| Alan returned from England late last night after taking in a reserve fixture that saw Leeds United take on Sunderland and the trip will lead to a couple of follow-up calls.
“The players I went to see were not up to the standard I want, but one or two others were decent and I will be speaking to managers about them, though it is obviously early days right now,” he said on his return to Dens Park today.
He also has other irons in the fire with January in mind, but it may be a week or two into the window before he is ready to bolster his squad.
And the door at Dens might be opening in both directions with a couple of players who have not been featuring regularly being given the chance to leave.
Alan, however, has made it clear he would not welcome overtures from any clubs keen to snap up the kids who have flourished at first-team level since his arrival.
The likes of Kevin McDonald, Craig O’Reilly and Paul Dixon have been starring in recent weeks and the plan is for them to continue as Dark Blues for some time to come.
“To be honest, I have not checked to see if there has been an increase in the number of scouts who come to watch us, but it’s always likely when you have young players doing well,” he added.
“From my point of view, players like Kevin McDonald are ones you build a team around and I want them to be here and part of my plans.”
On the fitness front, Tam McManus looks highly unlikely to be fit for the trip to Dumfries to face Queen of the South on Saturday, while Garry Brady will have to prove in training that he has recovered from his bout of flu.
Meanwhile, Dundee are in line for a boost via fans being given the chance to make a difference to club finances by restructuring their own savings.
The Dens men are the latest Scottish club to sign up with the new Soccer Savings scheme, which aims to provide a significant cash injection for youth development across the country.
The Dundee Soccersaver account for adults and children is provided by the Dunfermline Building Society and there is also a business account being provided by Cater Allen Private Bank, part of the Abbey National group.
By opening such an account the fans can help steer cash in the direction of their favourite club. |
