Ivano Bonetti has revealed he regrets leaving Dundee and refused to rule out a return to the Dens Park hot-seat in the future.
The former Juventus and Sampdoria midfielder replaced Jocky Scott as manager before the 2000-2001 season and pledged attractive football and big-name signings.
Ivano brought brother Dario with him as his assistant, although the pair’s management skills were unproven beyond the semi-professional levels in Italy.
Dario had been the man in the hot seat at Sestrese in Italy’s Serie D, with Ivano as his able deputy, but it was a role reversal when they eventually arrived at Dens Park.
Ivano remains a fans’ favourite and will return to Dundee on Sunday evening to look back on his career with journalist Patrick Barclay at the Malmaison.
Special memories of Dundee
He has spoken to The Courier ahead of the event and said nothing will be off limits during the question and answer session with the Dundee supporters.
“It was a special time for me at Dundee and I still look back at that period in my career at Dens Park with a great deal of fondness,” said Ivano.
“I still have so many nice memories and we had a great mix of players during that time with a good personality and the right mentality to be successful.
“We were committed to playing entertaining football at Dundee when we arrived and we won admirers because we came out to attack in every game.”
Ivano insisted his long-term aim was to turn Dundee into Scottish football’s third force.
He immediately engineered a colourful overhaul of the playing squad and season ticket sales broke the 4,000 barrier for the first time in 15 years.
Georgian international captain Georgi Nemsadze, Italian left-back Marcello Marrocco and former Juventus defender Marco de Marchi were among those who signed.
Argentine strikers Juan Sara and Fabian Caballero also put pen to paper before their fellow countryman Walter del Rio later joined the ranks from Crystal Palace.
Caballero’s first five appearances for the club produced five goals before he suffered a serious injury in a derby game against Dundee United.
“Caballero was a very strong player for us and obviously without his injury we could have finished higher up the league in that first season,” said Ivano.
Claudio Caniggia signing
He put in calls around the globe to find a replacement for Caballero and eventually pulled off the biggest coup of his Dundee career in October 2000.
He knew the legendary Claudio Caniggia from his time in Italy, who was without a club after being released by Italian Serie B outfit Atalanta.
Caniggia initially declined the approach.
But Ivano persevered.
He called Caniggia at his home in Bergomi and urged him to visit Dundee.
He told him to at least consider joining the Dark Blues.
Amazingly, Caniggia agreed.
Suddenly Dundee games against the likes of Dunfermline were being shown live in places such as South America, Australia, New Zealand and the West Indies.
Diego Maradona was soon requesting a Dundee home shirt to wear and agreed to play for Dundee in a glamour friendly at Dens.
The Argentine was just one in a long list of unexpected arrivals in the Scottish game that had also included George Best turning out for Hibs at the end of the 1970s, Russian international Sergei Baltacha signing for St Johnstone in 1990 and Paul Gascoigne joining Rangers in 1995.
Caniggia’s career was ultimately revived during his brief spell at Dens Park.
Ivano broke it down further.
“Claudio had a fantastic season for Dundee and proved to everyone on a weekly basis that he was still at the top of his game,” he said.
“He cost nothing to buy and don’t forget that Dundee earned money from his transfer to Rangers so it was a great piece of business as well.”
Dundee made the top six in Ivano’s first season in charge but failed to kick on despite further high-profile signings, like Temuri Ketsbaia and Fan Zhiyi.
The Dark Blues missed out on a top-six place in 2001-2002 and the two-year rein of Bonetti was over after his contract was terminated by mutual consent.
“Whatever happened when I left would never affect my rapport with the fans and I still love them and have great respect for Dundee,” he said.
“My spell as manager of Dundee was a great period in my career and I regret not staying at the club because I think I made a mistake by leaving.”
Jim Duffy eventually took over from Ivano and Dundee finished the season in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden in his first year in charge.
Unfinished business
The days of big wages and superstar names are gone now at Dens but life was certainly never dull during the Bonetti era, under owners Peter and Jimmy Marr.
“I’m looking forward to sharing my memories about those days on Sunday but the best thing about it all will be the chance to meet the fans again,” said Ivano.
“They know what I did for them and I know what they did for me.”
And does his regret at leaving back in 2002 suggest unfinished business?
Would Ivano welcome a return to the Dens dug-out in the future?
“Why not?” he said.
“If the changes are coming, I’ll evaluate the opportunity.”
Sunday’s event is being hosted by The Longest Forty with tickets on sale now.
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