A decade of memories, both good and bad!

A decade which saw Dundee reach the Scottish Cup Final and ventured back into European football was countered by the extreme lows of administration in the Autumn of 2003. Will we ever forget the sight of Claudio Canaggia and Fabrizio Ravanelli gracing the dark blue shirt? Nor shall we forget the silky, continential style of football played under the Bonetti era. One things for certain though, we shall never forget how close our beloved Dundee Football Club nearly went out of buisness altogether in the dark days of administration in 2003. It certainly showed the true spirit and togetherness of the Dundee fans to try and save the club by the creation of Dee4Life, a supporters trust that has raised thousands of pounds and fundraising events and is one of the main reasons why Dundee FC still exists today.
Relegation from the SPL in 2005 hurt the club badly and the club lost some great players such as Steve Lovell, Garry Brady and ultimately Lee Wilkie. Being in the First Division though, certain young talented players were given their chance to shine further. Kevin McDonald, Paul Dixon and Scott Robertson all established themselves and all would later move on to higher levels.
Various managers have come and gone over the last decade; Jocky Scott, Ivano Bonetti, Jim Duffy, Alan Kernaghan, Alex Rae and Jocky Scott (again) have managed the famous club. As have players with so much talent and skill have also come and gone. Players such as Fabian Caballero, Beto Carranza, Claudio Canaggia, Temuri Ketsbaia and Fabrizio Ravanelli have played for the dark blue jersey but ultimately left the club.
Controvesary has also lingered at Dens over the last decade. Rumours of takeovers, mergers, "tainted director". Sprinkle with the phase of administration, Dundee certainly have had their fair share of low-ebbed moments in the last decade. 25 players and staff lost their jobs as Dundee were plunged into their darkest chapter in thier entire exisitence in 2003.
Since the dark days of administration, through the help of Dee4Life and changes of the board we have risen from the ashes and now are trying for promotion back to the SPL. With the help of a board who have worked wonders in our recovery and a director that has put a lot of money into the club (Mr Calum Melville), a Supporters Trust in Dee 4Life, the club can only get stronger and let's hope the next decade will be full of positive memories and players such as Leigh Griffiths and Gary Harkins are still playing for us and also more silverware added to the Alba Challenge Cup that now resides in the Dens board room for 2009.