Saturday’s game is my last as Chairman of the Dundee FC Supporters’ Society and as a board member of the Club, I’m leaving with a heavy heart, but also with a sense of pride at what we, the ordinary Dundee fans, have achieved together.
Had it not been for thousands of Dark Blues standing up and refusing to let the club they love die, then we would not have been at the Caird Hall on Sunday to celebrate the achievements of the greatest side to have ever worn the shirt.
It was an honour to be there with some of my biggest Dundee heroes, and I’m not just talking about those magnificent players. The ordinary people who only turned out for Dundee in their dreams are the heart and soul of this club, and I want to take this opportunity to thank every single one of them for what they have done, and continue to do for Dundee FC.
The unsung heroes who graft away behind the scenes at Dens are also some of the most committed and hard-working people I have ever had the pleasure to have met. Not everyone will realise just how much they do, but it’s clear that this isn’t just a job for them. They go far beyond the call of duty for their club and it isn’t possible to thank them enough for what they have done over the years. Then there are the remarkable supporters who have, time and time again, left me humbled by what they are prepared to give in terms of time, money and emotion.
I started making a list of some of the supporters I wanted to thank for their work over the years but had to give up because it was becoming longer and longer, never ending in fact. There are too many to mention so I want to sincerely thank you all for what you have done, for putting money in buckets, for supporting our fundraising efforts, for making enormous personal sacrifices, for standing shoulder-to-shoulder and refusing to let Dundee die. You know who you are and I salute each and every one of you.
I know every football club has people who are every bit as generous and committed, but I honestly think we have more than our fair share and am very grateful and proud of that. Our supporters have dug deeper than most and have been doing so for a very long time now. The size of our support is the envy of quite a few clubs in the SPL, and the loyalty they have shown over the past eight turbulent years is nothing short of breathtaking.
From the day we first began rattling buckets the fundraising hasn’t stopped, since the Trust was launched as Dee4Life, an average of around £1000 a week has been raised. That's every week regardless of how the team are doing or what the weather is like. Not bad for a group of volunteers and a football club with a fanbase which, in the grand scheme of things, is not huge.
Not everything we’ve done since the Supporters’ Society became majority shareholders has run to plan, that’s fair to say. When we have suffered a setback, and there have been a few, we’ve been forced to dust ourselves down, get straight back into things, and hopefully learn a lesson or two. We’ve never had the luxury of being able to dwell on a problem, and there’s always another one around the corner. That’s the reality of the situation, and it’s hard, hard work. We’ve kept going because we love Dundee and, thanks to the collective efforts of the players, fans, staff and local community we’ve got to where we are now.
Enormous progress has been made in the past year, but we still have ongoing costs to bear from two periods of administration. This has meant we’ve been fighting with one hand tied behind our backs as we attempt to get retake our place at the top table of Scottish football, where our supporters deserve to be. Most of this will be paid by next year, but we are probably paying the equivalent of around six players’ wages each month in costs associated with those previous periods. Quite simply, this is why we need the hard work off the field to continue so we can bring in as much money to the club as possible.
Q&A sessions, e-mails, telephone calls and face-to-face meetings with fans have become the norm for the club’s directors, and along with the regular issuing of key performance indicators, I hope fans agree that our communication has improved immeasurably.
It's been an honour, a privilege and, on the odd occasion, a pleasure to work with the DSA, Supporters’ Society, and club. I have met some truly amazing people and formed friendships that will last as long as I do. Without the support and encouragement from an awful lot of people, I couldn’t have given the commitment I did, but there is one group of people I need to thank more than anyone else – my family.
I am very lucky to have the most amazing and supportive family anyone could ever wish for, and I'm due them a huge amount of time and attention. I’ll miss being involved with the Society and the club but this has been the most challenging year of my life. I owe it to my family to move on and let go just as I promised I would last December. They’ve been very understanding, and I can’t wait to enjoy being around them more.
We've fought for the club’s very existence over two periods of administration and we’ve come out the other end. It's been a long road for me, it will be a fresh challenge for Eddie, George and the others involved and I wish them all the very best.
To the people who I have shared the responsibility with and others who backed us at critical times in the club’s history I want to add a special mention of thanks. You were there when Dundee FC needed you most and you should always remember that. The club is in safe hands, as I've the utmost respect, admiration and belief in the people currently entrusted with its future and every reason to believe we'll be up there challenging for promotion again next season.
My final words are to the rank-and-file Dundee fans - the most loyal in the land. We must continue to back the club in every way possible as that is the only way we will ever succeed. Dundee is, has always been, and always will be a huge part of my life, and yours too, I know.
Thank you for everything. Together we will succeed.
Forever Dee-fiant,
Scott.
Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 15:56 
