His cardiologist might not be too happy about it. But Dundee managing director John Nelms insists the risk and reward strategy that helped fire Dundee back into the big time has been worth every heart-stopping moment in the utterly frantic fight for the Championship title.
Only in the 81st minute of that final, 100mph, title-deciding showdown with Queen’s Park at Ochilview on Friday night could Nelms and everybody associated with the Dark Blues breathe easy.
That’s when Luke McCowan’s angled drive bulged the net for their fifth goal in a 5-3 thriller to finally squash the Spiders and confirm Dundee had cemented their return to the Premiership at the first time of asking. There’s absolutely no time to relax for Nelms, his co-owner Tim Keyes, technical director Gordon Strachan or boss Gary Bowyer though.
Not when 20 players - including talents who are on the radar of other clubs such as goal hero McCowan, Lyall Cameron, Josh Mulligan and Max Anderson - coming to the end of their Dens deals in the next few weeks. Throw in the fact Bowyer himself has still to commit to next season and the situation is pretty clear.
Contracts are already on the table for a few including youngsters Cameron and Mulligan and discussions with key men resumed at the weekend. But Nelms insists the strategy to shelve those talks and ensure the players’ focus was entirely on getting over the line - especially when they trailed Queen’s by seven points just a couple of months ago - was deliberate.
Risky? Absolutely. And it’s the complete opposite to when they won promotion through the play-offs two years ago only to go back down 12 months later. But it worked. And Nelms said: “There is risk in everything you do. We took a calculated risk and it worked out. Sometimes it doesn’t, this time it did.
“We stopped having conversations when we were getting to the business end of the season but they will start up again.
“We wanted to make sure the players were all really focused on winning the league. That is what we have been trying to do.
“If you don’t know what league you are going to be in, it is really hard to build.
“We took the decision this time to hold off until we knew where we were going to be and then work that little bit harder to make sure we are prepared for next season.
“Did it work? Yes, of course it did! My cardiologist isn’t too happy with what happened but we are where we are!
“We were top of the table at Christmas and in the form table in February we were second bottom! But we were still second in the league so we still had a chance.
“Credit to the players, they stuck in and fought and fought and fought.
“The results did not always go the way we would like them to but that’s how it is in this league.
“The game at Ochilview was a prime example. You think you are up one moment and the next second you are down. It was the season in miniature.”
Nelms insists there’s no comparison between going up as champions and winning promotion through the play-offs 24 months ago when Kilmarnock were dumped in the final.
Getting over the line a month before the play-off final gives valuable extra time to get a strong squad assembled.
And the American is adamant the club is in a better position to strengthen thanks to their strategy.
He said: “The last time we didn’t have any contracts to give really. It was the same team going into the Premiership that we had in the Championship. Very few changes.
“This time we have a base but we can build on it and bring quite a few more players in.
“Two years ago no one expected us to be promoted. This year everyone expected us to.
“It was truly a team effort. It’s now time to kick on.”
This summer marks a decade since Nelms and Texas-based financier Tim Keyes completed their Dens takeover and became the first American owners of a Scottish club.
Two promotions, two relegations and a protracted project to build a new stadium has meant those 10 years have been anything but easy.
But for Keyes nights like Friday make it all worthwhile.
He said: “For sure. When we first bought the club I think we were the first Americans to own a team in Scotland.
“Now there’s four or five. I am not saying we are trailblazers, but it’s been up and down and difficult at times.
“But we have always had an idea in mind of what we wanted to do with the club.
“Sometimes it goes the way we want it to, sometimes it doesn’t. but I think we are on the right track.
“The stadium project we’ve been working on now for, jeez, six years. Covid derailed us for a while and now it’s back on track.
“Being back in the Premiership helps a lot in a lot of different ways. Everything is progressing nicely. The stadium is progressing, the team is back up, things are good.”
