Eddie Signs...and Maybe Colin?

Dundee have signed midfield player Eddie Mearns on a one year deal with an option to extend at the end of that time. The youngster showed his versatility during an outing as a trialist at Stirling. Eddie was at Hearts last season, and will add depth to the current squad. Dundee are being linked with Colin Cameron, hope so as he would be a very good signing for the club. Colin played as a trialist at Stirling last week.

Cowdenbeath 1 Dundee 5, Central Park, 12/July/08

First Division Dundee eventually emerged as clear winners of this friendly at Central Park on Saturday. It was only in the closing quarter of the game that Dundee took complete control and by that time the Fifers had sent on a number of their younger players for seasoned campaigners. Dundee had virtually a full side out but it was the hosts who dominated the opening phase of the game. John Gemmell went close in nine minutes before Mark Ramsay work good space for himself three minutes later but his finish lacked venom and former Scotland ‘keeper Rab Douglas saved easily. In 17 minutes Jon Robertson’s inch perfect pass found Fairbairn in acres of space in the Dundee box and his fierce shot from 13 yards brought out a marvellous save from Douglas. Dundee had been somewhat quiet in an attacking sense but in 23 minutes a Trialist header set up Mickel Antoine-Curier but the Frenchman was slow to react and David Hay saved. However, Dundee went ahead nine minutes later. Full-back Craig Forsyth sent over a fine cross and Colin McMenamin was lying handy to headed past Hay. The visitors looked more menacing now and Eric Paton forced a fine finger-tip save from Hay and from the midfielder’s corner Curier’s header forced Jay Shields to clear off the line. The second period opened with Andy Traube on for Kenny Adamson for the hosts but the recast defence was beaten in 53 minutes. McMenamin sent over a dangerous cross from the right and Curier was able to slide the ball home after Hay had failed to cut the ball out. To their credit Cowden were soon back in the picture. In 55 minutes Fairbairn’s cross from the right deceived the Dundee rear guard and McQuade was left with an easy chance 10 yards out which he tucked away. But Dundee were not down for long. In 57 minutes another McMenamin cross posed danger and Curier's header flashed past Hay. With both teams making full use of the the friendly substitutes ruling the game died for a spell but in the last 15 minutes the visitors stepped their game up. In 77 minutes a long ball caught the the Cowden defence square and Bryan Deasley, who was on loan at Central Park last season, ran through to make it 4-1. Then with eight minutes left Freddie Daquin’s cross was turned in by Deasley to complete the scoring.

 Dundee:Douglas; Cowan, Forsyth (Deasley 63); McHale, McKenzie, Trialist; Paton (Gilhaney 67), Trialist (Mearns 45), Antoine-Curier (Daquin 67), McMenamin, O’Brien (Malone 62). Sub not used: Roy. 

Referee-Craig Charleston. 

Att: 344.

Stirling Albion 0 Dundee 3, Forthbank Stadium,

A ten minute hat-trick from Colin McMenamin eased Dundee to a second 3-0 win in just over twenty four hours and he was assisted by new boy Mark Gilhaney who turned in a very impressive first forty five minutes in Dark Blue on Scottish soil.Included in that number was a former international midfielder and after a slow start he showed flashes of his class with a fine range of passing and some incisive runs forward. Dundee went ahead on the half hour when a Gilhaney cross from the left was deflected towards substitute Kevin Milne who had replaced Bob Davidson after the striker picked up an early knock, Milne played a nicely weighted pass into the path of McMenamin who’s shot from twenty yards made it four in a row for goals from outside the penalty area in pre-season. In thirty eight minutes it was 2-0 thanks to some quick thinking from Gilhaney and McMenamin, the winger was fouled on the left and with Stirling still arguing the award Mark took the set piece quickly and McMenamin was alert to race in and fire the ball high into the net from close range. It took just two more minutes for the scoring to be completed, Gilhaney going down the left and firing in a low cross which McMenamin flicked goalwards, this time Christie did well to block the effort but could only parry it back into the striker’s path and Colin stayed cool to stab the ball into the net despite close attention from the home defence. The match faded after the interval as the blustery wind got stronger, but the experienced midfield trialist came close to capping an impressive personal display with a goal when he raced forward, played a neat one two with McMenamin and was inches too high with a lobbed effort which had sub keeper Hogarth scrambling backwards and grateful to see the effort miss the target.

Dundee - Roy, Paton, Malone, Trialist, MacKenzie, Trialist, Trialist, Trialist, McMenamin, Davidson, Gilhaney Subs - Grant, Collins, Milne, Marshall, McHale

Montrose 0 Dundee 3, Links Park, 08/July/08

Dundee opened their account on 17 minutes when Bryan Deasley brought down a high ball 20-yards out and fired it low past keeper Mark Peat’s left. The hosts went close to a leveller moments later when a John Baird effort caused the visitors’ hearts to skip a beat.A trio of Montrose half-time substitutions helped lift them briefly, although Dundee quickly shut down anything that looked especially dangerous. When Paul McHale doubled the visitors’ advantage with a shot from the edge of the box on 65 minutes the result never looked in doubt. Just seven minutes later Mickael Antoine-Curier made it three with the best score of the game—taking time with his back to goal before turning and curling the ball into the corner from inside the penalty box. Substitute Graham Collins and Antoine-Curier both had golden chances to make it four as the clock ticked down, but the match ended without further scoring.

Dundee—Douglas, Cowan, Forsyth, McHale, Trialist, Trialist, Daquin, Grant, Antonie-Curier, Deasley, O’Brien. Subs—Hegarty, Collins, Milne, Ritchie

Latest From Malta...............

DUNDEE have former Carlisle United midfielder Neale McDermott with them at their Maltese training camp. McDermott (23), who had an unsuccessful trial period at Dunfermline in 2006, is the son of Liverpool legend Terry. The Dark Blues are also running the rule over Northern Irish central defender Sean Webb, once of St Johnstone, and an unnamed Czech midfielder. Defender Jim Lauchlan is a transfer target for both Dundee and Stirling Albion. Lauchlan is understood to have flown out to Malta to join the Dark Blues’ training camp but is also interesting Binos boss Allan Moore. The 31-year-old is looking for a new club after being released by Queen of the South. Dundee’s trialist midfielder Neale McDermott has jetted home from the training camp after suffering an abductor injury.

DUNDEE are hoping, in the course of today, to obtain a full diagnosis of the complaint which forced them to send Craig McKeown home from their Maltese training camp. Close season signing McKeown, who underwent hernia surgery for the third time in as many years this summer, had a scan yesterday after flying back to Scotland and is scheduled to visit a specialist this morning for the results. Manager Alex Rae will run the rule over trialist defender Jim Lauchlan in Friday’s friendly with Birkirkira.

Birkirkara 0 Dundee 0.
DUNDEE could not break the deadlock at the Luxol Sports Club last night, playing out a goalless draw with Maltese Cup holders Birkirkara in the only match of their pre-season trip to the island. Jim Lauchlan had the Dark Blues’ best chance of the opening period but his header was well saved by the home keeper. Lauchlan was paired with fellow trialist Sean Webb in central defence and the pair went on to play almost the full game together. David O’Brien was posing problems for the Maltese backline and consecutive crosses around the half-hour mark both deserved to be finished off. Dundee goalie Ludovic Roy did well to save a shot hit from outside the box after a Birkirkara corner caused concern for the Dundee defence as the match headed towards the interval. The Dens men made six changes at the break, including the introduction of Bryan Deasley and Mickael Antoine-Curier to the attack. On 53 minutes, good inter-passing ended with Antoine-Curier mis-hitting his shot and the ball rolled harmlessly wide. Dundee had a claim for a penalty turned down four minutes later when sub Mark Gilhaney went down in the box, with the local referee waving play on. Summer signing Darren Young took the place of the trialist Czech midfielder on 73 minutes before Antoine-Curier had a decent strike well saved.
Lauchlan and Webb were replaced by Gary MacKenzie and Ross Grant then Roy had to dive full length as a Birkirkara shot went just wide in the closing stages.
Dundee—Roy, Cowan (Paton 46), Webb (Grant 81), Lauchlan (MacKenzie 81), Malone (Forsyth 46), Trialist (Young 73), McHale, Trialist (Dachin 46), O’Brien (Gilhaney 46), McMenamin (Antoine-Curier 46), Davidson (Deasley 46).
DUNDEE BOSS Alex Rae is not rushing to judgment on any of the four trialists who featured in the goalless draw with Birkirkara. Rae, who has arrived back safe and well with his squad from the 10-day trip to Malta, saw Jim Lauchlan, Sean Webb, a Czech midfielder and a Dutch striker play on Friday night against the local side. Now he wants to see them in further action before deciding whether or not to hand out contracts.

McDonald Leaves For Burnley

Burnley have signed midfielder Kevin McDonald on a three-year deal after agreeing a fee with Dundee. Burnley boss Owen Coyle had two previous bids for the 19-year-old rejected but finally succeeded with an offer that could rise to £500,000. The Scotland Under-21 international scored 11 goals in the Scottish First Division last season and had a year of his Dens Park contract to run. "It's always important for a club like us to generate revenue but in terms of the playing side it's a big loss," Dundee manager Alex Rae told BBC Sport. "Last year he was the driving force for us and I think he's a fantastic talent who can go the whole way."
West Brom, Plymouth and Crystal Palace have all been credited with an interest in the powerful teenager. He will be missed but at least he did not go to the old firm, and the club got money as well.

Defender Paul Dixon has signed for city rivals Dundee Und. The 21-year-old was out of contract at Dundee and the neighbouring clubs agreed a compensation fee last week. Norwich had an offer for Dixon rejected last summer and Kilmarnock had been interested in signing the Scotland U21 international.

Former Gretna captain Chris Innes is on the verge of joining Dundee, while goalkeeper Robert Douglas may be returning to Dens Park. Douglas is under contract at Leicester until 31 July but will begin pre-season training with his former club. Central defender Innes, 31, who had a spell with Dundee United, was laid off when Gretna went into administration. A late hitch prevented Innes from signing on Tuesday and Dundee must now wait to see if they get their man. Douglas, 36, spent three years with Dundee before moving on to Celtic for £1.5m in October 2000. He has not featured for Leicester since February 2006 and was limited to a handful of loan appearances at Millwall and Wycombe Wanderers last season.

Welcome To Dens..Craig McKeown and Eric Paton

Dundee have officially unveiled defenders Craig McKeown and Eric Paton as their latest summer signings. Both players had signed pre-contract agreements with the Dens Park club with McKeown joining from Clyde and Paton leaving Queen of the South. This will prove to be two good signings, and with more to follow the squad is getting stronger..

Scott Robertson leaves Dens Park......

Scott Robertson has left Dundee FC to sign for city rivals Dundee Und. His current deal was finished, and for football reason's has crossed the road. He has been at Dens since he was 14, came through the youth teams to play around 100 first team games. As Scott is a Dundee fan he has done something I could never do....sign for the Arabs. He goes with my best wishes and thank him for his time at Dens Park..but he will get no such support from me..next season.

Lastest News From Dens Park....

Dundee have turned down a £250,000 bid from Burnley for Scotland Under-21 midfielder Kevin McDonald. Dens Park chairman Bob Brannan said:"We have refused an offer which does not meet our valuation. "We do not want to rush into anything. The deadline for transfers is three months away and we will not be rushed into doing bad busines."
Several other English sides are thought to be preparing offers for McDonald, who has one year left on his contract. Celtic and Everton were interested in the player last season, and now West Brom, Plymouth and Crystal Palace are among those tracking him. Hope Dundee get at least £749,999.99

Defender David Worrell has left the club by mutual consent. Right back Worrell was a regular in Dundee's side in the early part of last season having joining up at Dens in the summer of 2007 after being released by Rotherham at the end of last season. He made 26 appearances for the Dark Blues, making his competitive debut in a 2-0 win over Livingston on the opening day of the season and his final outing in Dark Blue came in the 3-0 win over Stirling at Dens in April.

Dundee Sign Darren Young..More to Follow....

Darren Young signed a two-year deal with Dundee yesterday, as Alex Rae steps up his bid to build the squad for next season. Darren has been at Dunfermline for the last few season's. He started at Aberdeen and made 130 first-team appearances for the Dons, captaining them during the 2001-2002 campaign when they finished fourth in the SPL. He moved to Dunfermline—along with his brother Derek in July 2003—and played just over 150 games for the Pars. Last term though he featured only 20 times as injuries restricted him to just three first-team outings in the space of five months. So hopefully that is behind him now, also at Dens yesterday was Livingston striker Robert Snodgrass for contract discussions, but left without agreeing a deal. The in-demand 20-year-old, who also has Morton on his trail, is mulling over Dundee’s offer and is expected to give his answer by the end of the week. Former Dark Blues keeper Rab Douglas remains on course for a return to the club. Meanwhile, Dundee are set to head for Malta on June 25 for a 10-day training camp.

Dundee Sign Mark Gilhaney...

Dundee today paid out a five-figure fee to sign Hamilton winger Mark Gilhaney. The 23-year-old signed up on a two-year deal. a very good signing as he done well against us last season. More player could follow in the next few days, with two agreeing terms, one is rumoured to be former keeper Derek Soutar.

What a Summer That Would Have Been.....

First Goal at Muirton Park as Dundee FC Win the League

Dundee sign up youngster Forsyth.....

DUNDEE have signed young left back Craig Forsyth on a one-year deal with an option for a further year. The 19-year-old has impressed on loan to Montrose during the latter part of last season, making 10 first team appearances for the Gable Endies. One for next season he will push for a first team spot..his dad Stewert played for the club in mid-late 80's.

PreSeason Games.....

Dundee will be away for 4-5 days at a training camp, then play the following games:

Tue 15th July: v Aberdeen, Dens Park.
Sun 20th July: v Wolves, Dens Park.
Wed 23rd July: v Bradford City, Dens Park.(T.B.C)

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

Dundee have completed the signing of striker Mickael Antoine-Curier on a three-year contract. And defender David Cowan has agreed to stay on at Dens Park for two years. Frenchman Antoine-Curier, 25, joined Hibs last summer but was allowed to move to Dundee on loan in January and scored nine goals for Alex Rae's side. Cowan was released by Gretna in January and the left-back has earned a new deal at the First Division club after impressing Rae. Dundee have also announced a new kit and sponsorship deal with sportswear manufacturer Bukta. A big boost for the club..a good day's work..and more to follow..

Dundee FC players In and Out........................

Players In: Mickael Antoine-Curier (3 year deal), David Cowan (2 year deal), Craig Forsyth (1 year deal), Mark Gilhaney (2 year deal) from Hamilton, Darren Young (2 year deal) from Dunfermline,..




Players Out: Gavin Swankie to St.Johnstone, Scott Robertson to Dundee Und ( freedom of contract).. Paul Dixon to, Milan Palenik to, Jani Sturm to, Jan Zemlik to, Brian Clark to, Scott Gates to Arbroath (free). David Worrell (mutual consent)....................................

David O'Brien Signs New Deal..More to Follow..

Dundee have signed David O'Brien on a new one year deal, but Scott Robertson and Paul Dixon have refused the club's final offer of a new contract.
FOREIGN TRIO AWAY
What is set to be a summer of change at Dundee got under way today when Alex Rae announced the departure from Dens Park of three of his foreign legion. The Dark Blues boss has confirmed Milan Palenik, Jan Zemlik and Jani Sturm will not be at the club next term. Of that trio an attempt was made to retain the services of Czech defender Palenik, but his fellow countryman Zemlik and Slovenian Sturm have both been told to go. Also being released is young midfielder Brian Clark. While Palenik has been linked with St Johnstone, for Zemlik and Sturm the Scottish adventure looks over. Tomorrow will see meetings with the Scottish-based out of contract players and that will bring confirmation that Scott Robertson, Paul Dixon and Gavin Swankie are departing. The futures of David Cowan and David O’Brien should also be clarified then, while the next couple of days could also see progress made with bids to bring in fresh faces.

Dundee 1 Hamilton Accies 1, Dens Park, 26/April/08

COLIN McMenamin's late goal ensured that Hamilton did not win at Dens Park but their celebrations were unbridled nonetheless. It seemed Andy Waterworth's goal would send Billy Reid's side away with full points until Dundee struck with their final foray. It was a bizarre day at Dens Park, with home manager Alex Rae falling out with the departing Paul Dixon and substituting him before the break, then Derek Lyle, who has a pre-contract with Accies, publicly leaving the home dug-out and indulging in some celebration with the Accies fans. Hamilton demonstrated why they will be playing in the SPL next season, despite having five first-team players missing. Billy Reid's side's crispness of passing and physicality put them ahead of anything Dundee had to offer. Accies' goal came when Dundee allowed Grant Gillespie, 16 years of age, to cross into the box, and Waterworth swept his shot home. The visitors' celebrations were somewhat soured on the 60th minute, however, when goalkeeper Tomas Cerny was carried from the field after receiving a serious head knock following an accidental collision. Dundee lost Scott Robertson to injury, with Patrick Noubissie called into action as Rae's third sub. This then led to a bizarre moment, as Derek Lyle, a Dundee substitute but who is bound for Accies in the summer, realised his Dens Park career was over and strode down the track, prompting the home fans to jeer and the small band of visiting fans to chant his name.

Dundee: Wright, Cowan, MacKenzie (McHale 46), Malone, Dixon (Daquin 43), O'Brien, Robertson (Noubissie 71), McDonald, Swankie, McMenamin, Antoine-Curier. Subs Not Used: A Trialist, Lyle.
Booked: Robertson, McMenamin, Dixon, Wright.
Goals: McMenamin 90.
Att: 3,146
Ref: I Brines

Dundee To Face Wolves....

Dundee are set to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the build-up to the new season. The Dark Blues have drawn up plans to host Wolves, currently chasing a Coca Cola Championship play-off spot, on July 19 or 20. Attempts are being made to arrange a number of other high-profile warm-up games at Dens while the club are considering pre-season training camp options in both Northern Ireland and England.

Queen of the South 1 Dundee 0, Palmerstone Park, 19/April/08

A goal three minutes before the interval was enough to secure victory for Queen of the South and finish off Dundee's title hopes. Bob Harris swung in a corner which the Dark Blues defence failed to clear, and Brian Gilmour fired high into the net. Queens had chances to increase their lead but met with stout defending and some fine goalkeeping by Craig Samson. Dundee failed to threaten and the Scottish Cup finalists' held on to record their third win in-a-row. Dundee rarely threatened to score and there was little for 566 strong travelling support to cheer, not that they kept quiet, the team getting the same sort of vocal backing that has been a feature of a campaign where Dundee have challenged but not quite managed to reward that support.
Dundee: Samson, Cowan, Dixon, MacKenzie, Malone, McDonald, Daquin (Lyle 46), Robertson (Noubissie 71), Swankie (O'Brien 71), McMenamin, Antoine-Curier.Subs Not Used: Roy, Worrell.
Booked: MacKenzie.
Att: 3,005
Ref: S Conroy.
Alex Rae was bitterly disappointed that his side hadn’t performed against Queens “We were second best all over the park, never really got the grips with it at all, that’s the disappointing thing to go out in the manner we did, you’ve got to give them credit they’ve performed so well recently but when they perform like that it’s hard to take. e was honest about the difference between first and second place in the division too “I think the difference is that they’ve got guys who’ve got that little bit of experience and purpose in the right areas, we don’t have a lot of leaders, we’ve got good, decent, players but not any leaders as such, guys who’ll pull people about – they have that in about three or four positions, guys like Alex Neill and McLaughlin, and I think that was the difference before them and us”. nd Rae admitted that he could struggle to hang onto some of his stars “I’ll have to assess what I’ve got there’s a lot out of contract here, because they’ve had such a good season I’m sure a lot of them will be leaving, just for the fact you can’t get them on longer contracts.”