Prediction League Jan-May 2010

Congratulations to Paul Cooney who won a £65 cash prize in the first half of our prediction league, with just 3 points separating the top 3 players.

We're running a brand new prediction league from 2nd January, with a 50/50 prize fund once again. If you missed out on our league so far, or perhaps have fallen behind on other leagues you've entered, NOW IS THE CHANCE to enter a brand new league mid-season.

We've revised the rules, so you can pick up points even in case of that last minute consolation goal. All SPL and SFL First Division fixtures count:
6 points for correct result and score (eg prediction 3-1, result 3-1)
4 points for correct result and one team's score (eg prediction 3-1, result 3-2)
3 points for correct result and no team's score (eg prediction 3-1, result 2-0)
1 point for wrong result and one team's score (eg prediction 3-1, result 0-1)

Entry costs £15, or less than £1 a week from 2nd January to 9th May. To register go to http://www.crazydrake.com/DDS/ddsregister.php

Dates for your diary

Our next meeting will take place at 7.30pm in the Famous Three Kings (F3K) next to West Kensington tube (http://www.fancyapint.com/pubs/pub1761.php)

As well as a chance to catch up and enjoy a pint or two, we'll also be able to watch a choice of Champions League games (Liverpool v Fiorentina, Olympiakos v Arsenal, Sevilla v Rangers).

Also don't forget that our Burns Supper takes place on Friday 29th January in the Crown Bar & Kitchen, Twickenham (http://www.thecrownintwickenham.co.uk). You can pay on the night, but we'd like an idea of numbers. Partners and friends are more than welcome.

Please confirm if you are going to attend so Scott can order enough haggis.

2008 and 2009 AGM Minutes

Click on the thumbnails to read the full minutes of the 2007/08 AGM (held in March) and 2008/09 AGM (held in November).

Cup Final In London

Any fans in or around London looking for a pub showing the ALBA Challenge Cup Final should make their way to The Crown Bar & Kitchen, in St Margarets / Twickenham.

As the landlord (Scott Carnegie) is a Dees Down South member, we're not only guaranteed they'll be showing the game (complete with Gaelic commentary) but Scotty's also laying on some free pehs at half time.

Go to http://www.thecrownintwickenham.co.uk/ for more info and directions - it's a short walk from either St Margarets or Twickenham stations, on Richmond Road.

AGM Monday 2nd November

The DDS AGM will take place tomorrow (Monday 2nd November) at 8pm in the Famous Three Kings (F3K) pub next to West Kensington tube station.

Tickets and AGM

At long last, "we're top of the league" which on Tuesday will of course be follow by "and you're no'!"

DUNDEE V RANGERS, CO-OP INSURANCE CUP QUARTER-FINAL
TUESDAY 27TH OCTOBER 2009

If anyone is planning to go up for the game (and I know a few are), the designated DDS pre-match pint venue is The Snug.

If you haven't secured a ticket yet, there are about 500 left! That's right, almost sold out, so you'll need to be quick. Apologies to anyone who struggled to get through to the ticket office, I did also, but as a midweek game it didn't seem worthwhile putting aside an allocation.

DUNDEE V ICT, ALBA CHALLENGUE CUP FINAL
SUNDAY 22ND NOVEMBER 2009
McDAIRMID PARK, PERTH

For the Challenge Cup Final, we have the option of putting aside a block of tickets for our members in the traditional "Dundee end" behind the goal. The club would ideally like to avoid posting tickets due to the postal strike, but unfortunately we can't all get together in the pub or on the bus, so the best thing to do is
1) Reply to let me asap so I know you're going - this way I'll get an idea of numbers required.
2) Phone 01382 889966 option 1 from noon Sunday 1st November, and purchase your ticket(s) asking to take them from the Dees Down South allocation.
3) If possible, collect the ticket from Dens before the Sunday. If you're up for the weekend this may be OK, but I realise it won't suit everyone. The club are looking at the possibility of a collection point at McDairmid, but you may need to opt for the postal option. In this case, the sooner you order, the more chance you have of avoiding disappointment.

Tickets are £14 adult, £5 concession - over 60, under 16, full time student with matric card.
(£15 / £5 in the main stand if you prefer).

If anyone is interested in car sharing (up Sat am, back Sun night, with Sat night in Dundee) let me know. Or indeed with any other queries.

DEES DOWN SOUTH AGM

Our AGM will be held in London on either Monday 2nd November or Thursday 5th November, at 8pm. The venue will either be the Falcon or the F3K.

Please let me know if you are able to attend, and which date(s) and venue(s) you prefer. Thursday is of course bonfire night, so you may have other plans, but has the added benefit of live Europa League action.

Depending on replies received by Wednesday, I'll confirm the date and venue to you.

Next meetings

We're trying to finalise some dates to meet up in the next couple of months.

Here's the thinking so far:

Sat 17th October for an away day at AFC Wimbledon (v Kettering in the Blue Square Premier)

Thu 5th November (?) for the AGM and live Europa League football at the F3K

Sat 21st-Sun 22nd November - anyone interested in a car share and/or train to Dundee on Saturday, night out in Dundee, then the ALBA Cup Final v ICT at McDairmid on Sunday afternoon?

Please post your comments in the section below or email newsletter@deesdownsouth.com with your thoughts.

Finally, any contributions for November's issue of A Piece Of Cake are very welcome!!

Ryanair Ayr Trip In Doubt

Several members have booked cheap flights from Stansted to Prestwick to see Dundee playing away to Ayr United on 3rd October. But the game looks to be in doubt. The Alba Cup semi-finals are scheduled for Sunday 4th, and today's draw paired Dundee with Stirling Albion (away) in the quarter finals on Sunday 6th September.

So it looks like a Dundee win could cost our members a few pennies. At least the flights were cheap!

Prediction League 50/50

This season we're running a prediction league once again, giving you the chance to help Dundee FC and win some big bucks at the same time.

To enter, click on the Prediction League box on the right. This will take you to the pages created by our member Ray Derkacz, where you can register and pay online - it costs £1 a week, and if you sign up until new year, you'll get 20 weeks for the price of 17.

You will then receive confirmation once your payment has been processed, and can log in to make your predictions. Everything's automated so once you've predicted the week's fixtures, sit back and see where you sit in the table when the results are known! All SPL and First Division fixtures are included each week, none of your EPL stuff here!

We've already sponsored Kyle Benedictus and paid for over 20 Dee4Kids tickets thanks to you, the members - join up and help us contribute even more.

Sparky Wins

Leigh Griffiths wins July's poll for who will be top scorer this year with 7 votes (McMenamin 4, Harkins and Deasley (?!?!) 1 each). This month's poll - when will the new strips be ready?

See You In The Penman

Quite a few members have decided to make the trek up to Dundee this Saturday for the opening league fixture at home to Morton.

If you're looking for a pre-match watering hole, why not try the Andy Penman Lounge at Dens? It gets busy quite early so I'd suggest getting there before 1.30pm. There's a free buffet if you've been craving a proper "peh" and a free raffle as well. Entry is £2 (Club Dundee members' entry is included in their monthly subscription). There's also live footie on Sky / ESPN.

Join Our Fantasy Premier League

For a bit of fun, we've set up a Fantasy Football mini-league.

Just go to http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ to register and select your team. Once registered, click on "LEAGUES" and enter the following code to join the Dees Down South mini-league:

207323-78540

You have unlimited transfers until 15th August at 11.30am after which normal rules apply.

New Sponsors

Dees Down South are delighted to welcome Salute Wine And Time Ltd. as our new sponsors, who offer a bespoke wine labelling service for that special occasion. Please visit their website by clicking on the banner in the right-hand column.

Next Meeting

Our next meeting is on Thursday 30th July in London, at the Famous Three Kings (F3K) pub next to West Kensington tube. The F3K is a great sports bar with over a dozen screens capable of showing different games on each, so hopfully we can catch a Scottish side in Europa League action and catch up about the Dees before we kick off the season the folloing Saturday. Meet around 7pm?

Which game would you like to see? Post your preference in the "comments" section...
Aberdeen v Sigma / Fram
Falkirk / Vaduz v Liberec
Steaua / Ujpest v Flamurtari / Motherwell

Burns Supper 2009

A more recent image from the archives this time, as Scott Carnegie hosts our annual Burns Supper.

In the past, the Dees Down South Burns Supper was unique in that it didn't involve any supper - more often than not, a crawl around London's West End night spots was the usual plan for our January get-together.

Not any more! Thanks to Scott, the Crown Bar & Kitchen in St Margarets has hosted us for the last couple of years and 2009 saw a dozen or so members get together to celebrate the Bard.

Helping local football in Serbia

Allan Kettles and Fraser MacDonald travelled to Belgrade in 2001 for the Intertoto cup tie against FK Sartid, and presented a full set of strips to local team "Borba" as a gesture of international friendship.

Dees Down South had sponsored the Dundee FC Under-15s and obtained the kit from the club, and were only too happy to see it given a new lease of life in Serbia - giving Dundee some good publicity into the bargain.

You can read Fraser's full report on the "Trip Into The Unknown" at http://members.lycos.co.uk/BoabL/CDB-31.html

Please Renew Your Membership

Please renew your membership (or join for the first time!) by clicking on the image to download this year's application form.

Then either post it with payment, or pay online via the link to the right (remembering to include all your contact details and type of membership, including additional names if applicable).

Remember, your subs help us to contribute substantially to Dundee FC via player sponsorship (last year we sponsored Darren Williams and Kyle Benedictus).

All members receive copies of our newsletter, A Piece of Cake, as well as all the benefits of membership of a DSA-affiliated supporters' club, such as priority match tickets and the opportunity to attend the annual Player of the Year dinner.

We're also collecting donations towards Dee4Kids, where for £18 Dundee FC will match this amount and donate a season ticket to local underprivileged children.

Return to Europe

Dundee's return to the UEFA Cup after a 29 year absence took place in the far-flung town of Shkoder, Albania.

Dundee lined up in their new European kit of dark blue shirt and socks and light blue shorts, and ran out comfortable 2-0 winners, but couldn't match Vllaznia when it came to sponsors - the name Elvis was emblazoned on their shirts and trackside advertising boards. Apparently this was a tribute to the chairman's late son.

The First DDS Player of the Year

Attending this year's Player of the Year Dinner, some of our members caught up with an old friend, Andy Fraser, who escaped exile many years ago and is now based back in Dundee.

Andy was one of the original five who re-formed Dees Down South in the mid 1990s, and presented our first ever Player of the Year award to Gavin Rae in May 2001.

So if you've never seen our trophy - here it is! We'll have pictures from this year's dinner, where Rab Douglas picked up the award, in the next issue of A Piece of Cake.

Pre-Season Training in Romania

One of the great things about travelling abroad with Dundee - especially if there are only 5 of you! - is that you can get up close and sit on the bench watching the team training.


Here Jim Duffy puts the players through their paces in the Romanian sunshine, taking full advantage of Rapid's excellent training centre on the outskirts of town. Thankfully the players were spared training in the mid-afternoon when temperatures soared to over 40 degrees.

Juan Sara displayed the kind of lethal finishing in a game of 5-a-sides that we never quite saw in competitive matches, and Jim Duffy decided against offering Allan Kettles a game, instead opting to sign Real Madrid's Jonay Hernandez-Santos as full back for the coming campaign. Jonay let the cat out of the bag at the casino disco after the tournament, giving Dees Down South an exclusive on our latest signing.

Another Romanian image

Here's the impressive sight of the floodlit Giulesti Stadium in Bucharest, home to Rapid and venue for Dundee's two "competitive" pre-season games in Romania.

Rapid Burcharest would visit Dens the following week in a return friendly.

More from Romania

Is this Dundee's smallest-ever travelling support? Just 5 fans travelled to Romania - almost as many as United take to Hampden for a cup semi-final!

Copa Casino Astoria

In the summer of 2002, Dundee's "Latino style" of football was in great demand, and the club were invited to take part in a televised pre-season tournament in Romania sponsored by the local Astoria Casino.


The Dundee fans who travelled, including Fraser & Allan from Dees Down South, were invited to the press conference to launch the tournament. The media took almost as much interest in the travelling fans as the players and staff, such was the novelty of Western fans visiting so soon after Nato bombings.

Jim Duffy is pictured above with the trophy provided by the sponsors (who also kindly provided free food and drink for the fans all week!). Unfortunately this was as close as we came to lifting the cup!

Pre Season Down South

Dundee played a couple of pre-season games in England in 1998, which gave Dees Down South members the chance to see their team in action.

On Friday night was a game at Kidderminster, followed by a match at Southport less than 24 hours later on Saturday afternoon.

Pictured, Jocky Scott gives Barry Smith some instructions from the touchline at Southport.

Dees at the World Cup

Visiting the Auld Alliance pub in Paris at the 1998 World Cup, I came across this DFC pennant behind the bar.

Other connections to the Dees at that World Cup were the Scotland manager (Craig Brown), goalkeeper Jim Leighton, defenders Tosh McKinlay and Colin Hendry, and Denmark midfielder Morten Weighorst.

The Scotland squad also included a certain Craig Burley who went on to play briefly for the Dees.

Jim Duffy in Croydon

Back in February 1999, Jim Duffy joined Dees Down South for their meeting at the Skylark (Wetherspoon) pub in South End, Croydon.

Expecting Jim to join us for an hour perhaps, we were delighted that he stayed all evening - despite being a teetotaller! - to regale us with stories of his time at Dens.

Stories included how we got the Firkin Brewery sponsorship, the Coca-Cola League Cup semi-final, Ron Dixon and finances (some things never change!)

Jim - Chelsea youth coach at the time - was given honorary membership of Dees Down South, and for years we were proud to be "Duffy's Dees!"