Dundee

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Midfielder Shaun Byrne and defender Tyler French have not been recalled to Dundee from their loan spells at Raith Rovers and Greenock Morton.

Both players will now remain with their loan club till the end of the season.

Byrne has appeared for Raith, who sit second in the Scottish Championship, 23 times this season.

French has played 16 games at fellow second tier side Morton.

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After months of Tony Docherty trying to secure his services, Curtis Main is back in Scottish football.

The striker spoke about why he decided to make the move to Indian Super League club Bengaluru, how the experience impacted him, and why he returned to Scotland to "build something special" at Dundee.

"Obviously [playing abroad] is completely different to what I have experienced previously so it has made me look at things completely differently," Main said. "There are so many different challenges and different changes in terms of how things are done and for me personally it can only be a benefit going out there and experiencing all those different things, and hopefully I can use those different experiences as a positive moving forward.

"It has always been something I have been keen to do, to go and experience playing abroad. I have got a lot of friends, current players and players that have retired, and a number of them have said they regret not going and playing and experiencing, not just the football, but the experience, just the whole thing that comes with it.

"So, when the opportunity came up it was what I had been wanting for a little while, and that was the first opportunity I had really had to do that, so that was the key thing - I wasn’t sure if the opportunity would come again and it was too good to turn down.

"That’s why I left in the first place, in terms of coming back, the manager that signed me over there, he is now gone. He has been replaced and a new coach has come in and the club decided to go in a different direction. It happens a lot, managers come and go and they bring players, and players leave, that is the way football is sometimes.

"I am delighted to be back in Scottish football and really looking forward to building something special at Dundee."

Dundee aren't done in the transfer window yet, says manager Tony Docherty - despite securing his third signing of the month when Ryan Astley arrived from Everton. (The Courier)

Read the rest of Friday's gossip.

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Dundee's latest recruit Ryan Astley has revealed that Owen Beck endorsed his move to Dens Park.

Beck, who has the same agent as Astley, spent the first half of this season on loan at Dundee from Liverpool before being recalled earlier this month.

“It feels amazing to sign for the club and I’m really looking forward to being here," Astley told the club's official website.

“I spoke with the gaffer last week and I really liked what he had to say and how I can help the team.

“Since then it has been slowly happening and I got the call yesterday to travel up to Dundee.

“I know Owen Beck as we have the same agent, so I spoke with Owen a few days ago and he was full of praise for the club, the staff, the players, and everything about it and that sealed it for me, I knew I wanted to sign for Dundee.

“I can’t wait to train with my new team-mates and to play in front of the Dundee supporters.”

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Dundee have announced the signing of defender Ryan Astley from Everton for an undisclosed fee on a two-and-a-half year deal.

The 22-year-old never made a first-team appearance for Everton after coming through their academy, but impressed last season on loan with Accrington Stanley in League One.

“I am delighted that we have been able to bring Ryan to Dundee," manager Tony Docherty said.

"Ryan is one that we have done extensive scouting on and we feel that he will fit in very well here.

"He’s an old-school defender who enjoys defending and we think he can enhance the squad that we have here.”

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Tyrone Smith, BBC Sport Scotland

Dundee manager Tony Docherty says a Scottish Cup run would make up for their "really unfortunate" failure to progress in the Viaplay Cup earlier in the season.

The Dark Blues missed out on the knockout stages on goals scored after winning three of their four group games.

They face very difficult Scottish Cup fourth-round assignment at fellow Premiership side Kilmarnock on Saturday.

Docherty said: "When I first came into the job there were only three signed players so in terms of assembling a squad and going in to the League Cup group stages, it was maybe a little bit early.

"But I do think we were really unfortunate because I think we were the only team that amassed the points we amassed and not qualify.

"That is gone, but a Scottish Cup run would make up for that. We have a really difficult game ahead of us but if we apply ourselves like the previous two encounters against Kilmarnock, it will be terrific game and hopefully we can edge it."

Both sides have enjoyed a fine first half to the Scottish Premiership season and have already contested two 2-2 draws.

So you can see why Docherty believes this weekend's game is "the tie of the round".

"I don’t think you would get a more difficult one outwith the Old Firm than Kilmarnock away from home on their pitch," he said.

"We have just played them, so we know the task ahead of us and we know we are going to have to be at our best and do a lot of things right to progress."

Tyrone Smith, BBC Sport Scotland

Dundee manager Tony Docherty has been speaking to the media ahead of his side’s weekend Scottish Cup fourth round trip to Kilmarnock, here is what he had to say.

• Says outside the Old Firm, Kilmarnock away is probably the toughest game they could have got, and is in his opinion, "the tie of the round".

• After being "really unfortunate" not to progress from the Viaplay Cup group stages at the start of the season, he says he does not see any reason why they can't make real inroads in to the Scottish Cup, particularly with the strides they are making at the moment.

• On new signing Curtis Main, admits he "tried to get him in the summer" and has highlighted his "real winning mentality".

• Would not be drawn on other signing targets, but when asked about Everton defender Ryan Astley, who has been linked with a move to Dens Park, he said "amongst others" he is a player they have identified.

• Team news: Antonio Portales and Diego Pineda are out injured, while Ricki Lamie and Aaron Donnelly are doubts.

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Dundee return to domestic action on Saturday with a trip to Kilmarnock in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.

What team would you select if you were in Tony Docherty's position? Put yourself in the manager's shoes and pick your Dundee XI here.

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Harry Sharp and Jack Wilkie have both returned to Dundee after spending the first half of the season out on loan.

Goalkeeper Sharp played eight matches for Dunfermline Athletic in the Championship, while defender Wilkie featured nine times for League One side Edinburgh City.

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Dundee have announced the signing of striker Curtis Main on an 18-month deal, subject to international clearance.

The 31-year-old most recently played for Bengaluru FC in India, and has significant experience in the Scottish Premiership, having previously played for Motherwell, Aberdeen and St Mirren.

“I am absolutely delighted to bring Curtis to the club," manager Tony Docherty said. "I’ve got a good relationship with Curtis from my time as assistant manager at Aberdeen and I built up a strong bond with him.

"He has done fantastic work in the Scottish Premiership, he knows the league really well and he brings real quality in the type of striker that I feel the whole team will benefit from.

"I believe Curtis will fit in extremely well with the way we play and I think he is a player that the fans will love.”

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Tyrone Smith, BBC Sport Scotland

It has been a good season so far for Dundee as the Premiership new boys continue to impress in the top flight.

The only disappointment in the campaign came in the Viaplay Cup – although their exit very much fell in to the unlucky category - as they missed out on the knockout stages on goals scored after winning three of their four group stage games.

Perhaps their League Cup disappointment could provide them with an added incentive to try and make some serious inroads in the Scottish Cup.

From what we have seen over the last few months, Tony Docherty has assembled a team that is certainly very capable of doing just that.

However, they have been handed a really tough opener, away to a Kilmarnock side that are also going very well this term.

The teams have contested a couple of 2-2 draws in the league already this season, but there has to be a winner at Rugby Park this weekend.

However, if the Dark Blues can prevail, in what is their first fixture of 2024, it would be the perfect platform upon which they can build for what they hope will be a very successful second half of the season.

Image source, BBC Sport

Daniel Smith, Up Wi' The Bonnets podcast , external

Ah yes. The fibaw is back!

After what seems like a lengthy winter break for the top-flight teams, it's back to business as we take on Kilmarnock down in Ayrshire in the only all-premiership tie in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.

As ever, when it comes to this point of the season and the start of the Scottish Cup for us and many others, it's a timely reminder that we will be told that it has been a few generations since we last lifted the trophy.

In fact, when we last held her aloft, she would have been at the start of her youthful existence, with plenty of historical events still to unfold.

Since then, she's witnessed a few World Wars, the titanic sinking, the invention of the TV and the Spice Girls helping to launch Channel 5.

In the 114 years since we last won it, we have only been able to proceed to the final of this competition a meagre four times - 1924/25, 1951/52, 1963/64, 2002/03.

It's a hell of a poor record but in all honesty, in my 38 years of following Dundee, we have never been a cup team. Hampden visits are just as rare and I've seen more bands play on the turf of our national stadium than my own team.

If I'm being truthful, I rarely look at these competitions with much excitement as I'm so used to us being put out during the early stages or being drawn against Celtic or Rangers!

I do however hold onto that wee glimmer of hope that we can eventually end this nightmarish run in this competition and move away from the bottom of the 'Years Since' column when the media are discussing previous winners.

If we do win, the support will obviously start to become more enthusiast with the cries of, "this is our year" but then the inevitable will happen;

"Dundee will play Celtic/Rangers in the next round of the Scottish Cup."

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The January window is a curious beast.

Notoriously tough to navigate, you never quite know what quality of player is going to stumble through the door and be thrust into the madness of a midway season. Sometimes, they're a revelation. Sometimes, they're rotten.

We're asking you to cast your mind back and tell us the best player Dundee have signed in a winter window, and the January transfer that still gives you nightmares to this day.

Let us know.

Amy Canavan is joined by former Dundee striker Rory Loy and Paul Gray from the Up Wi’ the Bonnets podcast to review the Dark Blues’ season so far.

• Listen and subscribe to the podcast here.

Dundee are lining up a return to Dens Park for Greg Stewart after the 33-year-old forward negotiated a departure from Indian champions Mumbai City. (Scottish Sun), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Dundee manager Tony Docherty says Owen Beck's loan spell at Dens Park shows the club can "develop" players.

Welshman Beck, 21, has been recalled by Liverpool after making 20 appearances and scoring twice for Dundee.

Docherty has recruited midfielder Dara Costelloe, 21, on loan from Burnley in the January window and says he will "look at other options".

"We've shown as a football club and as a staff that we can develop footballers, such as Owen Beck," Docherty told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound. "Liverpool are aware of that.

"If that opportunity was to arise again, of course we would jump at that opportunity. He was such a brilliant boy to work with.

"We need to make sure we bring in a replacement for Owen. The club will move forward. We'll identify if we can replace Owen Beck and we'll identify ways to improve the team. We've only lost one player.

"It would come down to contacts that you establish. Owen had a lot of suitors and we had a real job to do to convince him to come to Dundee. Owen showed a real level of consistency and definite level of improvement. There was a real level of progression. He committed absolutely 100%. Now that it's been a successful period for Owen, you hope that those contacts are even greater now."

Docherty has won eight and drawn seven of his 22 games in charge since becoming a manager in his own right for the first time in the summer.

"We formed a recruitment group and we look at so many footballers, we look at so many games but we the one thing about this recruitment group, it has to be unanimous," he explained.

"We all have to agree that this is the right type of player to bring into the football club. That was a really robust process that we went through in the summer and we recruited relatively well and that's allowing us to have a slightly quieter January transfer window but we're still endeavouring to replenish the squad and make things a bit fresher and identify areas to make things better.

"Dara was very much up on our list of people that we wanted to bring in [in the summer]. St Johnstone got in before us. When the opportunity arose for me to bring him back, it wasn't just done by accident."

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Dundee are poised to sign Ricki Lamie, currently on a season-long loan from Motherwell, on a pre-contract to keep the 30-year-old centre-half at Dens Park beyond the summer. (Daily Record, print edition)

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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We asked for your views on Dundee's summer recruitment, now we're halfway through the season.

Here's what some of you said:

Carl: Three summer signings stand out: Trevor Carson, Joe Shaughnessy and the man who wears the crown - Owen Beck, the Welsh wizard, recently returned to Liverpool. If Tony Docherty finds similar gems in this window he will become a local hero.

Lewis: For summer signings Owen Beck has to be one of the best loan deals the club has pulled off in years. Fingers crossed Liverpool loan him back at the end of the month. Otherwise I would say Shaughnessy due to how he has solidified our back line. I have much more confidence in our defence now, and they have come up with crucial goals this season.

Jay: Most fans would go for the excellent Beck but as he has gone, got to look at the skipper Joe. I would not argue against the Mexican centre-half, Antonio Portales. As the manager stated at the time, he is a player that defends. Nothing more. Maybe at end of the season the best signing was Tony Doc?

Boab: Good/solid start to the season, our captain super Joe has been our outstanding signing.

Jim: Beck was our best signing in my opinion. Hopefully we can recruit a goalscorer this month. I don't think that we'll be able to replace Beck, but you never know.

Dundee manager Tony Docherty plans to replace Owen Beck after the left-back was recalled by Liverpool. (Courier - subscription required), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip