McCann thrilled to land Gartland
After 8 years in the commentary box BT Sport mic man Derek is heading back to the States but he’s still talking a good game when it comes to future of Scottish game
NEIL McCANN appointed former St Johnstone defender Graham Gartland as his right-hand man at Dundee last night.
The 33-year-old Dubliner, who holds his UEFA A Licence, has moved from an academy role at Shamrock Rovers to be assistant manager at Dens and McCann is convinced the partnership will flourish.
He said: “I’m delighted to have Graham on board. He is someone I’ve known for a number of years and will be a great addition to the club.
“He knows Scottish football, has sound opinions on the game but most importantly is a man who shares the same values and principles I aim to instil into the team.”
Meanwhile, McCann says new signing Scott Allan is hungry to become a smash-hit at Dens.
Allan joined the Dark Blues on a season-loan loan deal along with former Sutton United forward Roarie Deacon this week as McCann aims to hit the ground running next season.
Attacking midfielder Allan, 25, is itching to make an impact back in the Scottish top flight and McCann believes the former Dundee United, West Brom and Hibs ace has the burning desire to light up the Premiership.
He said: “There is definitely hunger in Scott.
“Recruitment is crucial this year. Managers won’t get them all right but what I’ve tried to do is to identify players who are at a certain age and have a mindset and desire to prove to people how good they are.
“Scott is a quality player and there were a lot of teams after him. From what I’ve seen in my meetings with him he has a real drive, hunger and enthusiasm to go and do a good job for us.
“So I was delighted when he agreed to come here.” A RETURN to New England will provoke patriot games in Derek Rae that reflects his enduring love for Scottish football.
The BT Sport commentator is heading back to his adopted homeland in Boston and appropriately with more than a feeling for the wellbeing of the national game.
For the last eight years, four of them with ESPN, his warm, dulcet tones have delivered drama from Dingwall in the north to the Doonhamers in the south, enthusiasm and excitement expressed in every half chance created or golden opportunity scorned.
Rae, 50, has come a long way since he first started broadcasting as a 15-year-old to local hospitals in his native Aberdeen, winning a break with the BBC when regular commentator David Francey injured a knee and he was called off the bench to voice Kilmarnock against Dumbarton.
The foundations of his subsequent career were as strong as the old rock on the Clyde – stints as a media man at the 1994 World Cup were followed by gigs as the voice of a host of MLS outfits, including the New England Revolution, Metrostars and LA Galaxy.
He has commentated on the Dutch and Brazilian leagues for ESPN, as well as German and French football for BT Sport. A former British Sports Broadcaster of the Year he has also been a respected commentator for international matches and Champions League games for audiences throughout the world.
Unsurprisingly though his passion for Scottish football has always remained strongest and as he views the landscape he is leaving behind it’s with mixed emotions for a national obsession he adores.
He said: “I was away for almost 20 years before I returned to Scotland eight years ago, firstly with ESPN before I joined BT Sport.
“I had left as a young man and wanted the opportunity to show I was a better broadcaster than the one who left for the States in 1991. I was determined to put my heart and soul into it.
“I’m leaving a Scottish game that’s now more in keeping with its budget and resources. I covered Scottish football from afar in the early 2000s and remember thinking there wasn’t something quite right about it.
“On the one hand you had some very good players such as Henrik Larsson and the de Boers but something didn’t quite fit. There’s no question all teams, not just Celtic and Rangers, were living way beyond their means.
“Over the last eight years Scottish football has slimmed down – the Rangers story took on a life of its own – and the game is probably where it now should be for a country with a population of five million. Sometimes we compare ourselves to England far too much. We should stand comparison with the Scandinavian nations instead. We’re a small, middleranking football nation that aspires to a higher standing. “If we invented Scottish football from scratch today we wouldn’t go with this model where two clubs hoover up more than 90 per cent of the support. “People follow who they follow but I wish for Scottish football there was greater equality between the teams and support bases. “We want a competition that doesn’t just involve two clubs. Indeed, for the last few years the challenge as a commentator has been covering Celtic winning the title every year and going into each campaign knowing that’s going to be the case, unless there’s a freak of nature or a footballing earthquake.
“Aberdeen came close a couple of seasons ago but, by and large, people who talk to me from other countries have the perception ours is a one-team league. That’s not a good recipe for attaching neutrals to it.”
Rae brings a fresh perspective to a Scottish game that has been enhanced by BT Sport since they joined Sky as the principal broadcasters of the SPFL in 2013. He makes no excuses for championing and promoting the sport, a philosophy enhanced by his time spent in the States where marketing is king.
However, there’s a difference between shining a spotlight and pulling the wool over punters’ eyes. He knows Scottish football still has work to do if its to fulfil its potential at club and international level.
He said: “I came here to be an advocate for Scottish football because it has always been part of me and always will be. I came back here because people love the game. More people per head of population attend Scottish football matches than just about any other European country.
“However, there are still things we can do better such as bringing through Scottish players. It has not been a success. Every so often we kid ourselves