Beck is back and Dundee are on the move.
The Dark Blues are about to emerge from the January transfer window and into the second half of the season as a very strong outfit.
The squad is as good as it’s been for years at Dens Park.
You’ve got solid, dependable Premiership performers in the shape of Trevor Carson, Joe Shaughnessy, Ricki Lamie, Curtis Main and Jordan McGhee.
You’ve got talented youngsters like Lyall Cameron, Josh Mulligan, Malachi Boateng, Fin Robertson and Charlie Reilly.
Good options in attack in the shape of Amadou Bakayoko, Zach Robinson and Scott Tiffoney.
And then there’s some stardust to sprinkle over the top – more now that Owen Beck has returned.
I’d include Luke McCowan in that bracket and Michael Mellon looks like he could well be a star in the making, too.
Plus there’s Antonio Portales to come back and a few others who have shown themselves capable at this level.
Unlike Dundee
That’s a very healthy squad with all sorts of options to go with for manager Tony Docherty.
I’m not sure what to make of all this, I have to admit.
Where is the Dundee who leave all their business to five minutes before the deadline?!
Where’s the chaos?!
Well, it is Dundee, so there will be chaos around somewhere.
But it does feel like the beginning of a new era at Dens Park.
The manager is getting backed like we haven’t seen for a while, the new stadium and the Burnley partnership are all big steps forward.
It would have felt like a new era anyway, even if Beck didn’t come back.
The Wales U/21 international, though, can transform this team from a mid-table side with an outside chance of a top-six finish into a bona fide top-six challenger.
It’s obvious Dundee have missed Beck since he went back down to Liverpool.
They just didn’t have a like-for-like replacement at left wing-back. Difficult to do that, of course.
Owen Beck is a super player
There were defensive options in the likes of Owen Dodgson and Aaron Donnelly or an attacking one with Dara Costelloe.
Beck gives both sides of that coin – those driving runs from full-back combined with good delivery and a tenacity in defence that makes him stand out.
But a super player and one very welcome back at Dens Park – just ask the fans who turned out to applaud him into the training centre!
A real attacking threat from left wing-back and a goalscorer in Michael Mellon (if he can continue his impressive start) and a playmaker in Luke McCowan combined with that solid squad makes Dundee a fearsome outfit to take on.
And with five places getting a European slot in the Premiership, it really could be a memorable season at Dens.
Beck is back and good times are ahead.
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