Dundee have had a strong start to the season, nine matches unbeaten amid an avalanche of goals.
Three draws out of four in the Premiership have dampened things a little but Tony Docherty’s side have proved they are a tough nut to crack.
Include last season and it is now 10 competitive games since Dundee last tasted defeat.
Yet again it has been a busy summer of ins and outs at Dens Park.
Ten players arrived, seven left.
Courier Sport analyses a big transfer window for the Dark Blues.
Big moves in
Tony Docherty’s top target this summer was Simon Murray.
A former Dens Park season-ticket holder, the Duracell striker was hot property after hitting 23 goals for Ross County last season.
And he cost a pretty penny to get him out of Dingwall, around £100,000.
Already it looks like money well spent with six goals in eight appearances, including a late equaliser at Hibs.
The relentless running has added a new dimension to Docherty’s attack and he’s already taken on the armband.
Another key addition has been goalkeeper Jon McCracken who this week earned a call-up to the Scotland squad.
Despite a positive start to his life as a permanent Dundee signing, there is plenty more to come from the 24-year-old.
Seb Palmer-Houlden has also hit the ground running since coming from Bristol City on loan. And running he certainly does.
Combined with Murray and Scott Tiffoney, Dundee attack with real pace and all three have found the way to goal.
Big moves out
One thing Dundee have managed to do in the transfer window is bring in some cash – £1.3 million in total plus Max Anderson’s undisclosed fee.
It’s a fact of life for a modern Scottish football club, selling any player gives a welcome boost to the coffers.
Luke McCowan was the key man for the Dark Blues, acting skipper and one who drove standards on and off the pitch.
A big personality in the dressing-room, too, he will be missed at Dens.
But Dundee got good money for a player with less than a year remaining on his contract.
They also brought in £300,000 plus add-ons for 16-year-old Seb Lochhead. As frustrating as it is to lose talented young players before they even play for you, Dundee got a good deal for a player who hadn’t made an impact on the pitch.
The other big departure was Cammy Kerr. A tearful farewell saw the diehard Dee move on to Queen’s Park after over 20 years at the club.
Not so much a surprise after spending half of last season on loan but certainly the end of an era at Dens Park.
Youth
Seven of the 10 players who came in this summer are 21 or under.
Tony Docherty has spoken often about developing young players, doing so with the likes of Owen Beck last term.
And that is clearly the strategy going forward – bring in talented young players, develop them and progress as you do so.
Part of the strategy is also to sprinkle in experienced pros – 32-year-old Murray is one, 30-year-old Clark Robertson is another.
The other intention this season is to work with a tighter squad than last term – stretch the budget by paying bigger for better quality but fewer players.
The jury’s out
There are still some additions we have yet to see flourish in dark blue.
Ethan Ingram promises much after joining from West Brom, turning down a new deal at the Hawthorns in the process.
But he’s been on the bench in recent games while the likes of Ziyad Larkeche and Billy Koumetio are still finding their feet.
Koumetio has brought a real physical presence to the backline since moving from Liverpool while Larkeche had a mixed bag at St Mirren where he made a mistake for a goal but scored at the other end.
Sammy Braybrooke put in a debut with plenty of promise but it’s only one game since he joined on loan from Leicester in the last week of the window.
And we are yet to see Clark Robertson, Julien Vetro and Oluwaseun Adewumi in action. Robertson due to injury, the Burnley pair because they only arrived last week.
Departed Dees
Joining McCowan, Lochhead and Kerr leaving the club were Lee Ashcroft and Max Anderson. Both enjoyed a good relationship with the fanbase and departed with best wishes.
Ashcroft is at Partick Thistle while Anderson is trying his luck down south with Crawley Town after falling out of the Dundee side under Docherty.
Zak Rudden joined Kerr at Queen’s Park after failing to show he could be a regular goalscorer at Premiership level.
And Diego Pineda’s uneventful time at the club was ended after just three league appearances last season.
Aside from losing McCowan, pound for pound Dundee have upgraded their squad this summer.
Grade – 7.5/10
There is plenty of promise in this youthful Dundee side. Plenty of attacking threat as well.
Real talent has been added, whether proven or yet to be proven.
And that’s why it’s not quite an 8/10 – because these players now have to go and show they have what it takes to improve Dundee this season.
They also lost the beating heart of their team and it remains to be seen how much that could affect them.
Bring in an experienced replacement for McCowan from the free agent market and it could well tick up to an eight. Scott Fraser could be that man though there is competition for his signature.
There is also a concern for lack of cover at full-back, particularly on the left. And no like-for-like replacement for Mo Sylla, who is crucial at the base of the midfield.
But money in the bank and an upgrade across the squad, it’s been a positive summer of transfer business for the Dark Blues.
Now they have to go win games to prove that is the case.
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