GEORGE CRAN: Cammy Kerr is unique as a Dundee FC player

It’s the end of a Dundee era as a tearful Cammy Kerr called time on his Dens Park career.

A boyhood Dee who has spent all his playing days as a Dundee player, it’ll always look wrong to see Cammy wearing someone else’s shirt.

Not just wrong, plain weird. As it was seeing him turn out for Inverness last term.

Kerr and the Dark Blues shook hands yesterday and moved off in different directions.

It wasn’t a shock, the news was expected ever since January when he was told he could find a new club.

But that didn’t temper the emotions any Dee would feel as he struggled to hold back the tears in his farewell video.

Cammy Kerr wheels away after firing in against Partick Thistle — Dundee’s Cammy Kerr wheels away after firing in a winner at Partick Thistle. Image: David Young/Shutterstock.

The sadness comes because you don’t get players like Cammy Kerr any more.

The last Dundee player to get a testimonial was Bobby Geddes in 1989!

For those who haven’t been counting the passing of time, that’s 35 years.

I was barely out of nappies when that happened.

I may be back in nappies by the time another Dee breaks the 10-year mark. . .

Unique

Cammy Kerr has been a wonderful servant to the club.

His club.

That it ends after 10 years of first-team football is a sad day for such a devoted Dee.

Dundee's Cammy Kerr with the Championship trophy. Image: SNS — Kerr lifted the Championship trophy last season. Image: SNS

Because Cammy Kerrs are a rare breed.

‘Living the dream’ is the phrase for all young footballers – he’s been living the dream by playing for HIS club, that’s a step beyond.

And it’s something every single football fan in the world would love to do, hence the living the dream sentiment.

Not only that, he’s lifted silverware as a dark blue.

Not many can say that.

And only a select few can say they were part of two league-winning sides as a Dundee player.

Kerr won the Championship just over a year ago and was a young kid in 2013/14 as well.

Dundee celebrate their title win in 2014. Cammy Kerr is standing fourth from left. Image: SNS

Gavin Rae captained that side after being a young kid himself back in 1997/98.

You have to go back almost 80 years to find any other Dundee players to have won two league titles.

And there’s another promotion in there as well for Kerr after winning the play-offs in 2020/21.

Three promotions makes him unique in Dundee’s history.

That is exceptional.

Kerr the player

To be able to achieve all he has at Dens Park, Kerr has made the most of what he’s got.

Cammy Kerr wins the ball back for his team. Image: SNS — Cammy Kerr wins the ball back for Dundee. Image: SNS

Very good one-on-one defending and supremely fit, there’s plenty of talent there and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him add to his collection of promotions pretty soon.

Always brilliant to deal with from a media point of view, Kerr was happy to field any sort of question and fronted up after relegation in 2022, which says a lot about his character.

Whether it was talking about his step into management or pulling practical jokes on Paul McGowan, there was always a cheeky grin and a positivity radiating from the defender.

Cammy Kerr made his debut for Queen's Park on Tuesday. Image: SNS — Cammy Kerr made his debut for Queen’s Park on Tuesday. Image: SNS

What has stopped Kerr taking that next step as a Premiership player has always been the attacking side of the game and that’s where he doesn’t quite fit in Tony Docherty’s plans.

The Dundee boss favours wing-backs and attacking ones at that.

So it is time to say farewell and remember the good times.

Ten years is a heck of a stretch and those good times vastly outweigh the bad.

If this is indeed the end for Kerr at Dundee (he may well be back some day), the history books will remember a player who bleeds dark blue and will remember him fondly.