Dundee’s playing budget hasn’t been affected by their major pitch renovations says Dens chief John Nelms.
The Dark Blues ripped up the surface at Dens Park immediately following the conclusion of last season after being hit by an unprecedented £186,000 fine.
That was after five home Premiership matches were called off due to the weather with the pitch unable to handle heavy rainfall.
A big chunk of the fine was suspended – £120,000 – and to avoid that kicking in by another match being called off this season, the Dee got the diggers out at Dens.
Major work has gone into fixing the issues and saw two Premier Sports Cup matches moved to Brechin’s Glebe Park to give the pitch longer to bed in.
Nelms says the surface looks “beautiful” ahead of the new Premiership season.
He explained the summer work to Sky Sports: “We just added a bit more drainage than we’ve done in the past.
“We have new drainage every four metres up and down the park and the other direction every metre has sand bedding.
“A little bit more than we would normally do but not that much more.
“It’s one of these things, we said we would remedy it and that’s what we’ve done. We didn’t find any broken pipes, we didn’t find anything that would have caused the issues.
“But we said we would do something and we’ve done it. It looks beautiful.”
Rangers?
The real crisis point with the pitch came towards the end of last season when Dundee’s home clash with Rangers was called off twice.
This season the Gers have found problems of their own at Ibrox with work on one of the stands incomplete ahead of the new campaign.
They will play the first few home matches of the coming season at Hampden.
Asked if he felt hard done by after getting fined for not being able to stage home matches at their home ground last season, Nelms replied: “We got fined. The way the rules got interpreted…
“We have a new interpretation of the rules and that’s what we have to live by.
“Hopefully it will be the same for all of us going forward.”
Budget
When the games do get under way – Dundee begin the campaign at rivals Dundee United on Sunday before hosting Hearts on August 10 – Nelms expects an exciting campaign at Dens Park.
And he insists the work done on the pitch has not affected Dundee’s transfer budget ahead of this season.
“Last year people said we didn’t spend enough money on the pitch and that’s why we got top six,” he added.
“That’s ridiculous.
“We have a budget for what we spend on the pitch each year and a budget for our team.
“It doesn’t take anything away from the team at all.”
‘Unusual’
And how will he deal with increased expectations from fans after last season’s top-six finish?
“Well, I have increased expectations of our squad as well,” Nelms said.
🔵 "We said we were going to do something, we've done it and it looks beautiful…"
Dundee managing director John Nelms is delighted with the condition of the Dens Park pitch after last season's issues 🔽 pic.twitter.com/vyK2wMi9Rd
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) July 30, 2024
“But Tony [Docherty] and the recruitment team have done a fantastic job of adding pace and goals to the team.
“We scored 18 goals in the League Cup and that’s something that’s unusual for a Dundee squad.
“I’m really looking forward to it and I think everyone should be looking forward to it.
“I think it’ll be an exciting season here.”
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