THE DUNDEE FC KEILLER'S SHOP

Back in 1981, way before the club shop at Dens opened, Dundee FC used to have a shop in Keiller's Centre. This was the place to go to get your kit, scarves and memorabilia.
The photo is the DFC Keiller shop on the day Iain MacDonald, Bobby Glennie and Danny Cameron visited it, persued by a couple of autograph hunters!

DUNDEE FC ON MAG COVERS #4 - TOTAL FOOTBALL

After a desolate couple of decades, the Dee are back on the football mag covers. This one, Total Football, dated January 2001 focuses in on Caniggia and the Dundee revolution.

DUNDEE FC ON MAG COVERS #3 - SHOOT

Here's the cover of Shoot from Feb 1971 showing Dundee's Doug Houston, in white, battling it out with wee St Johnstone winger, Kenny Aird. The game being played at Dens Park.

DUNDEE FC ON MAG COVERS #2 - ROVER

This is the Rover comic from August 1969 with a patchwork of players pictures on the cover. The one to look out for is top right, Dundee's George Stewart.

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.

DEE DUO MEET FAB FOUR - 1963

Dundee certainly was buzzin' in the early 60's. DFC Scottish League champs in 62, European Cup nights and The Beatles playing Caird Hall in 63.
The 2 Dundee players in the photo with The Beatles are, Hugh Robertson (guitar) and George Ryden. I don't think I need to mention the fab 4 individually!
Hugh is no doubt telling Lennon & McCartney of an even better group hitting the pop scene... Hammy and the Hamsters!
George Ryden used to live 3 doors along from me in the 60's. We used to play futba in the cul-de-sac, him in the Dundee team and me at primary. He used to do his fancy footwork wearing winkle pickers!!
Little did this lot know then, that a few years later, Lennon & McCartney songs would end up as football chants at Dens Park.
Below are 2 examples - "Hey Jude" and "Give peace a chance".
I'm pretty sure the "Yellow Submarine" tune was sung too but I just can't remember how that chant went.
Photo by DC Thomson.Tints by GG

DEE FANS IN 2001

A small section of Dee supporters at Dens in 2001.
Dundee's glamour and glitz was not only getting big coverage in the football pages by this time but the club was also being featured in style magazines such as GQ.
A quote from back then that summed the up the fun and excitement Caniggia & co were creating was "There hasn't been a buzz like this in Dundee since The Beatles played Caird Hall in 1964."

GILLIE SCORES IN ABERDEEN - 1963

Below is a piece of footage showing how football was presented on BBC Scotland back in 1963. There is a short comment in it about Dundee beating Aberdeen 4-2 at Pittodrie, on the day this snippet was broadcast. The day being 7th September, and the goal scorers being Gilzean (2), Cameron & Penman.
Dundee finished 6th in the 63/64 season as well as being Scottish Cup finalists, unfortunately losing out to Rangers.

THE DEES v THE MONKEES SOUNDCLASH

Recorded during Dundee's 3-0 triumph over Dundee Utd in Sept 2000 at Dens, this is The Dees battling it out with The Monkees at half-time.
And the winner is...

TICKET v WEST BROM - 1959

This ticket is from Dundee's tour of North America in 1959. The Dee played 10 games in total - 8 in USA and 2 in Canada. The ticket on show is from the game at Vancouver's Empire Stadium on 30th May.
I don't know how much booze the squad consumed before the evening kick-off but we got crushed 7-1, with West Brom being the only team to beat Dundee during the tour.
Overall, we won 6 - drew 2 and lost 2, both defeats by the Baggies.

HOW TO WEAR YOUR SCARF IN THE 70'S

Sometime around 1972/73 youngsters got creative when it came to scarf wearing. Above are 2 of the most popular ways teenagers wore them to matches. Like all fads and crazes, this did eventually fizzle out, probably around 1976. Fun while it lasted!

1962 - IN COLOUR!

This familiar image of Dundee captain, Bobby Cox, taken in 1962, has previously only been viewed in black & white. This tinted version gives you an idea of how the photo would have looked had the photographer used a colour spool.
Similarly, the famous film of Dundee winning the title at Muirton the same year was also shot in black & white. Well I had a go at colourising that too. It's not exactly in glorious Technicolour but if you ignore the green sky, you'll see I did at least manage to get the Dees shirts dark blue.
Can't see it winning any Oscars though!
Photo by DC Thomson.Tints by GG

DUNDEE SONG AD - 1962

Watt's were quick off the mark placing this ad in Saturday evening's Sporting Post on the day Dundee FC became Scottish League Champions - 28th April 1962.
The ad is for a single, just released and in stock - Hector Nicol's "The Dundee Song". Nearly have a century later, the record still gets played at Dens.
It cost 6/9, which is around 34p in today's money.
For a photo of Watt's in the old Wellgate you can visit my Retro Dundee site and you'll find it in the November Archives section.
For those who don't live in Dundee and don't get to hear the song regularly, you can download an MP3 of it at the DFC-Delicious website, in the Museum section.
And for those who fancy a wee blast now, press play below...

DENS PARK ADVERTISING

This diagram of Dens Park goes back to the old ground design, around 1998/99, when we were still in the SPL.
It shows the available advertising space and pricing.

SPORTS BAG AD - 1970

This mail order ad for a sports bag is dated May 1970. These bags were very common in the late 60's and throughout the 70's. Kids began using them as school bags and just about every youngster had one in their team of choice, in club colours.
21/6 in today's money works out at around £1.07p.
3/- is 15p.

COMBAT IN COLOGNE - 1962

The grimace on Ian Ure's face shows that it is as painful to witness the above tackle as it is to be on the end of it!
This shot was taken during the infamous 2nd leg tie of the European Cup in Cologne on the 26th Sept 1962.
The German "tactics" were deliberately dirty as a consequence of what happened in the 1st leg at Dens.
The incident that sparked this nasty retaliation was when the Cologne keeper was accidentally knocked unconscious in a collision with Cousin in the first couple of minutes. Without their goalie, Dundee went on to win 8-1.
Humiliated, Cologne concluded that the collision was no accident and that Dundee's keeper, Bert Slater, would be on the end of the same treatment in Germany. Sure enough, Slater received a serious head wound within half an hour and off he went to be bandaged up. Although the injury was bad enough to consider a trip to hospital, Slater decided to see the game out and rejoined the match. Cologne still banged in 4 goals but it was not enough on aggregate.
German fans invaded the pitch at the end and almost went on to beat up the Dundee team but there were a few hundred Scots on hand from nearby Army barracks to prevent a more serious scene occurring.
Dundee made it home, battered & bruised but not beaten.!

1999 - THE END IS NIGH

Like a Nostradamus forecast of doom for the end of the century, bang on cue in 1999, news came out about the imminent extinction of Dundee FC.
Talk of a merger with the other lot across the road surfaced and that Peter Marr & Co were seriously considering the move.
Straight away the fans went into action as they organised protests at matches, had meetings in halls, wrote letters to newspapers and petitioned the club itself.
Above is one of the original petition forms.
Eventually the club were overwhelmed by the supporters activities and instead of it being the end of the club, a fresh surge of effort saw a brighter future ahead as they prepared to build the new stadium.
And we survived to tell the tale...phew!!

DEE FANS IN THE 60'S

This image of a detachment of Dundee devotees was taken on 28th March 1964. They are posing outside a pub near Ibrox getting ready to join the 32,000 crowd for a Scottish Cup semi-final tie against Kilmarnock, a trip that was well worth making, the Dee winning 4-0.
It's been quite a while since I've seen a DFC rosette but they were certainly doing a roaring trade in the 60's!
And the supporters in the picture are - back row from left to right - Jim Lorimer, Frank Carrie, George "Dod" Walker, Alex Thomson, Tom Borland and Angus Robertson (R.I.P)
The 2 guys in the front are - Brian Wood and Derek Page.
Big thanks to Dod.

5 YEARS OF FAB CAB

Argentinian, Fabian Caballero, was a stocky, strong, skillful striker who's first game for Dundee was in July 2000. A favourite with Dee fans, he was affectionately known as "Fab Cab", and was one of the few players to have his own individual chant.
He played a total of 117 games and scored 27 goals.
However, below is one of Caballero's goals that didn't count. The game against Hibs on 2 Feb 2003 was abandoned due to a blizzard.
You can also hear the supporters singing the Caballero chant after he scores.
Included in the video is Fabian leaving Dens after a selection of players were sacked when DFC went into administration in November 2003. He did, however, return a short while later for a 2nd stint with the club that lasted up till 2005.
Photo by DC Thomson.

DUNDEE'S FIRST FOOTBALL KIT

Boland & Co in Hawkhill were the suppliers of sports outfits in Dundee in the 1890's.
Above are 2 original adverts with a Dundee FC interest.
The one on the left is dated 1893, and on it amongst the teams who's kits they supply are, Our Boys.
I'm sure everyone will know that later that year, Our Boys amalgamated with East End to form Dundee Football Club as we know it today.
And so onto the advert on the right. It is dated 1894, only this time in amongst the team kits, it has, Dundee Football Club.
Quite literally Dee history in the making!
I couldn't help notice football shorts are referred to as "Knickers" in the ad, and described as being Swansdown.
I reckon the football shorts they make these days are "Ducksdown"...that would explain all that diving!
Ads - Dundee Ref Library.