Welcome to the first of the weekly articles I will be writing to keep all of you Eagles fans informed about what is happening up here in Dundee.
It has been an eventful summer once again at Dens Park with another squad overhaul. In total eleven first team players have left with eight new faces brought in to replace them.
This does not include signings made for the development squad which has seen new arrivals from all over the United Kingdom join up. The recent signings have got Dundee fans excited as they arrive with reputation of either a very bright future ahead of them or being proven at this level.
The pre-season campaign has been a mixed bag of results. I have always been in the mind-set that it is all about the team gelling together and improving on the fitness of the players after they have been away on their summer jaunts to Ibiza. However, pre-season does throw up some good results as we saw last year by beating Manchester City 2-0.
Our first game is away to Kilmarnock who incidentally, we have played on the opening day of our last three Premiership seasons. Like the Dee’s, Killie have done a fair bit of business in the transfer market and I think they have assembled a better squad than they had last term.
Their danger man will be returning hero Kris Boyd who is now on his third spell with the club after enduring a horrid season with Rangers last term. Despite not playing well at all with the fallen Glasgow giants, you would have to be a fool to write him off.
Dundee will want to start the season strong and after seeing some of the new signings in action, I believe that we can do that with a win on Saturday.
Our defence has been bolstered with Kevin Holt from Queen of the South, Daryll Meggatt from Alloa and Julen Etxabeguren sorting out the areas which I felt were lacking last season. Add Cammy Kerr who scored in the Julian Speroni Testimonial pushing for a spot, I feel we will be a hard team to break down.
In midfield Nick Ross from Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Nicky Low from Aberdeen will certainly add a bit more to the engine than the players that have just left. When you add into the mix Harkins, Thomson and McGowan, we have a midfield that can easily break up attacks as well as create.
The new arrivals upfront are the ones that have the fans excited. Rory Loy from Falkirk is out to prove he has what it takes at this level after a few years playing in the Championship. However it is the capture of Kane Hemmings from Barnsley which is the most intriguing. Current star man, Greg Stewart and Hemmings both struck up a deadly partnership while at Cowdenbeath a few years back and many fans are hoping they can find the same form that saw them knock in forty goals between them in one season.
I may be bias but I think we will have more than enough to come away with the three points on Saturday. I predict a 3-1 win with Hemmings scoring two and Stewart finding the net.
Well, that is the first article out the way, unless you count my history of the club and preview to the testimonial. As the season gets going, I will be able to give more in-depth analysis about the happenings at Dens Park.
The only down side to Paul Hartley finishing his business early is come the weeks leading up to the big kick off, it has been fairly quiet. This, I can assure you, will change very quickly.
MON THE DEE!
