PROMOTION 2014

Top marks for a top notch season and a top flight return.

THE DFC TEAM BUS - 1932

It's difficult to tell by the clothes they are wearing whether the squad is about to set off for an away match, or going away for a round of golf, but here are the DFC players posing beside the bus outside Dens in 1932.
Not a particularly thrilling year football wise, mid table finish and no trophies, but anyway, it's who's who time.
From left to right -
Tom Smith - Colin McNab - Jimmy Guthrie - Bill Marsh - Jock Gilmour - P.Jackson (Director) - Lew Morgan - Willie Blyth - Harry Smith - Jimmy Robertson - Alec Troup - J.Brown (Trainer).
Poking out the windows - Tom McCarthy - Andy Campbell - Peter Gavigan.
The bus itself looks almost like a modern day Hummer!

DUNDEE SQUAD - 1975

Another squad photo for the collection. This time from a 1975 Shoot magazine. It has quite a few reserve players in it alongside the more well known faces, although in the names listed, it has Ian Gordon when it should be Alan Gordon!
Click on the image to view the large version.

DUNDEE FC SQUAD - 1970-71

Here's a photo featuring a few of the unsung guys I recently featured, sitting alongside the first team players in 1970/71.
Dundee finished 5th that season, one place behind Rangers, and as a consequence, were rewarded with a UEFA Cup spot.
The team also took part in the Texaco Cup that year, and (hush hush) won the Forfarshire Cup!

DUNDEE SQUAD - 1969/70 SEASON

Here's the team getting ready for the start of the 1969/70 season at Dens.
Those of you needing player ID, check out the photo of the same squad I put up in the March 2009 archive. Just put "Conga" into the search box!

DUNDEE SKWAD - 1980-81

The Dundee team huddled together for a photo opportunity at Dens in the 1980-81 season.
None of them camera shy it seems anyway!
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.

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.

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.

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.

DUNDEE FOOTBALL CLUB - 1978

Here's another squad picture from the past. 1978 to be precise. Allan & Donaldson still sharing goal duties I see.
Click image to enlarge if you want to spot who's who.
Photo by DC Thomson.

THE FULL SQUAD - 1997/98 SEASON

They seemed to have crammed in as many players & staff as they could find for this team picture. It turned out to be "the more the merrier" on this occasion though, as Dundee did finish top of Div 1.
"Firkin Brewery" was sponsor.
Photo by DC Thomson.

BALCONY PICTURE #2

Here's the scene that greeted the team when on the balcony. First a nice view of Reform Street, and then time to crack open a bottle of bubbly over a crammed City Square!!
Photo by DC Thomson.

BALCONY PICTURE #1

Following on from the previous item which featured Hugh Robertson reading about the City Centre celebrations in the Sunday Post when Dundee won the Scottish League in April 1962, here is the 1st of 3 photos of the team on the balcony of the City Chambers in the City Square. This joyous moment took place on Saturday evening, a few hours after beating St Johnstone at Muirton, 28th April.
Photo by DC Thomson

RARE DEE TOP - 2006

Not many of these Dundee shirts to be found. Only a specific quantity were made exclusively for the DFC youth team to wear in 2006 when Dee4Life were sponsors.
Big thanks to GK.

LET'S ALL DO THE CONGA!

This unusual squad photo was taken at the start of the 1969/70 season.
The team line-up (quite literally!) is from left to right as follows :
Campbell, Kinnonmonth, Scott, Wilson, Gilroy, Bryce, Murray, Wallace, Houston, Easton & Donaldson.
69/70 was a pretty average year for us, 6th in the League and a Scottish Cup semi.

DUNDEE FC ON MAG COVERS #1 - SOCCER STAR

This publication goes back to August 1959. The headline refers to the previous season when DFC finished 4th in the League and had a great time on their tour of USA.
By the time this team photo appeared on the cover though, keeper Brown had moved onto Spurs.
There is also a bit of a slip-up with Ian Ure's name as they have it down as I.Ove.

DUNDEE'S TOUR OF AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND - 1972

This programme is dated 17th May 1972. It was 1 of 7 matches Dundee played in on their tour of Australia & New Zealand, spanning the period 13th May to 28th May. The above game, which took place in Adelaide, finished Australia XI 1 v 2 Dundee FC.
The A&NZ tour was a big success for the dark blues, winning all 7 of their games, notching up an amazing 53 goals and conceding only 6. One of their encounters ended up 16-1..!!
The stats do make it look like that the Aussies may have been a bit amateurish, hence the large scorelines, but later 6 of the players who played for Australia in the above match went on to become involved in their National team who qualified for the World Cup in Germany 1974, having finished top of the Asia & Oceania Group.
As regards the Socceroo's fate in 1974, well they lost to both East and West Germany, ( the latter being eventual cup winners ) but they did manage a draw with Chile... which is more than they achieved against us!

THE CHANGING ROOM - 1974

When I lived with my parents as a young lad back in the 60's & 70's, my bedroom had the usual Dundee football fan memorabilia up on the walls, pictures, pennant, that kind of stuff.
Every so often when the time came to decorate the room, all the DFC stuff would have to be taken down to allow the wallpaper to be scraped off. Well sometimes, I used to do wee doodles on the bare plaster knowing that they would be covered up again in a couple of days with fresh wallpaper.
During a recent bout of redecorating at their house, my parents found one of my original doodles dated, December 1974 - and it was the Dundee Team. It seems like I couldn't even go a couple of days without having some kind of reminder of the Dee up on my wall!
For the record the squad listed is 1. ALLAN - 2.WILSON - 3.GEMMELL - 4.FORD. - 5.STEWART - 6.PHILLIP - 7.HOGGAN - 8.ROBINSON - 9.WALLACE - 10.SCOTT - 11.HUTCHINSON - SUBS 12.JOHNSTON - 13.I.SCOTT.
Quite a decent team there that had us playing in the UEFA Cup and reach the Scottish Cup semi in the 1974-75 season. We also finished 6th in the League which ensured that we were in the top 10 at the start of what would be the newly formed SPL the next season.
The 74 team has now been papered over again, out of sight for another while!

THE DEES IN ALBANIA - 2003

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.