BarryLFC

Classic PM, loving it.

shannon2007

It was a fact of life that Ebenezer Scrooge did not like spending his hard earned cash. Not on himself, and certainly not wasted on a bunch of Prima Donna footballers.

'A good manager' Scrooge was fond of repeating over and over, 'does not need money to be successful'

Which might well be true. But it was a sad day for Dundee Football Club when even the likes of Albion Rovers were outbidding them in the transfer market. Mainly becuase it isn't hard to outbid zero. The basis of the Dundee team wasn't too bad, but the players were in general very young, and there were not an awful lot of them.

19 year old keeper Callum Reidford was on loan from Rangers, but fact was he isn't really all that good and since when did Ludovic Roy ever become decent? Money being tight, ie money being non existant, Bob turned to Kilmarnock's 23 year old Graeme Smith who was willing to come in on a seasons loan. In defence, 23 year old Callum MacDonald was not the greatest player ever seen, but would do a job at right back, whilst promising 19 year old Paul Dixon would take the left back role.

Central defence was a key area, and not a very strong one for Dundee. Even with the acquisition of the experienced Matthew Wicks (27), former Rangers defender Gary Mackenzie is still raw, Bobby Mann is over the hill and Greg Strong is rubbish. Its hardly a defence that fills you with confidence. Paul Rudden (25) comes in on a free and can play at right back but will actually sit in front of the two centre backs in a rather enterprising 4-4-2 diamond formation that is quite attacking. And is not at all to the tastes of the chairman.

Former Dundee United man Danny Grioffin also comes in on a free to play back up to Rudden, and 40 year old Rob Lee was signed as no-one else was avalaible. Eighteen year old Kevin McDonald will likely play the forward point of the diamond, with Gavin Swankie (22) on the left and another former United man Andy McLaren (33) on the right. Scott Robertson (21)and Alex Rae (36) make up the midfield squad players. Up front 18 year olds Bryan Deasley and Steven Watson have at the time of writing no competition for places, but there has to be someone out there that can be drafted in for cover.

After the decent win over arch rivals United, a Steven Watson goal was the only thing seperated Dundee from Morton in a hard fought friendly at Cappielow before Cowdenbeath were easily dispossed of by 3-0 on their own patch. A final warm up game at home to Motherwell seemed to be going well as Andy McLaren and Bryan Deasley sent Dundee 2-0 up within seven minutes, but Motherwell fought back to be level by the break and five minutes after half time, Gavin Swankie got himself sent off. Motherwell though seemed to run out of ideas after that and a late Deasley goal gave the home side the win and four unbeaten preseason games augured well as the league campaign was set to get underway against Queen of the South.

Perhaps old Scrooge was right after all.

But he probably wasn't.

shannon2007

Ok I'm going to slightly deviate from the set challenge here after some thought. When I say slight, I mean erm quite a lot.

In order to keep in with the spirit of the story I will have the three spirits visit Scrooge over three years, during which time I will stick to not buying any players for cash and paying them a pittance. However, once Scrooge 'repents', then dependant on where the club is, I'll open the purse strings accordingly. The point being that whilst people remember Scrooge as a miser, that isn't the actual point of the story and its not how it ends. So erm, thats whats gonna happen :p

BarryLFC

SPOILERS!!!11!!one!!

shannon2007

Dundee, it was felt in most places, were too big a side to be languishing in the Division One. Yet this was not going to be an easy ride back to the top level of the Scottish league. St Johnstone would also be expecting to be able to progress up the way, and the mighty rich Gretna would no doubt pose a serious challenge - and not forgetting Livingston of course. Add to that the fact that Bob Scratchit had been unable to add anyone of any real quality to the squad, with the fact that the squad was precariously very small in number, and this could well turn into another season of misery for the Dens Park faithful.

Yet the preseason had been encouraging, particularly the two wins over Premier League outfits, and it was with some confidence that Dundee ran out at Dens for their opening league match of the season against Queen of the South. Ninety minutes later, a the 5-0 scoreline in favour of the home team - a hattrick from teenager Deasley - and that confidence certainly wasn't looking ill founded. And indeed, the opening of the new season was to go fairly well.

A 1-0 win over Raith in the League Cup set up a 2nd round meeting at Premier League Dunfermline. Deasley gave his side a 16th minute lead, but just a minute later Kevin McDonald was red carded and before half time Deasley had to go off injured. In the second half, the ten men could not contain a rampant Dunfermline, who scored three times without reply and the League Cup was over for Dundee. The Challenge Cup was to go a similiar way, with an opening first round 2-0 win over Alloa, before a dissapointing 1-0 loss at home to Morton. But at least they could now concentrate on the league.

The league though wasn't too bad. Wins over Partick and Ross County, draws with Hamilton and Livingston, and then the cash laden Gretna came to Dens and gace Bob's team a bloody nose with a 5-0 thumping and suddenly perhaps the opening to the season wasn't looking so good, two cups gone and not exactly setting the league alight. Old Scrooge was none too pleased with the Gretna result and made sure the players - and the manager - knew it.

Yet on their day, virtually anyone could beat anyone in this Division, as was proved as Dundee beat St Johnstone 2-1 and then went down by the same score to Clyde. The League form continued to be bumpy and even when the side finally did manage an unbeaten run of five games, three of them were draws. By the New Year of 2007, Dundee sat 4th in the First Division table, but only a couple of points adrift of leaders St Johnstone. Things were not looking overly bad, and there was this feeling that if they could just find a vein of consistancy, then the title was there for the taking. It was finding that vein that was the problem.

shannon2007

Ebenezer Scrooge did not believe in Ghosts. Six months ago, he had had a dream, a dream about his old friend Marley - but that was all it had been, a dream. Marley was dead, and the dead cannot speak. Six months had passed, and Scrooge had all but forgotten that long time ago dream. It was New Years Eve 2006, and Scrooge settled down in front of the fire. One log burned in the hearth - it was, after all, New Year, and even Scrooge felt that sometime he should have some luxury. One log burning paley in the hearth, and a half pint of ale. Scrooge felt almost giddy with the thrill of it all.

Feeling his eyes close, Ebenezer laid back in his chair and felt himself relax. It had been another good year for his business, in which he had made a few more million quids. His football team - his team mind, with his money had it been bought and maintained - were doing, if not brilliantly, then at least rather well. Even in spite of the money ladey, cash squandering obscenity that was Gretna. Scrooge was feeling rather pleased that his own frugality was proving just as much a match for the big spenders from the border. As he felt himself drift into a snooze, he suddenly had this strange feeling. There was someone else in the room.

With a bolt, Scrooge sat up right, his eyes open, his body fully awake. There, in his own parlour, right in front of his very eyes, stood a figure that was not hard to recognize. Scrooge had to blink a few times, before he realised that the image was not going to away and as it stood motionless, Scrooge was overcome with fear and nerves. And the thought that he simply did not know what to say to Bill Shankly.

His body was shivering, and Scrooge suddenly realised the fire had gone out and the room was freezing. He could contain his silence no more,

'Speak, whoever you are, or leave me be! Leave me be I beg you, I have done nothing to you!'

'I am the ghost of Dundee's past. My name is Bob Shankly and I used to manage this club'

Suddenly Scrooge realised his mistake. This was Bill Shankly's brother, and his picture hung in the Dundee trophy room, arguably their most successful ever manager.

'Erm, what is it you require spirit?' Scrooge tremored.

'I am the ghost of Dundee's past'

'Yes you've said that, just...'

'SILENCE!' the spirit of Bob Shankly commanded. 'You must come with me, this night, right now. I have many many things to show you, and time is short. I need to be at the pub in an hour.'

shannon2007

'Come with me' Shankly's ghost commanded of the terrified Scrooge.

'I erm, don't think so' Scrooge was shaking in his slippers, 'If it's all the same to you, I'll stay here. You go, it will be better without me, I'm happy he..aaaaaaarrrrrrrghhhhhhh!'

The spirit grabbed hold of the screaming Dundee chairman and they seemed to fly through, well nothingness, and suddenly they were in a room with people. There was a podium, at which were seated some men and a whole host of people seated watching them, some taking photographs. It took Scrooge a few moments to understand what was going on here.

'Do you understand what is going on here?' The spirit asked as if reading his mind.

'Well, I'm not one hundred percent...'

'This' the spirit rudely interupted, 'Is a press conference. Someone is about to be unveiled as a new player at a Premier Division club. Watch.'

Scrooge watched as the scene played out and he suddenly realised what was going on here. This was the year 2000, October to be exact and the player being unveiled was one Claudio Caniggia, Argentine legend. It was hailed at the time as in incredible piece of work by the then Dundee management team, Caniggia was probably not the player he had been, but still graced the Scottish game with some wonderful skill. Scrooge laughed.

'Is this what you brought me to see spirit? My club - before I arrived I might add - wasting money on an overpaid, overaged Argentine junky?'


'The signing put Dundee on the world map at the time, it brought a lot of interest'

'Fat lot of good it did. Its far better to be prudent, to make sure the finances are in order and allow youth to come through'

The spirit looked harshly at Scrooge. 'Sometimes, you need to take risks. But anyway, lets move on. Time may well stand still, but you are actually starting to annoy me. Come, I have more to show you'

'If it's anymore of this tripe, you can forget it' Scrooge muttered as once more he found himself flying through the void of time.

shannon2007

Scrooge did not recognize where he was straight away. It was, he knew - for he had not quite lost all his marbles during these time flights - a football ground, but it was not one that he recognized from any recent games Dundee had played. Scrooge stood in silence for a few moments, watching the match and wondering just why the hell he had been brought here. He could watch a game of football any time he pleased, what on earth was the point in this?

The spirit of Bob Shankly was surprisingly quiet as the match went on and when the final went, the section of the crowd that Scrooge were in went wild, and he noticed a small boy in front of him jumping up and down with delight. Such shows of emotion always made Scrooge's skin crawl and it was clear the man with the boy - his father? - shared the same opinion as he was not dancing and was trying to get the boy to hush. There was something familiar about that little boy......

But Scrooge was distracted. The Spirit, who had been so brash, so bold, was..... he was.. crying? Scrooge was bewildered.

Wiping the tears, the Spirit said, 'You still don't recognize this Ebenezer? Take a good look, breath it in, remember. For this, unless you change your ways, will never happen again'

The man in front was leading the small boy, now in tears, up the steps of the terracing and suddenly in a moment of remembrance, Scrooge knew who that small boy was and just as surely his mind raced back to this day as it had really happened. April the 28th 1962. Ebenezer Scrooge's 7th birthday and as a treat his father had taken him all the way to Perth to see Dundee play St Johnstone. It had been one of the most exciting days of the young boys life. Until his emotionally stunted father had ruined it all.

This was not just an ordinary game of football. This was the 28th of April, 1962. The last game of the Scottish League season, with Dundee - who had entered the final month of the season level on points with the mighty Rangers, the current Champions - going into this match with their Perth rivals two points ahead of the illustrious Glasgow club, whose fortunes had dramatically collapsed. A win today would see Dundee crowned Scottish League Champions for the first ever time, and would relegate the home side. Dundee had romped to a 3-0 win as Rangers struggled to a 1-1 draw at home to Kilmarnock and the title was theirs.

Scrooge had been elated, his father had been embarrased by his sons over jubilant mood and had thoroughly thrashed the little boy when he got him home. Scrooge had never celebrated anything again. As he stood there watching the crowd and players celebrate, he felt tears running down his own cheek. This was cruel thing for the Spirit to have done, to bring back such bitter sweet memories.

'I want to go Spirit' Scrooge mumbled, 'I've seen enough'

'Not yet' the Spirit whispered, 'I want to see this a bit more.'

And the Spirit of Bob Shankly watched in silence as the team led by him danced a victory parade round Muirton Park. As the celebrations died down, the subdued Spirit took Scrooge's hand. 'Come old man, I have one more thing to show you.....'