Donald Mackay

Donald McKay had steadily been gaining coaching experience before he became Dundee’s seventeenth manager in 1980. He had coached Southend United, Bristol City, and Danish team Norresumby.

McKay got Dundee FC promoted back to the Premier League in his first season in charge, the club had finished in second place and made a swift return to the Premier Division.

They also got to the final of the Bell’s League Cup that season. This was played at Dens Park on the 6^th December 1980 with Dundee losing to United 3-0 before a crowd of 24,466. Donald McKay had two big regrets that day when he reflected on the match. Firstly he thought it should have been played at Hampden Park “Jim (McLean) had a thing about Dundee United going to Glasgow”, and secondly he disagreed with the referee Bob Valentine’s decision on disallowing Eric Sinclair goal, “He (Valentine) said there had been a push. It was 0-0 at the time.”

The following season, 81-82, Dundee finished in eighth place, and the next in sixth place

By 1983 McKay felt that his time at Dens Park might be coming to an end, and this was proved correct when he received a vote of no confidence from the club’s directors in December 1983. He was told that they weren’t happy with him as a manager and that the senior players didn’t respect him, they felt that his skills were better used working with the younger players.

He was sacked the day after Stewart McKimmie was sold to Aberdeen, a deal he hadn’t initially been aware of. He only became aware of it when told to take McKimmie to Pittodrie, and pick up the £90,000 cheque, which was required to be banked on his return, to satisfy outstanding debts. Stewart McKimmie, however, had second thoughts. He wasn’t happy with his signing on fee, and the deal appeared to be off. Although McKay didn’t want to sell him, he sat him down and explained that he would earn far more with Aberdeen than Dundee could offer. In McKay’s words “Dundee needed the money.”

Donald McKay went on to have a long career in management after his time at Dundee.

He did return to Dens Park on one occasion, whilst Blackburn Rovers manager, signing Colin Hendry for £30,000. It turned out to be a very astute deal for the Rovers, as they sold him to Manchester City for £700,000 in 1989.