Eight of team turned senior

The recent restoration of Phil McGuire to Aberdeen’s first-team pool, after being dropped earlier in the season, has prompted a Dundee reader to raise the subject of Phil’s Dundee connections.

Paul Hutton, who lives in the Brackens area of Dundee, is sure that Phil was a team-mate of his when he played for the Dundee Primary Schools Select in 1991.

Said Paul, who was a pupil at Our Lady’s Primary School and St John’s High School, “I reckon Aberdeen’s Phil is the same person who appears in the photo I’ve enclosed (see foot of column) of the Dundee Primary Schools Select.

“I can remember playing against him when he was at Douglas Primary and Morgan Academy.

“The Dundee Primary Schools team of 1991 played Aberdeen in the first round of the Scottish Primary Schools Cup. We won 1-0, with the winning goal being scored, ironically, as things turned out, by Phil.

“In the next round, we drew 5-5 with Edinburgh in the capital, but lost 3-1 in the replay in Dundee.

“That Dundee team included several players who have gone on to make a name for themselves in the senior field.

“Most notable of them are Lee Wilkie (Dundee) and Maurice Ross (Rangers), both of whom have been in recent pools for the senior Scottish international team.

“Others who have been, or still are, in the senior ranks are Hugh Davidson (Dundee United and Forfar), Paul Clark (Dundee, Airdrie and East Fife), Paul Boylan (Dundee United) and Colin Wares (Arbroath).”

Paul Hutton himself modestly admits to having been on Forfar Athletic’s books for a short time, but contents himself nowadays with playing Sunday football in Dundee.

That’s quite a high tally — eight out of the 16 having graduated to the senior ranks.

I spoke to Dundee FC’s Scotland international Lee Wilkie, and the towering central defender confirmed that Phil was a team-mate in the select.

Staying with the select, but on a completely different note, I have to take some credit for the above strips which the select are wearing.

A few years earlier, I was alerted to the Primary Select team’s plight by a parent of one of the players, who, quite simply, said the team were “playing in no more than rags”.

I made a couple of phone calls to several businessmen at the time, and around six of them came up with cheques to allow the team to buy new gear.

Dundee FC’s colours were chosen simply to even up the fact that some of the secondary selects were sporting the tangerine strip of Dundee United.

THE MEN WHO “SAVED” UNITED

After reading a recent article in the Tele about Dundee and Dundee United’s spat over derby gate receipts, C. A. Walker of Lochee wrote in to say, “Back in the early 1930s, Dundee United were facing liquidation when in stepped Dundee FC director Mr McIntosh and paid all Dundee United’s debts.”

United were, indeed, in serious financial trouble during the 1930’s and, in fact, withdrew from the league in February 1934, when the Tannadice directors, after fruitless attempts to reconstruct the financial affairs of the club, notified the Scottish League that they could not fulfil their obligations further. Eight fixtures were outstanding.

At that time, there was not enough money to pay the players their wages for the previous week, and no money to meet the guarantee on the coming Saturday or to pay the players for that week.

The withdrawal of the Tangerines from the league caused quite a stir in the city and, following a meeting of the directors at a local solicitor’s office, the money needed to enable United to complete its fixtures was guaranteed.

It’s widely accepted that Dundee Town Council Convenor George A. Greig, together with William McIntosh, provided the required finance and persuaded the Scottish League, who were already in possession of United’s letter of resignation, that the club would continue.

Their submission was accepted by the league and the club’s debts were rescheduled.

Although McIntosh was associated with Dundee FC, we have no record of him being a director at Dens Park at that time.

Maybe a reader can help?

The story doesn’t end there, though.

United’s financial position deteriorated again during season 1936/37 and Greig made a remarkable offer to his fellow-directors to pay off all the club’s debts in return for their joint resignation.

They agreed, leaving Greig in sole charge and he immediately sacked the club’s highly-respected manager Jimmy Brownlie.

Then, despite having no football background, Greig took on the role as director/ manager.

For the next 18 months he selected the team each week and left all the tactics to trainer Johnny Hart. However, towards the end of season 1938-39, Greig decided that he had enough of the club and sold his shares. His departure made way for the return of Brownlie, but Greig remained a trustee of the club.

Greig resigned from the Dundee Town Council in August 1940 due to ill health and he died in a nursing home on November 21, 1940, aged 69.

DIXIE WAS THE FIRST SUNDAY SCORER

Current Riverside Athletic footballer Gary Lamont asks me when the first Sunday senior game was played in Scotland.

The first Sunday senior game was a Scottish Cup-tie between Celtic and Clydebank at Parkhead on January 27, 1974.

Celtic won 6-1, with the first Sunday goal being scored by John “Dixie” Deans. Deans went on to score a hat-trick in that game, with Kenny Dalglish (2) and Vic Davidson their other scorers.

A week later (February 3), Dens Park hosted the first-ever Sunday league game when Dundee beat Partick Thistle 4-1.

Duncan Lambie scored the first-ever Sunday league goal. Dundee’s other scorers were Jocky Scott, John Duncan and Bobby Robinson, with Frank Coulston netting for the Jags.

MANAGERS’ MERRY-GO-ROUND

The news a couple of weeks ago of Livingston coach Marcio Maximo’s resignation — after just 132 days in charge at the City Stadium — surprised many.

However, that five months is an eternity compared to some of the short hot-seat reigns in Scotland.

Pride of place goes to former Dundee manager Iain Munro, who, in 1996, resigned as boss of Hamilton Accies to take over at St Mirren.

Within one day, his notice was in and he was off to Raith Rovers.

Three days was all former Dundee, Dundee United, Celtic and Aberdeen midfielder Steve Murray lasted as manager of Forfar Athletic in 1980.

In 1996, Tommy McLean took over at Stark’s Park as boss of Raith Rovers.

However, just seven days later, he was sitting in the hot seat at Tannadice as manager of Dundee United, with his brother Jim in the position of chairman in the boardroom.

Former Hibs, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool player Peter Cormack was just 10 days at Cowdenbeath.

He didn’t even pick a team in that spell.

FIFERS’ BOOK

East Fife fan Jim Corstorphine has published a book on his favourites entitled “On That Windswept Plain — The First 100 Years of East Fife”.

It’s a comprehensive review of the Methil club’s century in existence and is a must for all followers of the team in black and gold.

Everybody who is anybody gets a mention — and one player who was a real nobody in his time at Bayview even gets a wee mention (and I mean “wee”).

I wonder who that could be?