Dundee Set To Sign Winger.

Dundee are poised to add Stirling Albion winger David O’Brien to their squad. The move is believed to have been agreed and O’Brien should make the switch to Dens in the summer.The left-sided 23-year-old has made over 180 appearances for the Forthbank club since coming through their youth system in season 2001-02.While not commenting directly on the O’Brien interest, Dens manager Alex Rae did reiterate he is desperate to add to his squad in preparation for the 2007-08 campaign.“We need a few new bodies—there’s no doubt about that,” he said.

St.Johnstone 2 Dundee 0, McDiarmid Park, 25/03/07

Dundee played some football in the first half, but the midfield just laid too deep.St Johnstone closed the gap on First Division leaders Gretna to four points with victory over Dundee.The hosts came to life after a lacklustre first half and Jason Scotland fired the opener after a neat turn inside the box. Martin Hardie extended the lead in the 61st minute, latching on to Peter MacDonald's flick-on, blasting his shot into the roof of the net. Despite losing Kevin James to a head injury, Saints held on for the win.Dundee got Paul Dixon sent off in the second half, we were very poor in the second half and it was a good job Ludovic Roy was in good form in the goals.

Latest News From Dens Park

Dundee's board has won control of the Scottish First Division football club after agreeing a deal with its receivers and bank. Chairman Bob Brannan said: "We have control of the shares.
"The financial restructuring agreed with the Bank of Scotland will be concluded in the next few weeks. "And we will then be looking to attract new investors into the club to return Dundee FC to its rightful place in Scottish football." Dundee went into administration in November 2003 and have been in Division One since their relegation in 2005. Directors Peter and Jimmy Marr announced this month that they were to leave the club after nine years of control at Dens Park.
Six of Peter Marr's companies had gone into receivership. A number of offers were received after he and his brother put their majority shareholding up for sale. But Fraser Gray and David Whitehouse, joint receivers of P&J Taverns Ltd, which owns the majority shareholding, accepted the current board's offer. Bidders needed to provide proof of funding and their ability to service the club's financial obligations.
Team news.
Dundee expect top scorer Derek Lyle to be fit to lead the attack. Alex Rae might return with long-term absentee Scott Robertson out, but he will not require surgery and should be fit before the end of the season.

Eagles Lose Again.

Eagles entertained league leaders Drunken Masters without veteran stalwart Syme but McGregor returned in goal after recovering from a knee injury. New Eagles signing Malcolm was pitched straight into the team. Eagles received a massive boost before kick-off as Masters were a man short with only five players available for them. Encouraged by a man advantage Eagles drew first blood when Malcolm played in Halley and the prolific marksman made no mistake with a sweet finish into the left hand corner. Goal number two was soon to follow and again it was Halley as he tucked the ball away after McLuckie had set him up. Masters were stunned by this blistering start by the Eagles but got back into the game when a slip by Pryde presented a goal scoring opportunity in which they took full advantage. The equaliser was soon to follow and then Masters took the lead just before the break.
A few harsh words were spoken at half time as it seemed inexplicable for the Eagles to be losing with a man advantage and being two goals up. Pryde walked off the pitch in disgust where he will face disciplinary action from the management committee. Masters scored just after the break before veteran playmaker Clive was introduced to the action and he made an instant impact when he set up Halley who smashed a dipping volley into the net to reduce the deficit. Masters though were not finished and wrapped up victory with a goal on the counter attack as Eagles pushed everyone forward late in the game.
Full time: Cupar Eagles 3 Drunken Masters 5
Eagles line-up:
1. Roy McGregor
2. John Mullen
3. Mark Malcolm
4. Gary Pryde
5. Craig Halley
6. Gregg McLuckie
Subs:
7. Colin Clive
8. Tommy Marshall

Queen of the South 2 Dundee 2, Palmerstone, 17/March/07

Andy Barrowman's last-minute goal rescued a point for the Doonhamers against Dundee.
Stevie Murray put the home side in front after 13 minutes when he fired home from 15 yards.
Dundee equalised after 31 minutes when Paul Dixon pushed the ball through for on-loan striker Dryon Daal to score. The visitors took the lead after 55 minutes through Bob Davidson, before Barroman's late leveller secured a point for Ian McCall's side. So a point dropped by the dark blues, it is a hard place lately to pick up points.

Late News..........Dundee sign striker.

Dundee this evening signed striker Dyron Daal from Aberdeen on a loan deal until the end of the current season. Formerly with Utrecht, Volendam and Ajax, The 6' 4" Dutchman joins up at Dens after scoring twice in seven appearances for the Dons. Darren did well in his early days at Pittodrie, but broke a hand and struggled to get back into the Aberdeen side. He should make his debut on Saturday at Queen of the South.

English pair want Dixon

English pair Bolton Wanderers and Southampton are set to go head-to-head this summer in a battle to capture Dundee full-back Paul Dixon.The Premiership and Coca-Cola Championship outfits are among a cluster of clubs from down south who have been in regular attendance at Dark Blues games this term. When scouts have turned up, it has been generally accepted the player under the microscope was teenage midfielder Kevin McDonald, but Dixon’s displays at left-back have drawn increasing attention.In particular, he has caught the eye of promotion-chasing Southampton, who are set to lose teenage wonderkid Gareth Bale to Manchester United, Arsenal or Spurs.That would leave a vacancy on the left of their defence and, right now, Dixon is top candidate to fill the void.Former Hearts boss George Burley will have to fight to get his man, however, and Bolton have been putting together their own dossier on Dixon’s strengths and weaknesses. Any bid from St Mary’s is likely to prompt a counter offer from Sam Allardyce at the Reebok Stadium.Today, Dens boss Alex Rae was stressing there have, so far, been no offers and, while he would not be surprised if that situation changes in the summer, he has reiterated he will be fighting to keep his talent.“As I keep saying, we are building here and I do not want to sell any of my best players. It would take an exceptional offer for us to allow any of them to go,” Of more concern to Alex today was an attempt to bring a player in for Saturday’s visit to Queen of the South using the emergency loan system.With top scorer Derek Lyle still a big doubt and Bryan Deasley out for the rest of the season, the manager would like another striker in and has been making moves to that end. Midfielder Scott Robertson will be fit for selection, despite breaking his nose against Gretna on Sunday.

Marrs to end Dundee involment

Marr has been in charge during a turbulent era for DundeeDundee directors Peter and Jimmy Marr are to leave the club after nine years at Dens Park.
In a statement, Dundee confirmed that the brothers have tendered their resignations to the club's board.
"Dundee FC can confirm that Peter and Jimmy Marr have notified the board of their decision to resign as directors of Dundee FC," it read.
"The board would like to put on record their appreciation of the positive contribution they have made."
The Dundee businessmen has witnessed turbulent times at Dens during their time on Tayside, with the club going into administration in November 2003.
Rumours say that an agreement with the club's bankers is due to be finalised which will secure Dundee's future.
The arrangement with the bank will also ensure that the club remains full-time.
Marr, who along with brother Jimmy, bought the club from Canadian businesman Ron Dixon nine years ago, has recently seen six of his companies go into receivership.
Despite the period of administration the Marr brothers are attributed with saving the club from closure

Dariusz is let loose.

Check out my third blog this time it will be a random one. It will keep the other two on their toes!

http://dariuszthepest.blogspot.com/

Eagles Fizz Out

Eagles were dealt a severe blow before kick-off against Tetley Tea-bags when No 1 keeper McGregor pulled out of the squad through injury. Beuchope was drafted in as keeper as Eagles had to shuffle their formation line-up. This was seen as a relegation crunch match as both teams occupied the last two positions in the league. Tea-bags started well and put the Eagles defence under severe pressure in the early exchanges of the game trying to banish away memories of a heavy defeat of 26-1 in their last match. Tea-bags pressure finally paid of when Beauchope was beaten after a well worked move involving three players ended with the ball wrestling into the right hand corner of the goal. Tea-bags bagged another goal just before the break.
Beauchope was kept busy in goal as Tea-bags steam rolled
their way through the Eagles defence on numerous occasions and it was no surprise when their third goal duly arrived midway through the second half. A fourth goal was then conceded before Halley fired home from a acute angle after great work from Clive in the left hand corner pulling the Tea-bags defence out of position. It was a poor performance as the Eagles players left the pitch emotionally and physically drained as high expectations before the game had simply vanished into the night.
Full time: Cupar Eagles 1 Tetley Tea-bags 4
Eagles line-up:
1. Andrew Beauchope
2. John Mullen
3. Ally Syme
4. Gary Pryde
5. Craig Halley
6. Tommy Marshall
Subs:
7. Colin Clive
8. Gregg McLuckie
Match ball kindly sponsored by Ali's Discount store

Dundee 0 Gretna 1, Dens Park, 11/March/07

"It's hard following the Dees as you don't which team will turn up. One game it's 11 footballers the next it looks like Billy Smart's circus has turned up. Today it was like watching a clown's car with all the bits falling off. The Gretna goal was a comedy of errors between MacKenzie and Roy. Dundee's penalty was such a poor effort by Davidson, this was a crucial time just before halftime. We had chances in the second half but simply couldn't hit the target. Gretna are no great shakes, but Dundee contrived through schoolboy errors to lose this game.Tell you one thing the centre-back partnership between MacKenzie and Smith doesn't inspire confidence when the rest of the team are playing poorly. They simply cannot cope with the added pressure. Last comments came from the crowd. As I left the ground everyone was saying how this was their last game this season. The news seconds later that MacKenzie won Man of the Match simply brought an ironic cheer. All round a very depressing day as there seems to be nothing left to cheer for the rest of the season." Post by Super Mac.( dundee supporter)
Well that sums up todays game at Dens, we missed Derek Lyle and in one of our few good moves Kevin McDonald should have burst the net, but he missed the goal altogether. We must improve on certain area's of the team.

Late News

It is understood former chief executive and majority share holder Peter Marr is to stand down from the Dens board in the coming weeks. Several companies owned by Marr and his brother Jimmy went into receivership last month.

Blast From The Past

Cupar Eagles Feb 2005 and not forgetting Pete The Eagle.




Below:The Cowboy Bar, Tirana, Albania
on Dundee's Uefa Cup trip 2003.

The Best Striker in Europe?

Fernando José Torres Sanz
Personal information
Full name:Fernando José Torres Sanz
Date of birth: 20. March 1984
Place of birth:Madrid, Spain
Height: 183 cm
Weight:70 kg
Nickname:El Niño (The Kid)
Club information
Current club:Atletico de Madrid
Position: Striker
Number: 9

Youth clubs
1995 - 19961996 - 19971997 - 19981998 - 19991999 - 20002000 - 2001
Alevín Atlético MadrileñoInfantil BInfantil ACadete BJuvenil Liga NacionalJuvenil División de Honor
Professional clubs*
2000 - Atletico de Madrid:140 (64)
National team
2003 -
Spain:34 (13)
* Professional club appearances and (goals)counted for the domestic league only.
Fernando José Torres (born on 20 March, 1984 in Madrid, Spain) is a football player who grew up in the Fuenlabrada neighbourhood. He is nicknamed El Niño (The Kid), because of his youth. Right-sided but with excellent control with either foot when dribbling or shooting, good in the air, deadly in front of goal Fernando Torres is a player who, in the words of current Spanish national coach Luis Aragones “never scores two goals the same”. ]
Player profile
In 1994, at the age of 10, Fernando Torres came to the attention of Atletico Madrid. That was the year Torres played in his first eleven-a-side team, Rayo 13, and promptly scored 55 goals. On this account he was selected for a trial at his future club. He joined Atletico Madrid in 1995 at the age of 11, the lowest age category of teams at the club. In 1999, Torres signed his first contract with the club. At the end of the 1999-2000 season Torres was part of the first team. His next success was at the European Under-16 Championship in England in 2001. Torres finished as the Player of the Tournament en route to Spain's victory.
Torres made his debut for Atlético de Madrid in the El Calderon stadium on May 27, 2001 against Leganes. He scored his first goal for the club the following week, in a game against Albacete. In November of that year Torres played in the Under-17 World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago.
2002 saw Atletico Madrid returning to the first division of Spanish football. In his first season playing in the top division Torres did not find the transition from second tier football too much of a hindrance as he scored 13 goals. In July Torres played in the Under-19 European Championship in Norway, a tournament won by Spain. Torres was both top scorer and Player of the Tournament.
Torres made his debut for the Under-21 national team in 2003. On September 6, 2003 Torres made his debut for the senior national team against Portugal. His first goal for Spain came against Italy on April 28, 2004.
The young Spanish striker scored vital goals to help Spain qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
He is the youngest player to play for Atletico, the youngest goalscorer for the Spain national football team. Torres is a striker, and wears the number 9 shirt. As of December 30, 2004, Torres' goal tally for the club stands at 50.
In the summer of 2005 Chelsea and Manchester United were fighting to sign him with millions of pounds being said to be offered. Yet Torres decided to stay with Atlético de Madrid after it was clear that both offers were false. However in the January 2006 transfer window cash-strapped Atlético de Madrid have made Torres available with a price tag around £25 million. Tottenham Hotspur had apparently been the only club to capitilise on this with a reported bid for £20.5 million, but it went no further than that. In March of 2006 the Spanish striker said it was confirmed to him by Atlético chiefs that Newcastle United of the English Premier League had made a bid for him. Lately Torres has been linked by the media to English club Arsenal, after reports claim that José Antonio Reyes has held talks with Arsène Wenger about signing his fellow spaniard. The agent of Torres has recommended Torres to weigh up his options and think about moving clubs if he gets offers of Top-European Clubs. As of May 7 it appears that Manchester United may be considering a swap plus cash deal for Fernando Torres involving their out-of-favour Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. The truthfulness of these claims is yet to be validated.

Why Atletico? Read On!

European Cup Finalists

Significant players from this era included the now veteren Adelardo and regular goalscorers Luis Aragonés, Javier Irureta and José Eulogio Gárate. The latter won the The Pichichi Trophy three times in 1969, 1970 and 1971. In the 1970s Atlético also recruited several Argentine employees, signing Ruben Ayala, Panadero Diaz and Ramon Heredia, as well as coach Juan Carlos Lorenzo. Lorenzo believed in discipline, caution and disrupting the opponents’ game. Although controversial, his methods proved successful and after winning La Liga in 1973, the club reached the European Cup final in 1974. On the way to the final Atlético knocked out Galatasaray, Dinamo Bucharest, Red Star Belgrade and Celtic. In the away leg of the semi-final against Celtic, Atlético had Ayala, Diaz and substitute Quique all sent off during a hard fought encounter. Despite this they still managed a 0-0 draw and then won the return leg 2-0 with goals from Gárate and Adelardo. However the final at the Heysel Stadium proved to be a heartbreaker for Atlético. Against a Bayern Munich team that included Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier, Paul Breitner, Uli Hoeness and Gerd Müller, Atlético played above themselves. Despite missing Ayala, Diaz and Quique through suspension, they went ahead in extra-time with only seven minutes left. Aragonés scored with a superb, curling free-kick that looked like the winner. However in the last minute of the game Bayern defender Georg Schwarzenbeck equalised with a stunning 25 yarder that left the Atlético goalkeeper Miguel Reina motionless. In a replay, back in the Heysel, two days later Bayern won 4-0.

Livingston 1 Dundee 3, Almondvale, 03/March/07

Dundee scored three times in the second half as they came from behind to stun Livingston at Almondvale. Livingston took the lead thanks to a 50-yard run from Graham Dorrans, who left two defenders in his wake, before slotting the ball past Ludovic Roy.Bob Davidson levelled from the penalty spot after the striker had been foolishly felled by Stuart Golabek. Davidson then volleyed in from a McHale cross, before Kevin McDonald rounded off the scoring with a 20 yard effort. It was a lot better than the last few weeks and we played well in the second half. It's also good that Bob Davidson got his first goals for the club, and my m.o.m was Kevin McDonald who had a great game capped with a fine goal. The only sour bit was the injury to Derek Lyle, but hopefully he will be fit for Sundays home game against Gretna.

Hazbeens Just Too Good

Eagles welcomed league newcomers Hazbeens with a full strength team as Halley returned from injury. Conditions were difficult with a howling wind but Hazbeens seemed to adapt better in the early exchanges and took a deserved lead after a defensive slip from Syme. Hazbeens encouraged with their early goal struck again before Halley put the Eagles back in contention with a composed finish after a great ball over the top from Mullen. Hazbeens scored just before half time after a cruel deflection gave McGregor no chance.
Eagles re-grouped for the second half and started to string a good few passes together and when Marshall turned the Hazbeens defence out of position McLuckie was given a gilt edged opportunity to score but the effort was to be off target. Hazbeens punished the Eagles for failure to take their chances and scored another couple of goals before McLuckie made amends with a glorious finish turning his marker before rifling the ball from 15 yards into the bottom right hand corner. Hazbeens completed the scoring with five minutes to go to complete another miserable night for the Eagles.
Full time: Cupar Eagles 2 Hazbeens 6
Eagles line-up:
1. Roy McGregor
2. John Mullen
3. Ally Syme
4. Gary Pryde
5. Craig Halley
6. Andrew Beauchope
Subs:
7. Colin Clive
8. Gregg McLuckie
9.Tommy Marshall