Latest News From Dens Park.....

Dundee have failed in their bid to sign midfielder Gary Harkins, after the club’s £100,000 offer failed to tempt Partick Thistle to part with the player. The Jags are understood to be looking for a fee in the region of £175,000.

Manager Jocky Scott will look elsewhere, and is talking to two players about possible deals.

Dundee goalkeeper Ludovic Roy has signed for Queen of the South. The 31-year-old Roy was not offered a new contract by First Division rivals Dundee, who he joined in 2006 but played for just once this season. He has been kept out of the first team by the superb form of Rab Douglas. He leaves Dens with our best wishes.

Statement From Bob Brannan

Below is a statement from Dundee FC chairman Bob Brannan, it should clear things up.

http://www.dundeefc.co.uk/news_detail.asp?ID=2738

Latest From Dens.............

Dundee are looking forward to a six-figure boost to their signing kitty for next season courtesy of old boy Kevin McDonald’s imminent arrival in the English Premier League .One of the clauses in the deal that took the Scotland Under-21 star to Burnley a year ago stated the Dark Blues would get extra money if the Clarets got promotion. McDonald was an unused sub. as that happened via a play-off victory over Sheffield United at Wembley yesterday.

It has been reported that Dens Park , the home of Dundee FC, is owned by someone who is about to rejoin the Dundee United board. John Bennett, who quit his role as a director at Tannadice last September, has been revealed as the current owner of the Dark Blues’ home. However, the millionaire former boss of property surveyors J. & E. Shepherd is also understood to be on his way back to the Tangerines’ boardroom. Should that happen, fans would face the unprecedented situation of a United director owning the place where their local rivals play their matches. He is also claimed to have given Dundee use of the ground rent free for the next 30 months while holding talks with new Dens director, Calum Melville, about selling the stadium to him for a fee in the region of £1 million. To make matters even more intriguing Bennett, who has already invested heavily in the Dark Blues, is also reported to have an option to buy a 60% interest in Dundee FC for £1, and to have purchased the Dens club’s alleged £7.5 million debt from their bank for around £500,000. Bennett, who pulled the plug on a takeover of Dundee at the 11th hour last October, is a regular spectator at games at Tannadice despite his interest in the city’s other club.

Dundee are set to make an improved offer for Partick Thistle midfielder Gary Harkins after their first bid was rejected by the Jags.Partick are holding out for a six-figure fee for the 24-year-old and, while the Dark Blues may not go that high, the clubs are still talking and edging closer to a deal.

Dundee Sign Hart and Higgins................

Dundee manager Jocky Scott has signed Ross County's Richie Hart and Sean Higgins on two-year deals, the pair moving under freedom of contract. Higgins, 24, will add to Scott's striking options next season at Dens Park, while former Inverness player Hart will bolster the Dees' midfield. Hart began his senior career at County in 1996 before moving to Brora Rangers in 1999, where he spent three seasons. He signed for Inverness Caledonian Thistle and made 141 appearances for the Highlanders, then moved back to Ross County in 2008.

Dundee 4 Partick Th 0, Dens Park, First Division, 09/May/09

Dundee took the lead after 32 seconds through Darren Young, after Andrew Shinnie's corner from the right wasn't properly cleared. With nothing else in his thoughts but to let fly, his effort from 20 yards took a fair deflection off a Thistle defender on its way into the net, beyond the despairing dive of Jags keeper Jon Tuffey.Having finished a close second in the league, Thistle had also wanted to finish with a flurry for the sake at least of their travelling support, albeit Marc Twaddle's downward header from a Paul Paton cross was about all they had to show for their efforts before the break. And they fell further behind when Dundee struck again in 34 minutes.It was simple stuff, with Canadian Chris Pozniak releasing McMenamin who kept his cool before rounding Tuffey before slotting home from an angle.Dundee dominated after the break and deserved to extend their lead still further in 69 minutes when McMenamin stole a yard on his marker to convert Bryan Deasley's near-post cross. Then, with 15 minutes left, McMenamin completed the rout as he calmly picked his spot to leave Tuffey helpless from 12 yards. Ludo Roy and Freddie Daquin came on late to say their goodbyes to the home support.
Dundee : Douglas (Roy 83), Cowan, Malone, Benedictus, MacKenzie, Lauchlan, Shinnie (Daquin 85), Posniak, McMenamin, Deasley, Young. Subs Not Used: Williams, Gilhaney, Grant.
Att : 2,831
Ref : S O'Reilly
A good win for Dundee, but the hard work starts now, I hope that they can really improve the squad with new signings. Thanks to Andrew Shinnie and Giorgos Efrem who have done really well for the club since arriving on loan. My Player of the Year goes to Rab Douglas, just from Eric Paton. Goals from the game. Link below.
http://www.ptfc.co.uk/media/video/2008-2009/highlights/0905_dundee

Bids Accepted....................

Dundee have had bids accepted by First Division rivals Livingston for Dave MacKay and Murray Davidson. Both men will now have to decide whether they would be interested in a switch to Tayside. It would be the second spell at Dens Park for full-back MacKay, 29, who spent six years there before joining Oxford United in 2005. Midfielder Davidson, 21, came through the youth system at Almondvale, making his first-team debut last season. A number of other clubs have also indicated their interest in signing the Livingston duo. Rumour says they were both at Dens yesterday for talks.

New Contracts For Three Dens Men...............

Dundee have had a six-figure bid rejected by First Division rivals Livingston for striker Leigh Griffiths.The Dens Park club on Thursday submitted a written offer for the 18-year-old despite having had a verbal offer refused 24 hours earlier.Griffiths, who has scored 18 goals so far this season, trained recently with English Premier League club West Brom.Experienced Defender Jim Lauchlan yesterday signed a new one-year contract with Dundee.And last night the 32-year-old spoke of his pleasure and relief at extending his stay at Dens Park.In addition to re-signing Lauchlan, Scott has given frontman Bryan Deasley and defender Craig Forsyth new two-year contracts.Deasley’s future had seemed in a little doubt because while he’d started six games on the bounce after Scott returned to the club, he then found himself on the fringes of the first-team for a spell, only starting to feature again, generally as a substitute, in the closing weeks of the campaign.Forsyth (20) has spent much of the present campaign on-loan to Arbroath.

Latest from Dens Park........................

Dundee manager Jocky Scott has started his squad rebuilding for next season after announcing that four first-team players are leaving Dens Park. Ludovic Roy, Freddie Daquin, David O'Brien and Bob Davidson are all to leave when their contracts expire. Goalkeeper Roy joined from Livingston in 2006, while winger Daquin enjoyed spells at Hibs and Dunfermline. Winger O'Brien signed from Stirling Albion in 2007 and defender Davidson joined from Rangers at the same time. The Dens Park board have confirmed that an extra 25% on this season's transfer budget will be made available to Scott. And the board pledged that the club will match pound-for-pound season tickets bought by fans.

Clyde 2 Dundee 0, Broadwood Stadium, First Division, 02/May/09

Dundee lost this game to a battling Clyde side, they went behind in 53mins when Andrew Shinnie deflected a shot into his own net. With 13 mins to go Willie McLaren scored from a tight angle which beat Rab Douglas. But sadly for The Bully Wee, Partick Th scored a late goal to seal Clyde fate to the Second Division.
Dundee: Douglas,Cowan, Malone,Benedictus,Lauchlan(Williams) Efrem,Shinnie,McMenamin,Deasley,O'Brien(Gilhaney) Subs not used:Posniak,Daquin,Roy. Att: 944
Ref: A.Muir.
Another poor result for Dundee, and I think Manager Jocky Scott has a big rebuilding job to do.

Interview With Calum Melville..

Link to interveiw with Calum Melville.....http://video.stv.tv/?bcpid=1610699553&bctid=21818166001

Latest News From Dens Park...

For the trip to Clyde tomorrow Dundee have injury problems. Definitely out are suspended pair Mikael Antoine-Curier and Gary MacKenzie, along with the injured Eric Paton, Craig McKeown and Paul McHale. Doubts of varying degrees also hang over Colin Cameron, David Cowan, Mark Gilhaney, Giorgios Efrem and Darren Young. Dundee have had a six-figure bid rejected by First Division rivals Livingston for striker Leigh Griffiths. The Dens Park club on Thursday submitted a written offer for the 18-year-old despite having had a verbal offer refused 24 hours earlier. Griffiths, who has scored 18 goals so far this season, trained recently with English Premier League club West Brom. Griffiths’ Livi team-mate Dave Mackay could still make his way back to Dens, and that Sean Higgins of Ross County will be a Dark Blue next term is a near certainty.

Dundee 0 St Johnstone 1, Dens Park, First Division, 25/April/09

Steven Milne gave St Johnstone the most perfect of starts, poking a shot home after only two minutes following a great move between Collin Samuel and Gary Irvine which saw the latter try to shoot from an acute angle but succeed instead in teeing up his team-mate perfectly. Effectively, that first goal ended the contest because, despite Dundee's words of defiance pre-match, nothing much materialised from them and Dens Park manager Jocky Scott was left in no doubt about the size of rebuilding job required before next season.Goalkeeper Rab Douglas, one player who will remain in place next season, denied Saints several times with particularly good saves preventing Milne from adding another and then turning a Liam Craig free-kick round the post. He was also fortunate to see St Johnstone captain Kevin Rutkiewicz miss a routine header seconds before half-time. Dundee's enigmatic striker Mickael Antoine-Curier, often their best chance of a goal but, on the flip side, a liability when not in the mood, killed off any hopes his side had of getting back into the contest after the interval by hitting Martin Hardie with a crude elbow. For this indiscretion he was ordered off by referee Mike McCurry and will find his wage packet lightened by his manager.
Dundee: Douglas, Paton, Malone, Posniak (O'Brien 61), Benedictus, Lauchlan, Shinnie, Young, McMenamin, Antoine-Curier, Efrem (Deasley 78).Subs Not Used: Williams, Daquin, Roy.
Sent Off: Antoine-Curier (62).
Att: 6,305
Ref: M McCurry