SPL Report Card - Dundee

The Dark Blues looked doomed from the start, and did nothing to change that perception

MARKS OUT OF 10: 2

LEAGUE: 12th, 30pts (2011-12, 2nd in first division)

SCOTTISH CUP: Quarter finals
LEAGUE CUP: Second round

MOST USED FIRST XI: Robert Douglas, Gary Irvine, Kyle Benedictus, Declan Gallagher, Matt Lockwood, Jim McAllister, Iain Davidson, Kevin McBride, Ryan Conroy, Colin Nish, John Baird

OVERVIEW: It's pretty reasonable to say that the Dark Blues were on a hiding to nothing from the beginning of the season, given the circumstances surrounding their promotion.  But it was reasonable to expect them to be rather more competitive than they turned out to be.  The signings that were made were generally poor (with the exception of Gary Harkins) and the defence is arguably the worst the SPL has ever seen.  They were pretty much doomed even before the clocks went back, and Barry Smith paid for the poor results with his job.  To the surprise of most, John Brown's appointment led to instant improvement, but he had no chance of preventing a return to the first division.

HIGH POINTS: About the only thing to shout about was that terrific recovery towards the end of the season, with three straight wins as part of a run of one defeat in nine matches; for a couple of weeks, survival looked merely improbable, rather than impossible.

LOW POINTS: Where do you start?  One win in the opening eleven games?  Fourteen games without a win around the turn of the year?  Being knocked out of the League Cup by Queen's Park?  The shabby manner of club legend Barry Smith's dismissal?  Failing to win any of the four derby matches?  Take your pick...

STAR MAN: I'm not sure any of these players, except Harkins, who was signed in January, are SPL quality.  Jim McAllister at least gets full marks for effort, having been converted from a winger into a very effective all-action midfielder whose goal threat increased as the campaign progressed.  He may have done enough to attract an offer from another top flight club.

ONE FOR THE FUTURE: Not many options to choose from here as barely any youngsters saw action, and those who did were pretty mediocre.  I'm going to cheat  a bit and pick Celtic loanee Lewis Toshney, who looked more capable than most in that back line - though that's not saying much.

WASTE OF SPACE: Dundee outbid a few clubs to land ex-Aberdeen and Dundee United midfielder Mark Kerr, who then promptly missed most of the season with injury, and on returning to fitness has been kept out of the team by Kevin McBride.  That's Kevin McBride, for crying out loud.

THE BOSS: Does the resurgence under Bomber's command mean that he's a far more capable manager than he seems, or that Barry Smith wasn't nearly as good as we thought he was?  The answer probably lies somewhere in between.  Smith had to put a team together at short notice, but he certainly didn't make the best of a bad situation.  His failure to strengthen the defence was criminal.  I'm not convinced that Bomber is anything more than a good short-term motivator, but the results he's obtained so far entitle him to the opportunity to prove me wrong.  He may sound like the footballing equivalent of Sarah Palin when interviewed, but that doesn't make him unique in this league.

PROSPECTS FOR NEXT SEASON: As is the case with all newly relegated sides, Dundee will be amongst the favourites to win the first division next season, though it will not be an easy task.  Whilst there will be a lot of departures, John Brown is likely to have a decent backbone left.  If he makes a few good signings and proves to be an above-average coach, we could see the Dark Blues back in the SPL pretty soon - especially if they hold on to Gary Harkins.

FIRST TEAMERS DEFINITELY LEAVING: Andrew Barrowman, Don Cowan, Robert Douglas, Brian Easton, Davide Grassi, Mark Kerr, Jamie McCluskey, Neil McGregor, Steven Milne, David Morgan (end of loan), Colin Nish (end of loan), Steve Simonsen, Mark Stewart, Lewis Toshney (end of loan), Graham Webster

NOT IN THE MANAGER'S PLANS: none

UNLIKELY TO SIGN NEW DEALS: Gary Harkins, Jim McAllister (if they get offers from SPL clubs)

L.