Pressure is growing on the Dundee FC Supporters’ Society to dramatically speed up their decision making over the Texan-backed buyout of the Dens Park club.
As things stand the society, who hold a 51% majority of the issued shares in the Dark Blues, are committed to consulting their membership on the proposed investment from Keyes Capital that would see £650,000 go in initially to be followed by approximately £750,000 in order to purchase the stadium back from owner John Bennett.
That vote is scheduled to take place on June 15.
However, at the weekend American bid backer John Nelms stated that a delay in saying yes if yes is indeed what the DFCSS members do say would endanger manager John Brown’s plans to retain several key squad members for next season’s First Division campaign.
Nelms suggested that the end of this month, which falls on Friday, would be a more realistic decision day.
He said: “The manager is trying to keep the spine of the team and we need to get the players that we have and build around them. And we need to start supplying this team with longer-term contracts so we can have some consistency going through.
“We have a fear that if we don’t do this now, we will end up being in the SFL potentially for the next three years or so. We want to make sure that the money does the most good for the club.”
A June 15 vote by the DFCSS is also problematic for the club’s financial director Ian Crighton, who has been independent of the proposal group which includes other Dundee directors Bill Colvin and Steve Martin.
He said: “We feel that (June 15) is too late. If we are going to put additional money into the squad, it needs to go in now.
“We saw the results last year of money coming in late to the club and the squad being put together at a very late stage and we don’t want to repeat that.”
So, of the six-man board, you have Colvin and Martin full square behind the bid and Crighton publicly expressing concerns about the DFCSS timetable.
That leaves those representing the society in the boardroom Dave Forbes, Maurice Kidd and Fraser MacDonald feeling the heat to move quicker than they currently plan to do so.
However, the stance taken by the DFCSS board members can be deemed to be both understandable and even responsible.
Having fought so hard to get the Dark Blues under the control of the supporters those who saved Dundee post-administration they want to make sure that this deal is absolutely right for the long-term future of the club.
If, as the proposal is understood to set out, their organisation’s shareholding is to be diluted by roughly half due to a purchase of presently unissued shares by the Keyes group, they want to be 100% confident that the plan is the correct one for the Dark Blues.
Therefore, they are seeking a democratic mandate from their members, going to a referendum rather than acting as elected politicians would do on behalf of their constituents and use their own mandate to give the go-ahead if they themselves deem it to be in the best interests of the club.
They also want to to provide as much information on the Texans to the Dundee fans prior to a decision being taken. It looks as if the DFCSS trio can’t win.
Go to a full ballot of members next month as planned and they will be accused by some of jeopardising or should it not materialise over time scuppering the deal.
Do a U-turn and say no to a vote and they could be accused of ignoring the wishes and concerns of members keen to have their say on something so fundamental to the future of both the society and the club.
Bringing the date forward may bring some appeasement but that may not be realistic this late in the day.
One thing is for sure, whatever position the DFCSS take they are unlikely to please all their members or, indeed, the larger Dundee support.