ToffeeWeb - Season 2008-09

The Mail Bag

Dixie Dean: The first transfer

I read with interest your article about Dixie Dean here on ToffeeWeb. My father the late John P Burns, being a founding member of Pensby AFC, played with Dixie; he was also involved with his original transfer to Tranmere Rovers.

Although as you reported no official transfer fee (between Tranmere and Pensby AFC), according to my Dad the fee what was given is quite interesting. It was by all accounts; used shirts and shorts, some goal nets, a bag of used boots and a £5 note. An article to this effect was published in the old Birkenhead News and Advertiser back in the fifties, along with a photograph of Pensby AFC featuring Dixie and my Dad.

I in fact met the great man himself when he was the licencee of the Dublin Packet in Chester.

ps: If anyone comes accross the photograph, I would love a copy as ours got lost over time.
Ray Denton-Burns, Birkenhead Posted 04/07/2008 at 14:57:12

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Comments

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Derek Turnbull
1 Posted 04/07/2008 at 15:17:48

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Did you ever get to see him play?

Dan Mckie
2 Posted 04/07/2008 at 15:26:25

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I wonder if we could get the same for Van der Meyde?

Richard Harris
3 Posted 04/07/2008 at 15:27:16

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Dan Mckie wrote "I wonder if we could get the same for Van der Meyde?"

I’ll give you sixpence ha’penny and a gobstopper for him !!

Peter Roberts
4 Posted 04/07/2008 at 15:43:01

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Methinks we were robbed blind given Tranmere sold him for 3000 quid!

If my memory serves me correctly, no transfer fee would have been mentioned if Pensby were an amateur team as FA rules stated no fees could be paid to amateur teams in return for their players.

Rob Wilkinson
5 Posted 05/07/2008 at 12:08:50

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Peter Roberts??? We bought Dixie from Tranmere so where are you getting three grand from? Your comment totally goes against this post! Facts and straight come to mind!

Michael Kenrick
6 Posted 05/07/2008 at 16:49:23

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There does seem to be some confusion here. These are the facts as I know them:

Dixie Dean played originally for Pensby AFC as an amateur
Tranmere Rovers picked him up but were not allowed to pay a fee for him so they made a "contribution? in kind (plus £5 apparently ? see above)... or reneged (see Ian Macdonald's article)
Tranmere later accepted a bid of £3,000 from Everton for the prolific young striker

And the rest, as they say, is ?istory!