary Cup, beating Ayr Utd 3-2.

ST MIRREN PROGRAMME - 1961

Another programme from Dundee's title winning season of 1961/62.
This game at Love Street took place on 23rd December 1961. Not much Xmas joy from the game though - the match ending 1-1, a rare slip up for that season!
Bobby Wishart got the goal.

SCOTTISH CUP FINAL HAT - 2003

This souvenir hat was for the last cup final Dundee participated in - the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park on 31 May 2003. We were beaten 1-0 by Rangers.
Of course it would have been more meaningful if Dundee had actually won, but a final is a final and they don't crop up too often, so it is a wee reminder that the team are capable of having a bit of a run... sometimes!
Needless to say though, it has only been worn just the once.

JOHN GRAY - EARLY 70'S

Although he only totted up a handful of games, I remember seeing John Gray play in the early 70's. He did have a tough time mind you because, being a striker, he was fighting for position with the likes of Wallace, Duncan & Scott, and so as a consequence he didn't quite make it through to being a regular. Checking his stats, it seems he only played in a total of 12 matches in 2 season, 1972/73 & 1973/74.

BOBBY GLENNIE Q & A - 1986

This comes from the 1986 Testimonial programme. Bobby answering a few questions and giving a little insight into some of his favourite things.
Click onto the image to read the large version.

BOBBY GLENNIE TESTIMONIAL - 1986

A well deserved testimonial match in '86 for Dee's Mr Dependable, Bobby Glennie.
Man City the opposition for this one... 2-2 the final score, with Glennie banging in a penalty.
His time at Dens was a lengthy one - 1978 to 1989, a stint which saw him play in a total of 376 games, and making it into the top 10 of the clubs longest serving players.

BOBBY ROBINSON'S 2 NICKNAMES

Bobby Robinson was a classy 70's midfielder who used to like having runs at goal. He was nicknamed "Trigger" by his team mates, because of his turn of speed.
However, I remember my crowd had our own alternative nickname for him - "Peach of a goal". This came about when one of Bobby's goals featured weekly on the intro sequence to Sportscene. In the original match it was taken from, Archie McPherson came out with the phrase "peach of a goal" in his commentary to describe it, and that kind of stuck with us. We had a rather Monty Python kind of sense of humour then and we did actually shout out "Come on, Peach of a goal" during matches!! We were in fact referring to the Python sketch featuring a guy with the nickname, Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson!!! A good laugh at the time, even if a bit silly.
Anyway, Bobby's time at Dens was from 1971 to 1977, in which he played 195 full games, and included a Scottish League Cup winners medal in 73. He also played for Scotland while he was a Dee - 4 full caps in 74/75.
He, sadly, died far too soon, in 1996 aged only 46.

WILSON v WILSON - 1975

Dundee's Bobby Wilson battles it out with Celtic's Paul Wilson, and somewhere during the tussle Paul Wilson loses a boot, but as you can see, still manages to get in his tackle!!
The game was a Scottish Cup semi at Hampden on 2nd April 1975. Despite the lack of footwear, Celtic won it 1-0.

THE BOARDROOM BARD

This CCTV image captured the moment the ghost of William McGonagall made an appearance in the boardroom of Dens Park one spooky Halloween a few years ago.
Not only that, but the Dundee poet was obviously inspired by one of the trophies on display, as a sound recording also picked up this brand new line of his - "The tray, the tray, the silvery tray!".

ALLY DONALDSON #3 - THE TESTIMONIAL

The programme for Ally Donaldson's Testimonial match at Dens on 4th May 1980.
The game was against Dundee Utd and finished 4-4.
And so ended Ally's era as a Dee.

ALLY DONALDSON #2 - THE AUTOGRAPH

Ally Donaldson signed the cover of this Leeds programme, dated 15th May 1968. It was a game Ally played in, it being the 2nd leg semi-final of the Fairs Cup. However, the legendary Leeds team got the better of us on the night, winning 1-0 at Elland Road - making it 2-1 on aggregate.
You can also view a ticket for this match in the December 2008 Shrine Archives.
Thanks to Mike Gallagher.

ALLY DONALDSON #1 - IN GOAL

Ally Donaldson was Dundee FC keeper for many, many years. The exact time span Ally was at Dens was - 1961 to 1972, followed by a 2nd stint from - 1977 to 1981, an incredible 16 years, which makes him one of the clubs longest serving players. He notched up a total of 408 games and played under 7 different managers, from Bob Shankly to Donald Mackay!
He was also a big favourite with the fans, and I can remember during the quieter moments of matches, the Derry would sing "Ally, Ally, give us a wave" and he would oblige!
Talking of Ally responding to fans, here he is answering questions sent into Shoot magazine in February 1971, giving his reply to what his greatest game was, how he deals with penalties and so on. Most of the qusetions were sent in from the Dundee area, so you may even spot someone you know!
You'll need to click the image to read the large version.

JOHN DUNCAN ACTION SHOT #3

This picture of John Duncan banging one in was taken on 20th March 1971. It was a game against Airdrie - the score - Airdrie 2 v 6 Dundee. A Duncan hat-trick, plus 2 from Alex Bryce and 1 by Jocky Scott.
Below is a sequence of photos capturing one of Duncan's goals. The move starts with a pass by Bryce - JD does the rest!!

JOHN DUNCAN ACTION SHOT #2

Striker John Duncan was on top form when this picture was taken in the 1972/73 season. In fact, JD was Dundee's top scorer with a whopping 40 goals.
This mid-air volley was snapped at Dens against Celtic. The Dee played Celtic 7 times during this season, beating them twice at Dens as well as doing battle with them at Hampden 3 times.
We finished the season 5th, a position which got us into Europe the following season.
Photo by D C Thomson.

JOHN DUNCAN ACTION SHOT #1

John Duncan was in the legendary forward line of the late 60's/early 70's that included Gordon Wallace & Jocky Scott. All 3 strikers are actually in the top 10 of Dundee's all-time top scorers. Duncan's goal scoring tally came to 109, after playing a total of 179 full games for the club between 1966 & 1974.
This was the era I used to follow the Dee every week, and I remember one Saturday, John Duncan parked his car at the top of Provie Road and my crowd spotted him, so we all ran over and started chatting to him. As we all made our way down to Dens, every few steps other Dee fans noticed us and joined the posse. By the time we reached the ground there was a crowd of about 100 of us who ended up escorting him to the main entrance!
The above photo was taken in the 1971/72 season at Dens but I must admit I don't recognise what team it is. Hearts maybe? If you recognise any of the players, drop the info into the comments.
Photo by D C Thomson.

DUNDEE FC SQUAD - 1992

The team posing in their trackies at Dens in 1992.
In 92 we won the 1st Division and were promoted back into the SPL.

EDINBURGH VICTORIES IN CHAMPION'S SEASON #2

The 2nd victory in Edinburgh during the 1961/62 season was not long after the Hibees game. The Hearts match took place on 13th January 62 . A 2-0 win for the Dee, with goals from Cousin & Gilzean.
Dundee actually won all 4 encounters involving the capital clubs that season. All points gratefully received!!

EDINBURGH VICTORIES IN CHAMPION'S SEASON #1

2 away wins in Edinburgh helped us add more points to our title winning season of 1961/62.
The first was against Hibs on 25th November 1961. A 3-1 Dee victory with goals by Gilzean, Penman & Smith.

THE LONE RANGER?

Not 100% sure who this mystery keeper is, all alone in the Dens sunset.
I've zoomed in, and he looks a bit like Andy Goram to me. So if that's the case, the photo could be v Rangers, or more likely v Motherwell around 1998.
I asked the person who took the snap, but his memory is blank on this one.
If anybody can spot any clues, or can positively ID the goalie/game, then feel free to drop it into the comments.
Click on the image to view the large version.

IN THE DUNDEE DUGOUT - 1984

Physio - Eric Ferguson, Manager - Archie Knox and assistant - Jocky Scott, passing on instructions to the team from the Dens dugout on 25th Feb 1984 in a game against Rangers.
Not sure whether the fact that they appear to be pointing in 2 different directions had anything to do with us getting beat 3-1..!!