Dundee Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland, founded in 1893. The team are nicknamed "The Dark Blues" or "The Dee". The club plays its home matches at Dens Park and currently play in the.
The club was formed after a merger between clubs Dundee East End and Dundee Our Boys in order to apply for the SFL.[2] Within a decade they had become a major force in Scottish football, finishing as league runners-up three times in the 1900s, and finished the decade as Scottish Cup winners in 1910.[3] They remained a major side in Scottish football before a decline in the 1930s. After the return to football in the aftermath of the Second World War, the club experienced a revival in the late 1940s and 1950s under George Anderson with another runners-up finish and consecutive Scottish League Cup wins in 1952 and 1953.[4][5]
The club's most successful era was in the 1960s when, under the management of Bob Shankly, Dundee won the Scottish Football League title in 1962, before reaching the semi-finals of the 1962–63 European Cup the following season.[6][7] The club again won the League Cup in the 1973–74 season.[8] Since the late 1980s the club has experienced issues with frequent relegations and financial issues, though has found stability in the latter as of late.
The club has a long-standing rivalry with Dundee United, whose stadium is situated on the same street as Dundee's. It is the most localised football derby in Great Britain.[9] Matches between the two are called the Dundee derby, are fiercely contested and are often considered one of the most exciting fixtures in Scottish football. Despite this, the rivalry is much friendlier than other Scottish derbies such as the Old Firm, with families often split down the middle in terms of support.
History
Late 19th and early 20th century
Dundee F.C. was formed in 1893 by the merger of two local clubs, East End and Our Boys, with the intention of gaining election to the Scottish Football League (SFL). Their application was successful and they played their first League game on 12 August 1893 at West Craigie Park, securing a 3–3 draw against Rangers. Dundee struggled during the first 10 years of their existence. Their best league position was fifth which they achieved in seasons 1895–96 and 1896–97. They also reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup in 1894–95 and 1897–98, losing to Renton and Kilmarnock respectively. On 26 October 1895 Dundee lost a league game by a club record score of 0–11 to Celtic in Glasgow. On 1 January 1894, Dundee defeated Newton Heath (the future Manchester United) 2–1 at their then Carolina Port ground. Carolina Port also hosted the first international football match held in Dundee on 21 March 1896 when Scotland defeated Wales 4–0. Dundee's goalkeeper Frank Barrett, midfielder Sandy Keillor and inside-forward Bill Thomson were all capped for Scotland during this early period of the club's history. Things began to improve for Dundee with the beginning of the new century.
Stadium
Since 1899, Dundee have played their home matches at Dens Park which has a capacity of 11,775. Uniquely, the stadium shares part of the same road (Sandeman Street) as Tannadice Park, which is the home of city rivals Dundee United.
In 2002, plans were drawn up for a new stadium to be built in the city as part of Scotland's joint bid to host the 2008 European Football Championship. This stadium would have been shared by Dundee and near-neighbours Dundee United, which would have required the two to leave their historic grounds at Dens Park and Tannadice Stadium respectively. However, when Austria and Switzerland were selected to co-host the event, the plans were shelved for the immediate future.
In May 2009, it was reported that the stadium is owned by local businessman John Bennett who, despite having invested heavily in Dundee, had rejoined the Dundee United board, where he had previously been a director until September 2008.
In October 2014, Dundee Supporter's Society announced they had put forward plans to then club chairman, Bill Colvin, which would allow the club to buy back the stadium from current owner John Bennett. They also expressed this was not a plan to enable the Supporter's Society to own the Stadium but for the club themselves, and that they will "simply administer the scheme".[40]
In April 2015, Colvin announced that negotiations were taking place to buy back the Stadium from current owner John Bennett and his company Sandeman Holdings.[41]
Club staff
Corporate board
Management and staff
Players
International players
Former and current players who have played at full international level while with the club, ordered by nationality and year of their debut:
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- Mark Robertson (2001)
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- Chris Pozniak (2008)
- Marcus Haber (2016)
- 🇨🇳 China
- Fan Zhiyi (2001)
- Denmark
- Morten Wieghorst (1992)
Hall of Fame
Legends Award
- Alan Gilzean (2009)[50]
- Barry Smith (2009)
- Billy Steel (2009)
- Bobby Cox (2009)
- Doug Cowie (2009)
- Jocky Scott (2009)
- Alex Hamilton (2010)
- Gordon Wallace (2010)
- Jim Duffy (2010)
- Alan Cousin (2011)
- Andy Penman
Managerial history
Player and young player of the year awards
Andrew De Vries Player of the Year
- Neil McCann (1993–94)
- George Shaw (1994–95)
- George Shaw (1995–96)
- Barry Smith (1996–97)
- Rab Douglas (1997–98)
- Dariusz Adamczuk (1998–99)
- Willie Falconer (1999–00)
- Claudio Caniggia (2000–01)
- Temur Ketsbaia (2001–02)
- Lee Wilkie (2002–03)
- Nacho Novo (2003–04)
- Steve Lovell
Rivalries
Dundee's traditional rivals are Dundee United, with whom they compete in the Dundee derby. The rivalry is unique, as the two teams' stadiums are located within 100 yards of each other, making them the two closest League grounds in Britain. The close proximity of the two teams also fuels the intensity of the rivalry. This intensity makes it one of the most exciting and notable derbies in Scotland. While it is far friendlier than other Scottish derbies such as the Old Firm, both sets of fans regard the fixture to be of high importance, with derby results throughout the season being defining points in each teams' seasons.
Dundee traditionally dominated the fixture in its first few decades, but the momentum shifted in the 1970s, with United taking a foothold in the fixture. The history of late has been defined by the inability of both teams to consistently stay in the same division, with Dundee a division below United for quite a few seasons while dealing with the after-effects of multiple administrations. Dundee eventually returned to the Scottish Premiership in 2014, and in 2016 it was a Dundee derby victory over United that confirmed the latter's own relegation.[66] After a few years of Dundee being a league above United, the two were eventually reunited again in the Scottish Championship in 2019 following Dundee's relegation.
Dundee and United also share a mutual rivalry with St Johnstone, due to the close proximity between Dundee and Perth, known as the Tayside derby. Dundee fans however treat the tie far less seriously than the Dundee derby and in comparison to their Perth counterparts,[67]
Records
- Highest attendance: 136,495 fans attended the 1952 Scottish Cup final between Dundee and Motherwell. This is also a record for a club match in Scotland not featuring either of the Old Firm.[68]
- Highest home attendance: 43,024 vs Rangers, 7 February 1953, Scottish Cup second Round[69]
- Highest average home attendance: 24,532, 1948–1949 (15 games)[70]
- Biggest league win: 10–0 vs. Alloa Athletic and Dunfermline Athletic, 1947
Honours
Kit sponsors and manufacturers
External links
References
- Dundee Football Club Scottish Professional Football League, retrieved 11 November 2013^
- 125 years ago today dundeefc.co.uk, 12 August 2018, retrieved 19 February 2021^
- Kenny Ross. 1910 – Scottish Cup dundeefc.co.uk, retrieved 19 February 2021^