The English millionaire led village team Gretna all the way to the SPL and a Scottish Cup Final before the dream turned into a nightmare and the club went bust at the end of last season.

While that cast a big shadow over his name in the Borders, in Dundee and other parts of the football world, his passing has been greeted with sadness.

A willing supporter of organisations like Dee 4 Life, Mileson gave both time and cash to the group. Today, George Knight labelled his £30,000 donation the difference between success and failure in the bid to buy a 26% stake in Dundee.

“I got a text from the club yesterday telling me Brooks had died and, for me, it was very sad news,” said George, who is also on the board at Dens.

“What happened at Gretna I don’t know, and it is not our business, but, having got to know him well, I can say I found him a nice and helpful guy.

“He took time during a close season to drive up from England and support us and give us some good advice.

“And the £30,000 he pledged if we hit our target of £120,000, was what enabled Dee 4 Life to buy shares and give fans a permanent stake in our club.”

Dundee fans were not the only beneficiaries of Mileson’s generosity and, over the road at Tannadice, he gave £10,000 to United’s supporters’ federation. Down south, clubs like Chester and Carlisle also benefited from his help.

On Monday night, new Dens boss Jocky Scott and chairman Bob Brannan will attend a question-and-answer session for Dee 4 Life members in the Dundee Social Club (7.30 pm).