Dundee

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Despite their top six finish on their return to the Premiership, two of our reporters have tipped Dundee to surprise fans and pundits alike. But is it for the right reasons?

Tyrone Smith, our man in the north-east:

It may be unfair classing Dundee as a surprise package, given how well they did last season, finishing sixth, despite being the top division new boys.

However, inevitably there will be those wondering if they will suffer from second season syndrome and maybe find the going tougher this time round. I don’t think they will.

Tony Docherty has shown he can recruit well and with the foundations of a really good side already in place, there is plenty of reason to believe they can kick on from last term’s impressive body of work.

Alasdair Lamont, one of the men behind the commentary mic:

Not that it would really be a surprise after last season’s top-six finish, but Tony Docherty’s side look well-equipped to improve upon those exploits.

With Kilmarnock and St Mirren having to deal with Europe, if Dundee can build upon their excellent League Cup group stage showings and with Simon Murray in the side, I think they could finish even higher this time round.

Andy Campbell
BBC Sport Scotland

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The first Dundee derby since April 2022 pitches newly promoted Championship winners United against one of last season's Premiership success stories.

Dundee, in their first season back in the top flight, drew praise from all quarters after Tony Docherty's first campaign as a manager. The Dark Blues finished sixth and have followed that up with four wins out of four in the League Cup group stage.

Sunday's meeting will be the first test of whether Jim Goodwin's United can emulate their city rivals' impressive Premiership return.

Dundee striker Simon Murray will be facing one of his former clubs and aiming to add to the 10 league goals he scored earlier in 2024 for previous club Ross County and his five League Cup goals so far this term.

The last derby at Tannadice finished 2-2, while the Dark Blues have not won there in 12 visits since a 2-1 success in 15 August 2004.

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• This will be the first Dundee derby on matchday one of a top-flight season since 2001-02, when Dundee United’s Jim Hamilton scored a 90th-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw.

• The home side is unbeaten in each of the last 10 Scottish Premiership games between Dundee United and Dundee (W6 D4) since the Tangerines won 4-1 at Dens Park in September 2014. Indeed, Dundee United have lost just one of their last 16 top-flight home games against rivals Dundee (W5 D10), a 1-2 reverse in August 2004.

• Dundee United haven’t won on matchday one of a Scottish Premiership season since 2014-15 (3-0 v Aberdeen), going winless in four such matches since (D2 L2).

• Dundee are winless on the opening matchday in their last four Scottish Premiership seasons (D2 L2) since a 3-1 win over Ross County in 2016-17.

• Since 2015-16, only one of the last 11 newly promoted sides has lost on matchday one in the Scottish Premiership (W5 D5), with Livingston going down 1-3 to Celtic in 2018-19.

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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With the new Premiership season kicking off this weekend, BBC Sport Scotland have been taking a look at some new faces to keep an eye on.

Given his exploits in helping save Ross County from relegation last season on his way to a 23-goal season, the odds are Simon Murray will prove to be Dundee's most valuable summer signing.

But the 32-year-old is hardly a new face given this is the striker's second stint at Dens Park.

At 21, English wing-back Ethan Ingram has already shown hints of quality and is enjoying the first-team starts he desired when rejecting the offer of a new West Bromwich Albion contract after spending last season on loan to Salford City in League Two.

Read the rest of Clive's piece here.

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Dundee's Jordan McGhee and fellow defender Kevin Holt of Dundee United took the short walk from Dens Park to Tannadice to preview Sunday's derby opener.

Speaking to Sky Sports, external, here's the best of what the pair had to say...

Dundee defender McGhee: "My first derby was a really tough one. I had just signed for Dundee and we lost 6-2. It took a while to get over that and it still hurts.

"Sunday's game is hopefully a chance to rectify that. I've played in plenty of derbies, it's about cool heads. We'll play our usual game and hopefully everything takes care of itself.

"We'll walk down before the game, it's a historical thing for Dundee teams of the past. We'll do that with the fans behind us and probably get pelters from United fans, but it's all part of the experience."

United defender Holt: "We want to put a marker down and say this is the league we deserve to be in.

"All the hard work [of last season] is for games like this. Games like Sunday's is what it's all about.

"[A win] would be huge for us in the changing room. You see what Dundee did last year, finishing in the top six, we look at that and think that's where we want to be."

With Sunday's Dundee derby fast approaching on the Premiership's opening weekend, relive the most recent encounter from April 2022.

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Dundee have announced the signing of left-back Ziyad Larkeche on a season-long loan deal from English Championship side QPR.

The 21-year-old came up through Paris Saint-Germain's academy before signing for Fulham. He moved across London to QPR in 2023 and made 22 appearances for them last season.

"I saw the club last season, they have done really well," Larkeche said. "The manager had a big role.

"I spoke with Mo Sylla and Amadou Bakayoko [about Dundee], so I try to have an understanding of the club and I'm really happy to be here."

Larkeche becomes the sixth arrival at Dens Park this summer.

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Despite a top-six finish last term, Dundee manager Tony Docherty says "stability" is the priority this season.

After promotion to the top-flight under Gary Bowyer, Docherty guided the Dens Park side to an impressive sixth-placed finish in his first year in management.

But the Dundee boss addressed the club's previous yo-yo nature to highlight why safety is paramount.

"The first thing you need is stability," he told Sky Sports, external.

"To get that you need to invest in people. The biggest thing is real togetherness. We know what we need to do as a club.

"I want us to be competitive as a team in every game like we were last season. I want healthy competition in the changing room."

On what having neighbours Dundee United, who Docherty's side face on the opening weekend, back in the league means for the Premiership, he adds: "I understand the pulse of the city, you have two institutions, two brilliant clubs.

"Driving into work I can feel the excitement for this derby. I'm looking forward to us being in that arena again."

Ethan Hampton
Fan writer

Last season, Dundee sent shockwaves through Scottish football by securing a top-six spot in our first season back in the top flight. That success has laid the foundations for Tony Docherty to build on as he eyes another ambitious Premiership campaign.

This summer transfer window has seen the club bring in six new signings, including a permanent deal for goalkeeper Jon McCracken, who deputised admirably for Trevor Carson in the latter stages of last season.

Simon Murray has returned to his true colours after recording the best year of his career to date with 23 goals at Ross County. The 32-year-old red-head is aging like a fine wine and still shows incredible energy alongside continuing improvements to his overall game. He is a much more mature striker compared to how he performed for the club in his first stint, six years ago. His goal-scoring abilities might be just what the team needs to reach the next level.

Another summer recruit who is one to watch is Ethan Ingram. He declined a contract extension at West Bromwich Albion to fulfil his craving for first-team football, and has been very impressive across our League Cup group-stage matches. After the success of Owen Beck last season, dare I suggest we might be in for a sequel on the opposite side of the pitch!

While it makes a great team on paper, all that matter is that it makes for a great team on grass, and so far, there's nothing to gripe about. A perfect record in the League Cup group stage, with sharp and relentless displays, has us looking like sharks who've had their first taste of blood.

This has charged a lot of optimism before our league opener against arch-rivals Dundee United, who we hope to defeat to claim our first victory at Tannadice in almost two decades.

I’m hoping Dundee can go one better than last season and claim a fifth-place finish and a European spot.

We are also due a strong run in any of the cups - our last semi-final came in 2006 - so I'm hopeful the luck of the draw will be on our side for a change so we can visit Hampden once again.

The club is in a really good place right now; I think all other Dees share the same excitement I have about this season.

Predicted league finish: Fifth.

Standout player will be: Ethan Ingram.

Game most looking forward to: Dundee United at Tannadice.

Everton are planning to loan out centre-back Reece Welch and Dundee have registered their interest in signing the 20-year-old. (Football Insider), external

Hearts are nearing a deal to sign 22-year-old defensive midfielder Malachi Boateng, who was on loan to Dundee last season, from Crystal Palace. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Dundee are in advanced talks to sign left-back Ziyad Larkeche from QPR on a season-long loan deal.

French full-back Larkeche, 21, made 22 appearances for the English Championship club last season.

He spent his youth career at Paris St-Germain before joining Fulham in 2020.

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After leaving Dundee before his pre-contract agreement could kick into life, Ricki Lamie says his Ross County move has provided him with much-needed "security" - although he's somewhat reluctant to call it that.

The centre-back spent last season on loan at Dens Park from Motherwell and signed a permanent deal there in February.

However, it was announced at the end of June that Lamie would not join Dundee and three days later he was confirmed as a County player.

On a whirlwind summer, the 30-year-old defender told Sky Sports, external: "I'd be lying if I said it didn't throw extra difficulty into the mix.

"You never like using the word security, but inevitably [that's what this move] is. Everyone's got families, mortgages, there's that aspect as well.

"But I pride myself on working as hard as I can wherever I am and I'm pleased that's up here."

Dundee are signing 21-year-old Queens Park Rangers left-back Ziyad Larkeche on a season-long loan. (Scottish Sun)

Read the rest of Monday's gossip.

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Tony Docherty believes his side are in a "brilliant place" heading into the Dundee derby on the opening weekend of the Scottish Premiership next weekend.

The Dens Park side made it four wins out of four in the League Cup group stage as they smashed six goals past Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday.

“It was the objective at the very start of the campaign and the players illustrated that with the performance levels,” Docherty told DeeTV.

“The intensity, the relentlessness of our press, the quality of our play, the bravery of our play, you know, was fantastic.

“We now move on. We had a decent season last year, we started this season well. It’s now into the league campaign and we’ll be looking to make sure that we do everything to get us a real positive position in that."

The sides meet on Sunday 3 August at Dens with United making their return to the top flight after a single season in the Championship.

It will be the first time the sides have met since April 2022, but Dundee haven't beaten their city rivals in a league game since 2016.

“We’ve done the first objective in the League Cup campaign, but now it’s full focus on the first game of the season," Docherty added.

“What a brilliant game it is, and we’re in a brilliant place going into that game.”

Dundee manager Tony Docherty is looking to do "quite a bit of business" before the transfer window closes but would not be drawn on reported interest in 29-year-old Charlton Athletic midfielder Scott Fraser. (The Courier), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

Heart of Midlothian are working on a permanent deal for Crystal Palace midfielder Malachi Boateng, the 22-year-old who spent last season on loan to Dundee. (Daily Record), external

Read Thursday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Dundee "got the job done" by breaking down a "well-organised" Annan Athletic to progress to the League Cup last 16, says striker Simon Murray.

Murray netted his first goals since re-joining the Dens Park side in the 3-1 win, which maintained their winning start to the season.

The victory moves Tony Docherty's men two points ahead of Wednesday's opponents, who have played an extra game.

"It was a tough game, we knew it would be," Murray told club media, external.

"They were pretty well-organised, tough to break down at times, a different pitch than we're used to, but we managed to get the job done in the end.

"I think that's us through to the next round and that's what we set out do."

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Dundee manager Tony Docherty praised the winning mentality of his players as they booked their place in Sunday’s last-16 draw of the League Cup.

Two late goals - from Simon Murray, claiming a brace, and Seb Palmer-Houlden - secured a 3-1 win over Annan Athletic at Dundee’s temporary home of Glebe Park.

The Dark Blues go into their final group game against Inverness on Saturday knowing qualification has been secured - to the delight of Docherty

“It was a hard-fought match and I’m hugely proud of the players,” he told Dundee’s website after the game.

“That was the objective we set when we met on the first day of the season - to stay unbeaten throughout pre-season and then carry that form onto the cup competition and I’m really proud of them that we managed to do that.

“It was something that really annoyed me last year that we didn’t get to that stage, but we’ve done it and I’m hugely proud."