Latest news with #Dens
The Courier
8 hours ago
- Sport
- The Courier
Steven Pressley appointment sparks Dundee fan fury
Dundee fans have reacted furiously to the appointment of Steven Pressley as the club's head coach. Shaun Maloney, Charlie Adam, Temuri Ketsbaia, Scott Brown and David Healy were all linked with the vacancy following the shock sacking of Tony Docherty by Dens chief John Nelms. But on Monday afternoon, former United, Celtic, Hearts and Scotland defender Pressley was announced as Docherty's replacement. And supporters immediately voiced their anger on social media. @DensParkChoir wrote on X: 'Happy to eat my words if I have to. 'F***ing honking appointment from Dundee. F*** off. 'Vastly underwhelming. 'If Pressley was the standout candidate then who, legitimately, was on that shortlist? 'He has my backing and I hope he proves everyone wrong but f*** me this is disappointing. 'Makes sacking Docherty look mental now…This feels like nightmare fuel.' @Type232 added: 'Just when you think this club has peaked with the banter, they do this. 'A f***ing horrendous decision. Get right in the f***ing bin.' @grazer 33 said: 'This will be the lowest season ticket sales in history. Not been a manager since 2019 and is the outstanding candidate! Only Dundee.' The appointment came on the same day the Dark Blues confirmed an extension to the club's Super Early Bird season ticket deal for the 2025/26 campaign to Friday June 6. @Darkblue63 wrote: 'I want my season ticket money back.' @soccermarsh1 called it 'the most underwhelming appointment in the history of Dundee Football Club'. Like several of the names linked with the Dens vacancy, Pressley – nicknamed Elvis – worked with Dark Blues technical director Gordon Strachan during his playing days. @Liam_DFC said: 'Strachan out.' @charlie_t_2004 wrote: 'Are season tickets refundable?' @Caledonia1893 said: 'Is this for real? Has the official account been hacked?' @CraigMotion3 added: 'Wow, just wow. Thank f*** I held off on season ticket renewal.' Others took aim at Dundee managing director Nelms. @SorareOnABudget wrote: 'He has overseen failure after failure. 'If the club genuinely thought this appointment would result in a rush on season tickets, it just shows how f***ing incompetent they really are.' @jackhayes_ said: 'Get Nelms out. Ruining the club.' @cassidy_kev wrote: 'Hope all the Tony Docherty haters have a great season.'
The Courier
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Courier
JIM SPENCE: Does anyone know what Gordon Strachan Dundee 'philosophy' comments mean?
It sounds like big things are expected of Dundee's next manager, but is anyone clear as to what they are? Technical director Gordon Strachan says there'll be a new philosophy at Dens, but what that means is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Having shipped goals like a sieve last season, does it mean the team will be much less cavalier in attack and much more defensively astute? And if keeping the team in the Premiership, albeit narrowly, wasn't sufficient to save Tony Docherty's job, what targets have been set for his replacement (the Dark Blues' third boss in four years)? If Doc's results fell short of the standard expected, as the club said, just what standards are acceptable? Presumably, the expectations will be clearly outlined to the new manager, and the extent of them may have a bearing on which candidates fancy the job. It's one thing setting ambitious and exacting standards; it's another to provide the resources to allow a manager to meet them.
The Courier
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Courier
JIM SPENCE: New Dundee manager must lift Dark Blues out of United's shadow
Dundee FC face a huge decision in appointing their new manager. After a top six finish two seasons ago, followed by a relegation scrap in the season just ended, the quest for long-term stability at Dens Park remains frustratingly elusive. An unwise choice could set them back years; an inspired appointment could signal success for seasons to come. Many, including me, feel that Tony Docherty was harshly treated. But football is a brutal business and results are all that count. I'd be surprised if Dee managing director John Nelms hadn't had a fair idea of who he would like as new boss before he sacked his manager, Whoever is unveiled, with the new stadium project still being faced with planning hurdles, these are crucial days for the club. Dundee's ambition should always be to be better than United, and vice versa. The new man who'll replace Tony Docherty will know that living in the shadow of their neighbours, as the Dark Blues have done for many years, is unacceptable to many supporters. Changing that long-standing situation, though, is very difficult and it'll take a big character as the new manager to do that. Tony Docherty paid the ultimate managerial price after the club's brush with relegation, but the fact that United finished in fourth place and qualified for Europe wouldn't have helped his case when Nelms, who has been at Dens since 2013, made the decision to fire him. Both clubs remaining in the top flight is great for the city, but when it comes to recruitment for next season, United remain the more attractive club for any potential signings. Their European qualification – along with their cemented reputation as one of Scotland's top six clubs – makes Tannadice a more desirable destination than Dens this summer. Tangerines manager Jim Goodwin's reputation has been firmly enhanced by the job he's done in securing a finish above clubs like Aberdeen and Hearts, who massively outgun his wage bill, and United's excellent training facilities in St Andrews are also a strong lure for players. However, Dundee's next choice of boss could affect that situation. It's reckoned that John Nelms was disappointed that, despite what he regarded as a strong wage budget and investment, the team still ended up in a basement battle. If he unveils a high-profile figure as new manager, that could make Dundee a strong proposition for players they identify as targets to challenge United, and in aiming for regular top six credentials, which should be their ambition. Spotting players who can do a job for the club is one thing; selling the club and location to those players is another. However, a manager with a big reputation, perhaps as a former player at a successful club, can be a significant factor in persuading ambitious players to come and play for him. And if he has strong links to a big club, the possibilities of a couple of good loan deals from them to bolster his squad is another bonus. Rarely has an incoming manager at Dens faced such weighty expectations at a club where the axe has fallen on eight bosses during John Nelms reign.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Tony Docherty's failure to fix hapless defence comes home to roost as ruthless Dundee demand better
Tony Docherty was in bullish mood moments after Dundee had preserved their Premiership status with a last-day victory over a condemned St Johnstone side. 'We were never losing this game,' he stated. Looking ahead to next season, he promised to take stock of a disappointing campaign that had seen his Dark Blues side concede an eye-watering 77 goals across 38 games — an average of two every 90 minutes. By 9am yesterday, Dundee relayed the news that Docherty and his backroom team had been removed from their duties. 'Sunday's result confirmed the club's place in the Scottish Premiership for next season,' read their statement. 'However, this season the results of the team have not met the standards expected by the club. 'With the club finishing the season in 10th position, one place above the relegation play-off position, the club have taken the decision to relieve Tony of his duties. 'The club intends at this juncture to restructure the football department and the process to appoint a new management team begins immediately.' The Dark Blues won their battle but Docherty had lost the war. For owners Tim Keyes and John Nelms, the very fact that they were involved in the relegation equation was evidently too much to stomach. They may have been a car crash defensively but Dundee's freewheeling attacking style — they were the fourth highest scorers in the league with 57 goals — endeared them to many football observers. In time-honoured fashion, Docherty's sacking will be met with incredulity by the usual suspects on Sportsound and beyond. Dig a bit deeper, though, and his removal is less surprising. The ruthless Dundee board dispensed with Docherty's predecessor Gary Bowyer in similar fashion hours after he had won the Championship and been named manager of the year in 2022-23. It appears Nelms and Co can be decisive, brutally so... unless it comes to casting votes to curtail the league season during a pandemic. What is clear from the club's statement is they expect much more than Docherty delivered in his second season at Dens. So can the 54-year-old count himself unlucky his bosses didn't have faith in him moving forward? His first season at Dens was a huge success, sealing a top-six place in their first season back in the Premiership whilst blooding young talent like Lyall Cameron and Josh Mulligan and Liverpool loan star Owen Beck. Even amid that success, defending was an issue, with more goals conceded (68) than every other team in the league apart from bottom side Livingston. Docherty's failure to fix that issue has come home to roost. The manager sought to address his team's failures in the summer, adding experienced centre-half Clark Robertson as well as young defenders Billy Koumetio, Ethan Ingram, Imari Samuels and Ziyad Larkeche (loan). Aaron Donnelly arrived on a permanent deal in January after a successful loan spell last season. Even with a much-changed defensive line-up, though, clean sheets have been hard to come by, leaving the manager and his coaching team as the unmistakable common denominator. To blame the defence alone would be a mistake. Many of the goals conceded come from Dundee midfielders daydreaming as opposition players drift into dangerous areas. They also have a bad habit of losing the ball, sometimes in their own box, while trying to construct the perfect counter attack. The club's policy of buying young players from English academies was bold and ambitious but has misfired completely and left Docherty with a squad big on numbers but short on men he can trust. An upbringing in the plush surroundings of Brighton, Nottingham Forest or Liverpool counts for little when the physical demands of Scottish football smack you in the face at the SMISA Stadium or Fir Park. Koumetio and Ingram, both youngsters with limited first-team experience, seemed to take turns in making match-defining mistakes earlier in the season while left-back Samuels has rarely been seen since making his first start in the 6-0 home loss to Hearts in February. Despite stock-piling centre halves to accommodate a 3-5-2 formation, club captain Joe Shaughnessy sometimes seems to be the only player on the books who recognises the value of putting his boot through the ball and clearing his lines. You can't help think Dundee would have been served better with the addition of a couple of hard-bitten professionals instead of a catalogue of project players. Bringing players halfway around the world from Mexico has also proved a misguided venture. Of the three Mexicans on the books, only defender Antonio Portales has proved fit for purpose. If Docherty is the prime mover in Dundee's transfer dealings, all of this falls on him. If not, he has been dealt a poor hand. A lack of pragmatism has also proved costly. They conceded a late winner to ten-man Motherwell while going hell for leather for three points when a draw would have inched them away from relegation danger. Look at the success stories of the Premiership this season: Jim Goodwin's Dundee United and Stephen Robinson's St Mirren. Two solid, hardworking teams who are hard to break down and know how to win ugly. In so many ways the exact opposite of Docherty's Dundee. Now look at the league table. United up in fourth in their first season after promotion and St Mirren in the top six again. This season could actually have turned out worse for the Dark Blues but for Ross County's disintegration. Don Cowie's side, once candidates for the top six, took two points from the last 27 available and now look vulnerable in the play-off to streetwise Livingston. Docherty's side have had their moments. They enjoyed handsome home wins over Hibs, Motherwell and savoured an emphatic 4-2 triumph against rivals United at Tannadice. Just as regular, though, have been the chastening defeats. Hammerings against the Old Firm are dime a dozen for teams like Dundee but they have also lost heavily to Hearts (6-0), Hibs (4-0), Aberdeen (4-1) and Ross County (3-0). Docherty's habit of blaming VAR and referees has also worn thin. That said, his team were on the wrong end of arguably the worst refereeing decision of the season last Wednesday when referee Nick Walsh awarded Ross County a stoppage-time penalty for handball in the 1-1 draw that prolonged Dundee's agony until the final day. Docherty can at least now relax knowing the job of fixing their hapless defence and building a more robust squad for next season will fall to someone else. The Dundee board have ambitions beyond scrapping for survival in the dog days of the season. Now they have to back their next manager with resources to match their expectations.
The Courier
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Courier
Dundee star Simon Murray's international chances addressed by Scotland boss Steve Clarke
Scotland boss Steve Clarke has not closed the door on Dundee striker Simon Murray's chances of a maiden international call-up. The national team boss unveiled his squad for June friendlies against Iceland and Liechtenstein on Monday. Despite a stellar season at Dens Park that saw Murray finish the season as the top-scoring Scotsman in the Premiership, the Dundee star was not included. Clamour has grown for the 33-year-old to be included in the summer friendlies after scoring 22 goals in all competitions over the past season. Clarke admits he has been keeping a close eye on the Dens striker but has gone for younger options in his final squad. He said: 'Simon's had a great season but I just felt this was an opportunity to look at younger players rather than Simon, who has been around a long time. 'He's had a fantastic season at Dundee and you are always close. I'm always looking. 'I think I've shown that I'm prepared to bring in players. If you look through my time in charge, I've never been shy of bringing in for example an Andy Considine towards the end of his career. 'If the moment was there and the timing was right and the situation was right then someone like Simon could have made the squad but this time was a chance to look at younger players.'
