History, High Finance, The Doctor, and the Dark Blue Parable
Jun 27th, 2011 by 'holic
Some of you will be familiar with the writings of Bergkamp the Man, both in the drinks, and occasionally on the blog. He has sent me another piece that deserves a wider audience, although you will need to read it all to understand the points being made.
Some of you, like me, have had the good fortune to meet the man, and will be wondering how on earth he was watching football in 1960.
There is only one answer. BtM is ‘the Doctor’! Enjoy.
I became a serious supporter of Dundee FC, aged 8, in 1960. I remember well the wonder of waking up on New Years Day 1960 on the dawn of my first new decade – but that’s a story for another day. Within two years, life had turned into a state of recurrent bliss.
That was how it felt to follow the Dark Blues when Bob Shankly was at the peak of his managerial powers. His brother Bill was said to have applied for the Dundee post, but not to have been considered because his letter arrived a day too late. I often wonder what became of him.
In 1962, Bob’s team brought the city its first Scottish League championship, when St Johnstone were beaten 3-0 and consigned to Division 2. Their young centre-forward on the day? A young Alex Ferguson (the same Slur Alex who seems to keep appearing in these tales). Much has been written of that Dundee team, many historians comparing them favourably to Jock Stein’s Celtic, the first British Team to win the European Cup.
Some 25,000 of us made the euphoric journey home from St Johnstone and soon we were contemplating the competition, initially dominated by Real Madrid, that was to grow into the Champions League. First to visit Dens Park were the German Champions Cologne, who lost 8-1. Sporting Lisbon fell next 6-2, then the Belgian champs Anderlecht were anihilated. No one, it seemed, could live with Dundee – and by now 45,000 were packing the ground – before AC Milan reached the Wembley final at our expense (despite having been beaten 1-0 by Dundee in the semi at Dens).
My adolescent assumption was that, just like the Beatles soundtrack that was the accompaniment to life in these days, it would always be like this. Reality began to dawn when, drawn by higher salaries elsewhere, the best players, lead by Alan Gilzean and Ian Ure began to leave, followed slightly later by Charlie Cooke. It had been a beautiful dream. It had come true, which I suppose made it more of a miracle than a dream.
But all too soon, we returned to the lot of most Scottish clubs other than Celtic and Rangers. We tried to stay in the top Division, not always successfully, and made the odd appearance in a Cup Final.
Although my mind had turned by then to everything Arsenal, my attention was peaked by Dundee’s progress to the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden in 2003. Rangers won 1-0 and a good day out proved to be the start of the club’s descent into disgrace, because Dundee had got to the final with players they could not afford, Claudio Canniggia of Argentina and the Georgian captain Georgi Memsadze among them.
Dundee’s debts sank the good ship Dark Blue and the club went into administration for the first time in their proud history. A recurrence, “a second offence” in the season just closed, resulted in an especially severe penalty and Dundee kicked off the season, bottom by an astonishing 25 points! By now, the crowds of 40,000+ were a distant memory and achieving 4,000 was a struggle. The harsh economics of the vicious downward spiral spawned by a playing field that is FAR from level across the European continent.
But, because of the heroics of the bare-bones team since it was imposed, the 25-point reverse turned out to be nearly no penalty at all. Dundee decided that they would have to display title-winning form just to stay in the Division. That’s just what they did.
After manager Gordon Chisholm and several key players were released at the height of the crisis, former captain Barry Smith took over the helm. Dundee reached agreement with their creditors and quickly went 17 games without defeat in the Irn Bru League. The fairytale wasn’t quite achieved. They didn’t manage promotion – probably a good thing. Another season in the first division will do them good and the temptation to overstretch again will be resisted.
I can’t help but feel a sense of pride, maybe some echo from the sixties, to see the dark blue shirts filled by professionals who HAD to play in EVERY game because Dundee couldn’t afford injuries or tiredness and who quite plainly gave their ALL in return for wages that wouldn’t have kept Samir Nasri in pocket money for a day.
There’s a brilliant little sub-plot. Until recently, Craig Robertson a 30 year old accountant, played for Lochee United, the local semi-pro club. He was granted a testimonial and asked Dundee, whom he had supported all of his life, to provide the opposition. At the end of the match, he handed the proceeds, some 14,000 pounds to Dundee’s rescue fund. And now, HE is gracing the Dundee midfield, distributing the ball with an expertise that makes one you wonder why the full-time ranks ignored him for so long.
And, my brother in law never tires of telling me – there have been times this season when Dundee’s football has testified to the influence of Barcelona. There’s still a bond there, although it’s obscured by a large golden gun on a scarlet backdrop. But frankly, when I read that 4,769 fans had stayed behind to APPLAUD a Dundee team who’d lost a lead at Morton and been pegged back for a draw with a resulting two points dropped, (this in contrast to the BBB reaction I experienced a week later at The Emirates when we drew with Sunderland), it made me realize that you can spend a lifetime in football and never experience a bond like that between Dundee and their fans.
And the point I’m making is that kids of a persuasion who grow up with an allegiance to Manchester United, Liverpool or Chelsea will never know it. They may think they do. But they have the medals to disprove it.
But this is an Arsenal blog and what’s the relevance of all of this Dundee guff? Well, when the Dark Blues were demolishing everything in front of them I thought that it would NEVER end. That it did was really a function of the economics of the day in British football. If you could play, you left and went down south. When Dundee sold Gilzean and Ure they netted 120,000 pounds – a small fortune in its day. And although John Duncan and Jocky Scott came along in their wake (Nick Bendtner and Carlos Vela standard players), Gilzean was never replaced and the descent began.
Then the club tired of a self-sustaining business model and over-stretched themselves into administration. Some tell me that this was caused by moronic masses demanding more silver and chanting “spend some fucking money” to the board. Still, that kind of thing could never ever happen at Arsenal, could it? I couldn’t possibly be caught out twice in one life time? Is this football world of Gooner dreams really that fragile?
55 Responses to “History, High Finance, The Doctor, and the Dark Blue Parable”
first?
Now to read the article and reflect on my primo-ness.
Third!!! Woo who!!!
A great peice of writing.. My own town club Galway Utd has gone tits up and cancelled all contracts..a spiral that has been happening for years..employing Nick Leeson a la Bearings Banks as the CEO did not have the desired effect and they are staring down the abyss… our European nights were not the stuff of dreams but were real enough to a young fella…Its a cruel world sometimes..
Another fine nostalgic piece from BtM.
Barman, a couple of Irn Bru for the fine gent with the bonnet if you please.
3rd?
What, no puns ?
Good parallels BtM.
Barnet was the club of my whipper-snapper days. In those days they were one of the finest amateur clubs around, drawing crowds of nearly 5,000 for local derbies against Enfield when we drew them in Cup competitions.
At home to Preston North End in the FA Cup was probably the pinnacle of those days. Lately, Barnet have struggled with finance and have sought help from the local authority to try and find a new home. They have trained in a public park, where warm up exercises included picking up deposits left by local dogs.
Their fall was from a lesser height – they now regularly cling desparately to Football League survival – but it can happen to them all.
One of my more serious efforts, Trev. Serious is normally reserved for the boss, but when it comes to Dundee I can run circles around holic (slow circles these days, but circles nevertheless). Arsenal, now that’s another matter, and hence my default to fun and puns. Seems to work?
The parallels are a bit of a stretch but “spender beware” is worth pondering. Whatever the BPL looks like today, it will look entirely different , for better or for worse in less than a decade. I’m a big fan of our self-sustaining model, but, I’m with holic’s “spend SOME fucking money”. Judicious prudence, not a torpedo through the bank account.
Going to the Emirates Cup? I’ll be at the Tolly for both games. Look out for the Crail Golf Club bunnet and the Fife accent.
Zico – The Diggers on any evening of the week prior to said EC. Let me know and I’ll be at the bar one hour in advance for the long promised pint!
Good to see you back here BtM.
I was at said Fulham game with Ollie & ‘Holic and I guess you had to be there to properly appreciate the sentiment although ‘Holic’s aforementioned write-up captured the mood very well for those that weren’t.
I’m all for financial preudence and self-sustainability. I also want us to christen our fabulous stadium with it’s first (proper) trophy. The middle ground works for me.
I may sneak out for a game at the EC. If not, hope to get the oppty to meet you at one of the big games next season. In the meantime, have a virtual drink of your choice on me.
Great read, BtM. Like what ‘Holic said, this post deserves and actually, in my opinion, needs a wider audience.
You have underlined a fear that I suspect most regular readers on here have felt burrowing deep in our Red and White veins. When will “we” ever be satiated by our success without the trophies? Are “we” to suffer furrowed foreheads when “we” reflect on how we actually had it so good but we didn’t see it?
Unfortunately, the modern Arsenal fans (whom I referred to as “we”) who have not had the “luxury” of the pain and anguish of the 70s and even most parts of the 80s, are blindly demanding for more silver.
No, it is NOT wrong to desire victory for your team. But sometimes the bigger picture needs to surface.
Sometimes, even “we” have to “enjoy” trophy-less years to fully appreciate the time when silverware reappears in our cabinets.
Excellent stuff BtM – happy to meet and discuss the follies of the Marrs and all things Arsenal that week.
Holic can you give my e email address to the Time Lord or vice versa so we can work out the detail?
Well done, BtM. There are many who don’t understand what it means to end up with massive debt you can’t pay. I still believe that Arsene is using more or less every penny he’s got at his disposal, but there is no way we can keep up with teams with bottomless pockets.
Steve-o: spot on, I am getting really tired of this notion that unless you win something then the whole season has been a waste of time. Hundreds of clubs in England alone would kill to be as “bad” as us. Any club should always strive to be as good as it can, but I just don’t agree that winning is all that means something.
BtM, excellent read, classy as always.
Speaking of class, take a look at this.
Loads of class – http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3663000/Arsene-Wenger-pens-heartfelt-letter-to-unhappy-Arsenal-supporter.html
No class at all –
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3663130/Barcelona-put-pressure-on-Cesc-Fabregas-to-rebel-against-Arsenal.html
Just remember what they’re asking him to do, next year when you think of maybe maybe rooting for them against certain teams in the CL.
They’ve become my most hated team, long ago, this is just another proof why.
Apart from Spurs that is.
I’m with you Snir – bunch of c****
BtM, this really should be exposed more than just this blog, maybe you should talk to arseblogger.
People need to understand it is a privilege to support the Arsenal.
People need to realize that times change and these six years can become six straight years with a trophy.
Morning All
Snir & zico – I don’t think I could ever loathe any team as much as I do the LWCs (it was part of my up-bringing) but Farca are doing a fine job, in my eyes, of trying to play catch-up.
Lars & Steve-o – Very well put, agree 100%. Despite it all, I felt there were many fine memories from last season esp. beating Chelski and Farca at home. Also met some great people at the matches that I went to 🙂
BtM, Steve-o and all, Thank you for much needed perspective and indeed there were wonderful victories last season, the home win against Barcelona not least of all, along with the painful moments. No doubt our share of worse moments is out there ahead of us, as are hopefully our fair share of better moments. We are measuring Arsenal’s results against Manchester United and the like so frustration is to be expected, but not a vitriolic lack of appreciation for what Arsenal have achieved over this last “dry” spell.
TS – It wasn’t part of my upbringing since my dad didn’t raise me to be an Arsenal fan but a Maccabi Tel-Aviv fan, but just like part of my upbringing was to loathe everything Hapoel, it is just the same with Spurs.
I was even accused here of being inhumane with my “blessings” to Spurs when we talked about playing with hate, that it gives you that something extra that was clearly lacking 🙂
Storey, the season did indeed produce it’s fair share of memorable games. Chelsea at home, Barca at home, ManU at home, City away etc. Not everything is doom and gloom.
Barman, I’ll have a pint of some tasty ale before I get back to work.
Looking forward to the new season – got my glossy brochure through from the club yesterday and the training tops, both “home” and “away” are the Mutts Nuts.
BtM, expect me to be wearing one when we meet in July 🙂
Morning All ,
A very heartfelt piece BtM , both from a Dundee and an Arsenal perspective . and all the wiser for it .
The formation of the Premier League , and the vastly increased riches that it brought , has meant that any perceived failure on the team’s part is greeted with a crescendo of dismissive ” I told you so’s ” , fed on a constant and poisonous drip-feed of media frenzy .
That any season should be placed in the receptacle marked trash , simply because it ended trophyless is of course nonsense . In 41 seasons at the Arsenal , only 12 have ended with a trophy ( or two ) .
Am I , therefore meant to consign to the rubbish dump , memories of the other 29 ? As ‘Holic regularly proves in his wonderful posts marked ” History ” , memories , good and bad , are what makes this great Club , great .
Johnny Radford’s heroics in goal in the semi against Stoke in ’72 , his solo goal up at Anfield the following season , 1975-76 when my 7 games in attendance failed to yield a home goal , Brian Talbot’s winner against Liverpool at Highfield Road in 1980 , Charlie Nicholas dancing round the Spurs defence in 1984 , Mclair’s penalty miss in 1988 , Seaman’s heroics in Sampdoria , Kanu’s goal at Shite Hart Lane , Dreamy Bob’s goal against the Spuds at Old Trafford , the vanquishing of Real Madrid , AC Milan and Inter Milan on their own turf , and Arshavin’s goal against Barcelona before a frenzied Emirates crowd .
None of these things led to Silverware , so i must throw them away as worthless , if you believe TalkShite’s drivel , or the self-serving ” woe is me ” sensationalism of Le Grove .
I won’t , of course , they mean too much , both to me and despite the best efforts of Le Grove and others of their ilk , thousands and thousands of others .
A sober cup of Rosy Lea , please Barman , for a sobering subject .
PS Please Arsene , spend SOME fucking money .
Nice one, tabs.
Cheers Dr Z , how are you today , off the critical list ?
Yes tabs, thanks, as you can see above, already planning my next fight against the cordon of pints 😉
Good to hear Dr Z 🙂
BtM, what a cracking read.
Having only supported the Arse for a measly 13 years, I have to admit that I’m one of the pampered ones and have never tasted mediocrity with our fine club. The story of Dundee’s fate is extremely sobering, a cautionary tale to the baying, booing masses who don’t know how good they’ve got it.
There’s also a philosophical side to this whole debacle (no I haven’t been on the doobies, I’m at work!). Constantly striving for end product without appreciating how the downs sweeten the ups along the way is a ruinous habit which spoils people – the kind who want everything to be rosy and when mop flops the wrong way they spit their dummies.
Basically, if you can’t enjoy Barca, Chelsea and Man IOU at home, and those cunts City away, go see a doctor. They won’t find your pulse.
tabs
right there with you. I remember celebrating many a Brian Kidd goal in the mud, goals that ultimately kept us in the 1st Division. Then while reading the Sundays the next day fist pumping that we were now 4th from bottom and out of the botom 3. I could now enjoy me Sunday dinner and watch Brian Moore and the Big Match. Hated that show when we lost. I clearly remember a headline from one of the papers,the People or NOTW “ROCK BOTTOM” after another dismal performance had us looking up at everyone.
Tar Heel Gunner, do you live in Chapel Hill? Email me at snir_geuli@hotmail.com, maybe we could watch some AFC games together, I know I’m looking for some atmosphere down in NC.
Snir
I am in Charlotte and there is quite a good gooner community down here. A nice mix of veterans (or old farts) like me and the new generation of Wengerites who hang on our stories with baited breath,though no one quite tells it like Holic. So if ever ya down here in the Queen City we can bitch and moan together. I will write you but I do n ot get up to Chapel Hill much.
Tar Heel ,
Thunderbirds at 12 , an hour to get your mum’s roast down your neck at One , ( whilst Brian Walden on Sunday was on ) , and then The Big Match at Two – ah Happy Days ! ( assuming Arsenal had won of course ) .
That’s Bwian Walden, from memory tabs 🙂
tabs
then out to the back yard or the park or the street with your ball and recreate the plays. As you say Happy Days indeed….”Hey” (ala the Fonz)
Dr Z indeed ! 🙂
Tar Heel – absolutely – in all weathers ! Had an orange leather ball at the time if memory serves me right ! All the rage at the time … honest 🙂
tabs
me too and mine had a huge gash in it after getting lodged under a Morris Minor and I struggled to get it out. Tough balls back then and mum would not buy me another. Had that thing for years still could not curl it with the outside of my foot like Chippy at WHL despite many many attempts. I blame the ball and not my crapness !!
Jumpers for goalposts, isn’t it……
Cor. You know, isn’t it? Mmm? Whither the father and son, cheering from the terraces? Only yesteryear? Rattle in hand? Good natured applause for the opposing team? Half-time? Peanuts! Peanuts! Rhubarb! Whither the peanuts of yesteryear. I mean, do we have a rosy view of the past? Isn’t it? Cheery milkmen, vicars on bicycles? Huh! Luncheon meat, Bartlett pear halves? Laughing policemen? Clip round the ear? Move along, son! Thruppenny bits? Small boys? Grazed knees? Hmm? Hu-hoo! Witch hazel! Ouch! Ooh! Kiss it better, mummy! Mmm? You know, isn’t it? Aww. Mind you, at least these days we’ve got Baywatch, haven’t we? Har.
(The Fast Show, series 1, episode 5)
A work of genius tabs, I just didn’t have time to quote it in full (and remain in gainful employment) 🙂
🙂
I guess reality was power crisis,lights and heat out,homework by candlelight,bailouts by the IMF. Labor strikes,garbage…oops I mean rubbish (too long stateside) piling up,rats and bats epidemic.Droughts,then ministers for droughts followed by deluges. The Inter City Firm,knives in schools (at least at the old Hackney Downs),Ted Heath,james Callaghan (yikes),Maggie T(yikes) Tottenham riots,Toxeth riots aah those were the days
Yeh , Tar Heel , but at least we got milk at school 🙂
but it was always warm (shudders) and dont get me started on the semolina
The semolina did , on one memorable day , actually make me yak up ! I remember the liver being a real treat too … 🙂
oh dear…Ray Parlour on Talkshite says Jermaine Defoe could be our new Ian Wright.
Raymondo I love ya but I think you have been reading too many divorce papers lately and it has impeded your judgement
yep Razor should stick to the comedy .
Right , i’m outta here , Tar Heel a pleasure to make your acquaintance , have a beer on me .
Cheers I will have a Carolina Blonde
Tar Heel, That Carolina Blonde sounds too good to pass up, be she beer or otherwise. Cheers and please keep us up to date on the quality of the Carolina barbecue.
Carolina Blonde? So that’s where she went…..
Great read Btm and thank Gawd someone can come up with writing that does not include the ‘T’ word
Had a look at Dundee in the 60s and like Celtic that great side were all born in and around the City and Angus – Ure was from Ayr – a foreigner !
All you had to do was open the gates and a queue of hungry youngsters would be at the gate, boots in hand, prepared to give their all for the chance to play
Excellent read BTM
Nice post @22 too,tabs
Cheers
OK, Zico, the man in the training shirt with “The Mutts Nuts” on.
I’ll be on the lookout for that spectacle.
BtM – any day that week bar Monday 25th (my daughter’s birthday).
I haven’t heard from the barman but he can give you my e-mail address (assuming said info is not already programmed as co-ordinates into your TARDIS) 🙂
Just let me know what suits.
Have we freakin’ signed anyone yet JKC???
Excellent piece BtM, a good read, and well worth people considering.
People definitely underestimate the difference it makes, going for a while witout winning – after all 89 was unbelievable, but to be honest I felt that after the second double under Wenger (although in itself an incredible achievement – I grew up with stories of our double in 71, and here he was doing it TWICE!) we , as fans, had almost become complacent in achieving success.
For anyone who hasn’t been with us when we were winning trophies, that first one will be the one you remember, and it will be the one that makes the years in the wilderness worthwhile, and if you get chance, go back and watch the 79 FA Cup final 😀
Some interesting thoughts BtM and quite possibly prescient.
Whenever faced with a problem the temptation is always to throw money at it – governments do it all the time and it is never a long term solution and often in the end creates even greater problems which are ever more difficult to deal with.
Much of the pressures in football come from the media; question to pundit, “What does xxxxxxx have to do to make his team more successful?” Answer; “He needs to buy a quality centre-back, goalkeeper, midfielder and striker”. Mr pundit doesn’t have to worry about the reality of what he has said but many ‘fans’ latch onto the comments and repeat them. The pressure on the manager grows exponentially as does the discontent about the way the manager is doing his job and so on.
Wenger is doing the job the right way. Mistakes have been made it is true and hind sight is always 20/20 but he knows better than anyone what is required and I trust him to do it. At least in 10 years time I’ll still have a club and team to support.