My Dens Park desire isn’t pie in the
DUNDEE Neil ditches TV studio for Dundee dugout after completing a dramatic U-turn
thinking time this week but I just came to a decision it was too good an opportunity to turn down. I’ve to-ed and fro-ed and I came in on Thursday to speak to John Nelms.
“I always felt as if they made me feel I was No.1 in their mind and John said that to me. The talks never ended. It’s not as if they came back to me or I went back to them. There was always dialogue.
“The decision has been a really difficult one but my goodness I had two good choices.”
McCann denied he was spooked when he heard Dundee had turned to Jack Ross as a potential replacement, even though St Mirren refused Nelms permission to approach their boss.
Staggeringly the managing director tried to convince his audience at Dens last night that a move to speak with Ross in Spain took place within the SPFL’s rules and he made no move to entice him to Dundee.
McCann said: “I felt nothing when Dundee were discussing other candidates, honestly.
“This is a very attractive job and I’d be a pretty ignorant person if I thought I was the only guy that had been spoken to. “I’m pretty sure there would have been a long list of quality names wanting this job.
“John always knew, even though I said I had to go back to Sky, there might have been a wee thing at the back of my mind that I could change and come and be the Dundee manager. “That’s how it turned out. I’m not going into it halfhearted, I leave behind a very attractive job for someone. A lot of people say it’s a cushy number. I worked hard at it after doing no TV work and NEIL McCANN jumped into it. So I’ve been there for seven years and know the value of that job but I always understand the value and importance of this job and that’s why I have to be 100 per cent in it and focused.
“It wasn’t a case of looking at others who had been linked, absolutely not. People talk about Jack. He was an obvious candidate for consideration because of how well he has done at St Mirren.
“There wouldn’t just be Jack in for this job. There will be other probably successful managers who are out of work at this minute.
“It wasn’t like, ‘Right someone’s getting interviewed, I’m on my way to Dens.’ I was quite calm about the situation because I had two wonderful decisions in terms of either staying with Sky or taking this job on.”
McCann will take time on deciding on his backroom team and will also spend the next two week assessing which out-of-contract players are keen to stay while he looks to bolster his squad with new arrivals.