IN THE game of footballing consequences, Dundee lucked out earlier this summer. Paul Ince's recruitment by Blackburn Rovers last month might in time come to be regarded as the single most important factor in Dundee's return to the Scottish Premier League.
That, for now, remains supposition, but it is certainly correct to say that Blackburn's decision to turn to Ince led – eventually – to Dundee's capture of Colin Cameron, the 28-times capped Scottish midfielder.
An immediate repercussion was the ha
lting of re-signing talks between MK Dons – where Ince had previously been in charge – and Cameron. A renewed 12-month contract had been agreed, with the Scot having helped MK Dons to the League Two title as well as the Football League trophy in the previous campaign.
Cameron, who along with Ince and present Dundee manager Alex Rae helped Wolves win promotion to the Premiership in 2003, was all set for another season in England. That was until Mark Hughes decided to quit Blackburn and join Manchester City.
This set in motion a chain of events which has deposited Cameron in Dundee. But, before the completion of this journey, others had to be navigated. Days after Hughes relocated a few miles' south, Ince went north to Lancashire to replace him. Cameron, meanwhile, moved into limbo. It was a sudden, and bitter, outcome. A two-week break in the sun had been rudely interrupted by the news that Ince had left MK Dons. His long association with Ince made this turn of events disappointing enough, but the knowledge that his new contract lay unsigned meant the blow was provided with extra force. His connection with new manager Roberto Di Matteo – they have both scored in showpiece cup finals, Di Matteo for Chelsea in 1997 and 2000 and Cameron for Hearts in 1998 – might not, he suspected, be enough to convince the Italian to keep him on. The least he could expect, though, was to be allowed to leave with dignity.
"I was negotiating another year and I was close to agreeing," recalled Cameron, who officially became a Dundee player yesterday. "I said: 'Look, I will go away on holiday for two weeks than come back'. All I had to do, more or less, was sign. But in those two weeks Ince signed for Blackburn. When I came back the deal had been taken off the table, and another had not been put on. They severed ties quite sharply. I found that unusual, and a bit unprofessional."
"The club spoke to my agent, Jim McArthur," continued Cameron. "I was obviously still under contract until the end of July. He asked whether they wanted me in for pre-season training? They said 'No'. My agent spoke to the assistant manager, Eddie Newton. When my agent mentioned my name he went: 'Who?' He said he didn't know who I was, which I think was an absolute disgrace. I mean, I played for the club last year and won the title and a cup."
Dingwall, where First Division favourites Dundee meet Ross County this afternoon, will host Cameron's first league match in Scotland since November 2001 – when a leaving gift to the Hearts fans who adored him served to hurt his current employers. The midfielder scored in a 3-1 victory for Hearts against Dundee, whose line-up included Claudio Caniggia.
It is a different Dundee now, although Cameron does bring undoubted pedigree to the Dens Park club. The midfielder – if we discount Craig Burley's short and uncelebrated spell with the club – becomes the most capped Scottish player to play for Dundee since Alex Hamilton, in the mid 1960s.
His experience of four promotions – two with Raith Rovers, and one each with Wolves and MK Dons – will also prove invaluable as the Dens Park side look to end their SPL exile. Cameron, who turns 36 in October, still harbours an ambition to play in the top league in Scotland again. Indeed, this challenge was a significant factor in his decision to join Dundee, with Northampton Town and two Scottish Second Division clubs – including Raith – among the disappointed suitors.
"Players have proved in the past they can play until 40," he said. "Look at Teddy Sheringham. The only difference there was that he played up front so did not have to do as much running about as in midfield.
"These legs have already done a lot of mileage but there is still fuel in the tank. And if I am still able to influence games I will continue as long as possible.
"I have spoken to many friends in football and they've said they finished too early. They wished they played longer. Andy Harrow, who was manager at Kelty Hearts when I got farmed out there from Raith, always advised me to play for as long as possible. Once you stop, you stop. There's no going back. The gaffer here and even Paul Ince have said that they miss it."
Rae might have spoken too soon, since Dundee's current injury crisis – which has robbed the side of four centre-halves – yesterday prompted the manager to take the precautionary measure of registering himself, and also coach Paul Ritchie, as players.
But just as the sea haar lifted from Dens Park yesterday, so too might the gloom of missing out on promotion last season. Cameron is a central reason for optimism, and accepts that much of the expectation rests on his shoulders. Despite a seven-year spell in England he can still count on over a decade's worth of experience in Scottish football. Fourteen years ago he made his last visit to Ross County's Victoria Park – a ground where Dundee have never won – and scored a goal in a 5-0 win for Raith Rovers in the League Cup.
The Kirkcaldy side famously went on to lift the trophy that year. Dundee can only hope Cameron retains the Midas touch.
The full article contains 993 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
