As Scotland mourns the end of a rare but very welcome heatwave, the sun continues to shine brightly over one corner of Tayside. Forecasts of financial doom and gloom, unavoidable at almost every other club in the country, clearly do not apply to Dundee.

As Scotland mourns the end of a rare but very welcome heatwave, the sun continues to shine brightly over one corner of Tayside.

Forecasts of financial doom and gloom, unavoidable at almost every other club in the country, clearly do not apply to Dundee. At Dens Park the outlook is set for continuing positivity, with a threat of regular new signings. The only people running for cover are the bookmakers, who have slashed the odds on Jocky Scott's revamped squad winning promotion to the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

The rebuilding work continues apace. Gary Harkins last week became Dundee's ninth signing of the summer when he completed his protracted £150,000 move from Partick Thistle. Leigh Griffiths, the talented young striker who scored on his Scotland B debut in May, was prised from Livingston for £115,000, while Brian Kerr, Pat Clarke, and Chris Casement have also signed up to the Dark Blue revolution. More could be on their way.

The man behind the money is Calum Melville, a 40-year-old businessman from Aberdeen who answered a speculative advertisement to join the Dundee board earlier this year. Aware of the financial trouble the club got themselves into not so long ago when they embarked on their own version of fantasy football by enticing the likes of Claudio Caniggia and Fabrizio Ravanelli to Dens, Melville has done his best to dampen rising fervour that he was Tayside's answer to Roman Abramovich.

"Sustainability and stability are the key factors behind Dundee FC," he insisted back in March. "Fans should not expect big signings or us to be splashing money about." Actions, of course, speak louder than words. It is unlikely any other club in Scotland, outside of the Old Firm, will spend as heavily.

The aim is clear. After four unsatisfying seasons in the first division, Dundee want a return to the top table. Promotion is now expected rather than merely wished for. "Second is nowhere," Melville exclaimed recently, undoubtedly sending a shiver down Scott's spine in the process.

Supporters have been asked to contribute as well, the Dens Park board pledging to spend double the amount raised by fans purchasing season tickets. Short of walking the streets with a loudhailer bellowing out a call to arms, it is hard to see what more Melville could do.

His enthusiasm is even more commendable given he has no historical connection to either the city or the club. An Aberdonian, Melville has been reluctant to invest in his hometown club having witnessed the mounting pressure placed on Stewart Milne, the Aberdeen owner, to bring the glory days back to Pittodrie.

Melville is a multi-millionaire, having made his money primarily in the oil and gas sector, and answered Dundee's hopeful plea for fresh investment simply because he wanted to get involved in the game.

"I'm just a huge football fan, a long-suffering supporter of Scotland like the rest of us," he said. "When I saw the advert it appealed to me because I am interested in football and feel I have something to offer."

That something would appear to be money. And lots of it, which Scott, left, has unsurprisingly been happy to take off his hands to spend on new players. Tellingly, though, Melville has shied away from assuming ownership of the club or taking up any sort of shareholding.

He has committed himself, in the local press at least, to retaining an interest for three to five years but could walk away at any moment. He has been insistent that Dundee needs to be self-sustaining, citing the example of the collapse of Gretna after Brooks Mileson withdrew his financial backing, although it is hard to envisage how the club could continue along the same lines without Melville's money.

Griffiths, for example, is believed to be earning £1800-a-week on a three-year contract. With his £115,000 transfer fee and a reported £50,000 signing-on sum, it leaves the cost of recruiting and retaining the 18-year-old at just short of £500,000. Given he is only one of nine signings this summer, it all adds up to a hefty outlay.

Supporters, having witnessed the mess left by previous regimes who over-reached and overspent leaving the club close to the brink, could be forgiven for being slightly cynical about it all. Instead, the overriding mood is one of optimism.

"Dundee fans have suffered more than most," Scott Glenday, chairman of supporters group Dee 4 Life said. "We last won a major honour in 1973, went into administration in 2003 and were relegated from the SPL in 2005. We've been in the first division for a long time now, but there is a real expectation around the city that we can get back to the SPL next season.

"It's quite amazing to see Dundee leading the way in terms of transfer fees. It wasn't that long ago we were scraping washers together just to keep the lights on. Calum Melville has been good for Dundee. He's brought a cash injection, positivity, and a clear business sense.

"Comparisons with Gretna are way off the mark. They didn't have the fanbase for when Mileson pulled out, whereas Dundee could have 5000 every week. Lessons have been learned from the past. The Supporters Trust has a 26% shareholding and a director on the board, so we wouldn't let things get out of control. The future is bright for Dundee."