My interview with Lifelong Dundee fan Douglas Marsh
Douglas spoke
fondly of his early life in the City of Discovery. “My father supported both Dundee and Dundee United
and he took me to see the Dundee United v Berwick Rangers game in April 1960
when United who were a Division 2 club at that time gained promotion to
Division 1. We were sitting in the Main Stand at Tannadice and I kept saying to
my father that I wanted to go to see the football at the big stand "up the
road" which of course was Dens Park home of Dundee Football Club. Therefore
in August 1960 my father took me to Dens Park where I became a Dundee supporter
for life. One Saturday evening during
the 1960-61 seasons my mother was giving me my bath and the soap slipped. I
shouted out "Lord Jesus Christ" and my mother who was shocked at my
outburst said to me, "where did you here that". I replied, the man
sitting behind me at Dens Park shouted that! My father was in big trouble but
fortunately he still took me to the Dundee home games at Dens until I was able
to go to them on my own with my friends. We used to go the first team
games one Saturday afternoon and the reserve games the following Saturday
afternoon, which is something the fans can no longer do.”
Fascinated
and a little perplexed that his father had been a supporter of both Dundee and
Dundee United, teams historically with great city rivalry. I asked Douglas how
on earth that could be the case? “My
father who was a teacher was not unique in supporting both Dundee teams as
prior to the introduction of the 3 day working week around 1974. Men used to
work on a Saturday morning finishing work at 12 noon with enough time to go for
a pint and a pie before attending home games week about at Dens and Tannadice. People did not have enough time to travel for
away games or travel to support Rangers or Celtic. The introduction of the 3
day week meant that Rangers and Celtic supporters had plenty of time on a
Saturday to travel from Dundee to Glasgow and attendances at provincial clubs
such as Dundee and United fell.”
Attendances at Division 1 Provincial Clubs 1960-1980
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Season Aberdeen
Dundee Dundee Utd Heart Hibs Kilmarnock Total
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Table 1.0: Data Source: David Ross- The Roar of the Crowd
Although the 3 day working week which was introduced by the Conservative
government at the beginning of 1974 appears to have had no immediate effect on
the attendances of provincial Division 1 clubs, the data confirms that average
attendances of clubs other than the old firm began to steadily decline during
the mid to late 70’s. It is entirely
plausible that the substantial economic and political instability of the 70’s were
a major contributor to attendance decrees. Dundee’s average attendances appear
to have been particularly affecting with average attendance reaching as low as
4,517 in the 76-77 season.
Douglas was
lucky as a youngster, being one of the very few current Dundee fans to have
witnessed the team winning the league. I
wanted to know more about his early experiences and memories that had led him
to be so committed during so many difficult years. “ Lawrie Smith
was the Dundee FC physiotherapist in the early 1960's. My father was a PE student at
Jordanhill with Lawrie Smith's brother-in-law and they shared digs together. He
arranged for me to have a tour of Dens Park. Craig Brown who was a Dundee FC
player at that time was also a part-time PE teacher at Macalpine Primary School
and he picked me up in his car after I had finished school at Downfield PS to
take me to Dens Park for my guided tour. Needless to say I was "star
struck" to be given a tour around Dens Park including the Board Room and
players changing rooms. Lawrie Smith also arranged for me to receive a player's
jersey. I was supposed to receive Ian Ure's but unfortunately it got ripped so
I received Gordon Smiths instead. Surprisingly Gordon Smiths chest size was
only 36 inches and I remember wearing the jersey as an eight year old. The
jersey went down to my ankles!”
Douglas still has the jersey and confesses that it now has paint
stains on it as in 1968 he wore it painting a wall, at the time he did not
understand the significance of the jersey. Perhaps the most profound thing that
Douglas said about his life as a Dundee fan was, “It is very hard being
a Dundee supporter whether attending games at Dens or elsewhere, as nothing is
simple. You go from ecstasy to despair from one week to the next and sometimes
during the game as well.” I’m sure most football fans can identify with this sentiment
in one way or another, perhaps in a mad way it’s why we love football.
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