Scott's association with the club stretches back to the early 1960s
The reaction to Jocky Scott's appointment as Dundee manager has taken hard-bitten journalists, as well as the man himself, by surprise.
Scott was not among those initially touted as a front-runner.
However, as the managerial saga rumbled on, fans and the Dundee board started to reflect on the very real achievements of his previous stints as boss in comparison to the dreadful position in which the club finds itself now.
The sense of relief among the Dark Blue half of the city when Jocky's name was confirmed was palpable.
And a support that can be fiercely critical is not only delighted, but also highly emotional about Scott's return for a third spell in charge.
The relief felt by fans plain to see. Many bought into the Ivano Bonetti experiment that ousted Scott, promising free-flowing football and star names.
It delivered both for a short while. But, when the glitter faded and the money ran out, administration followed, as did a huge black cloud that threatened to engulf the very being of one of Scotland's great clubs.
Scott guided Dundee to their best-ever finish in the Scottish Premier League in fifth place before making way for the Bonetti regime.
He is now able to reflect on the criticisms of the team's supposed unattractive football, by pointing out that at least the results were pretty good.
What Dundee fans would give now for the quality of player Scott had then at his disposal like Gavin Rae, Lee Wilkie and Willie Falconer, who all featured in the 3-0 defeat of Dundee United in Scott's last derby game.
Forty-six years ago, Dundee FC made their European debut in what was the then European Cup.
The men from Dens Park raced to the semi-finals before succumbing to eventual winners AC Milan. On the way there, Dundee had disposed of Cologne, Sporting Lisbon and Anderlecht.
The side that had won the league a season earlier were once described to me by the late great Bob Crampsey as the finest classical football side he had ever seen in Scotland, even surpassing the Celtic team that went on to win the trophy in 1967.
That achievement, though, has hung around the club's neck like an albatross.
Grandparents and parents have regaled generations of up-and-coming dark blues about the exploits of that magnificent side.
However, the re-appointment of Scott seems to have finally co-incided with a new realism among Dundee fans.
Since his last departure in 2000, mangers Bonetti, Jim Duffy, Alan Kernaghan and Alex Rae have all been through the revolving door at Dens..
Despite the club's best SPL finish Scott was sacked from Dundee in 2000
Success, even respectability, has remained elusive.
A club that has fielded true greats, such as Billy Steel and Alan Gilzean, now looks to another club legend to restore pride in what many feel is Dundee's lowest ebb in their 115-year history.
Tales of cups won and fantastic football, for the moment, must take a back seat as Scott seeks to stabilise a side lying second bottom of the First Division.
Their plight is perilous, their fans know it and are putting their trust in a man who lives among them and feels their pain, to put it right.
The dour persona of Scott is overdone. He can be a gregarious man and his capacity to organise and coach a side is highly respected.
But he does not pay homage to the modern world's notion of the superstar.
He will work players hard and expect them to listen, learn and perform. Whether that approach results in a clash of cultures with the players of today will soon be put to the test.
As a player, he was outstanding. As a manager, he feels he has unfinished business with the club he was rebuilding before being shown the door.
Some say, had Scott been given the time to chart a steady course last time around, Dundee would have progressed and been the force in Scottish football that they once were.
The question is, will it be third time lucky for Jocky?
He now finds a board that has reached out and put a real Dundee man at the helm as the club sails in heavy seas - one with a genuine passion and desire to right previous wrongs.
Future generations may yet tell tales of the derring do of great Dundee sides. But, for the moment, Scott has one mission in mind as he seeks to prove he is not yesterday's man.
Promotion from the First Division is a tall order this season, but suddenly Dundee fans feel a lot taller with Jocky Scott in charge.
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