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General Sport - 15 June 2010
Football: Blether with Brown > Touchline
 
Dee set to gamble on new faces
An almost stagnant transfer market will see Dundee boss Gordon Chisholm take “a gamble” as he looks to build a side capable of escaping the First Division next season (writes Tom Duthie).
Aware there is a large pool of available players as clubs all over Europe have cut their squad sizes because of budget constraints, Chis is resisting the temptation to make too many early signings.

Instead, the Dark Blues gaffer is likely to offer targeted players the chance to come to Dens on trial once pre-season gets in full swing in just under a fortnight.

“Like other clubs, we don’t have much room for manoeuvre, that’s the honest truth of the situation, but what is in our favour is there are a lot of decent players looking for clubs,” said Gordon.

“That gives me the chance to say to people they can come in, train with us and play a couple of games to let them show they’re worth a contract.

“It’s a wee bit of a gamble in that there is always the chance one or two I’m interested in will get fixed up elsewhere, but I think it’s the best way to go.”

And he confirmed his net would be cast far and wide, meaning there is a distinct possibility of foreigners arriving in the next few weeks.

That could include any players former Dens star Dusan Vrto recommends from the leagues in his native Slovakia.

“There are also players I’ve targeted myself.

“However, if we get people recommended to us, we will certainly have a look at them and if they’re from abroad it’s not a problem,” he added.

The likelihood of an influx of trialists will also mean a big chunk of Dundee’s pre-season is conducted behind closed doors.

“We’ve got games at Arbroath and Forfar that’ll be open to the public and, until we drew them in the cup, we were going to play Montrose — but there’ll be a few others that are bounce games.

“We’re going down to play Hibs at their training ground and we’ve a game with St Johnstone in the pipeline, and I’m talking to a couple of other teams as well.

“The reason they won’t be open to the fans is not so much to do with secrecy as with not wanting to ask punters to pay to watch games where there might be a lot of chopping and changing.”

A friendly with Lincoln City was also in the pipeline, but the English side have had to cancel their trip north after problems getting booked up with accommodation and training facilities in St Andrews because of The Open Championship.

Season ticket boost for Dens men
Dundee are set for more season ticket holders next term than most of their First Division rivals will have in total attendances each Saturday afternoon (writes Tom Duthie).
In what’s been seen as a positive response to chairman Bob Brannan’s recent open letter asking fans to dig deep to help their club, sales to date are up 17% on almost the same period last year.

That means total sales by the time the league campaign kicks off in August are set to break the 3000 barrier — more than the crowds almost every other club in the First Division, games against the Dark blues apart, is likely to attract.

And in a further boost, there has been a higher proportion of adult sales in comparison to 2009, revenue there has increased by 21%.

As they prepare for another crack at reaching the SPL, the news has boosted the club both financially and in terms of morale.

“They are the first like-for-like figures between this year and last and they are very encouraging,” said director Harry MacLean.

“The board are extremely happy with the response to the chairman’s open letter — and it’s great news for everyone at the club.”

The Dark Blues are also looking to forge links with youth clubs in the area to channel a stream of talent towards Dens Park.

Talks have taken place with Fife outfit Glenrothes Strollers, who have up to 400 young players under their wing and an official link is likely.

The near future could also see similar connections developed with sides in Dundee and Perth.

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