The No 1 gripe of Dundee fans towards decision-makers at Dens Park is poor communication from the top of the club.
Now, after so long without answers to key questions, John Nelms has appeared in video and in writing.
Nelms fired off over 1100 words in response to an open letter from an “extremely concerned” group of fans and was on screen for a large chunk of a five-minute promo video for the Dee’s proposed new stadium at Camperdown Park.
But did he actually say anything to satisfy a dubious fanbase?
What is the background?
With the Dee four points adrift at the bottom of the Premiership heading into the final chunk of the season, serious questions have been asked about the club’s governance.
Fans voted with their feet at the recent Scottish Cup quarter-final against Rangers, with only around 1,000 home punters forking out £30 for the ticket.
The manner and timing of the club’s recent managerial change, along with results on the pitch, have brought long-held grievances to the fore again.
Chief among them was the lack of communication from an increasingly-distant managing director.
What did Nelms say?
The American spoke at length in the video update offered to fans on the Dark Blues’ stadium project.
But there was very little supporters hadn’t heard before, other than a fairly vague “next step” in the stadium-building process.
Given the project was unveiled back in 2017, such updates are met with a fair degree of scepticism from a support base that have seen – and heard – it all before.
Until building work actually begins, that’s not likely to change any time soon.
Open Letter
More telling was the response to the open letter.
In it, a high-profile group of Dees spelled out “three simple principles” of reform – representation, expertise and accountability.
The reply, signed by Tim Keyes and John Nelms, didn’t directly address any of these in the context of hoped-for change.
The closest it came was with regard to representation, i.e. the potential placement of a fan representative on the board.
“Senior staff meetings”, with Dundee Supporters Association, Community Trust and Dee Promotions reps invited, are one thing, but it stopped short of any mention of boardroom level change.
The “direct line of communication” to the club via a Supporter Liaison Officer is also meaningless while the position is vacant, as it is since the resignation of John Burke.
On expertise, the letter said: “Every decision that is made comes from a place of acumen in football, business and with strategic aims in mind,” while a marketing and public relations specialist has reportedly been appointed.
No direct evidence was proferred in respect of the acumen spoken of.
Most galling was the complete absence of any attempt to address the issue of accountability.
Requests for an AGM or Q&A with supporters were ignored.
Questions
So, have they been answered this week?
Why is there such an apparent unwillingness to work and communicate with supporters? Nelms highlighted the “sound, open relationship” with the DSA and bi-weekly meetings where supporter queries were aired. However, no mention of a place on the board, AGM or Q&A falls short of a clear answer.
What lessons around recruitment of managers have been learned by the club since [the relegation season of 2018/19]? No substantive mention was made of on-field or managerial issues
What can Dundee do to more successfully deal with issues affecting perception of the club? The appointment of a marketing and public relations specialist will hopefully answer that in time.
What is actually happening with the new stadium? An update came along just days later, but one that was short on detail around timescale and finance.
What happens to Dens Park over the coming years if the new stadium doesn’t arrive? No further information was offered, though a subsequent request for more information from Dee4Life may bring answers.
Positives
There were plenty of examples of improvement work spread throughout the open letter response’s 1,100 words.
Most importantly, the ongoing financial stability offered by the Keyes family through their investment should not be forgotten.
Also, the work done around academy football and the link-up with St John’s High School, under the guidance of technical director Gordon Strachan, is very much heading in the right direction.
However, going back almost 20 years to discuss an administration that occurred a decade before FPS arrived was an odd justification.
And, all in all, it was an odd document.
The evasion of key questions supporters want answers to threatens to obscure good work done, while frustrating further an already-frustrated support.
At last, the Dundee owners have spoken.
But Dundee fans want answers, not just words.
