McCANN: WRIGHT IS NOT WELCOME
Departing Saints hero MacLean says Dundee wanted him in 2012
NEIL McCANN has reignited his feud with St Johnstone gaffer Tommy Wright by claiming he’s unwelcome at Dens Park.
The Dundee boss will be sitting in the stands for today’s rematch with Saints as he serves a one-game ban for his
STEVEN MacLEAN wants to pile more pain on Dundee in his final Tayside derby today.
But the man who sealed the Scottish Cup for St Johnstone in 2014 admits he almost ended up at Dens instead of McDiarmid Park six years ago.
MacLean, who will move to Hearts in the summer, wants to go out with all guns blazing in his final five games.
He’d love to fire Tommy Wright’s side to another derby win over their struggling rivals in their first match after the league split.
But the 35-year-old revealed he came close to penning a deal with the Dark Blues when he returned to Scotland from Yeovil.
MacLean said: “I’d been offered a deal at Dundee but it just didn’t feel right. Football’s like that. You get these sliding doors moments.
“I came on trial here. Steve Lomas said he wanted to sign me but then he brought in Craig Beattie.
“He got in touch again thankfully and said there was still a space for me and I basically signed a shortterm contract for nothing. I told him I would win a longer-term deal.
“I worked hard and obviously the rest is history.
“I’ve had six great years here and it was always going to be hard to leave. But it had to happen some day. This opportunity at Hearts has come up and I’ve decided to move on.
“It’s a testament to how well things have gone in my time here that this is going to be the worst season we’ve had and we can still finish seventh.
“It just shows how successful we’ve been in the previous five seasons. There was the Cup Final, some European runs, a third-place
finish and a few semis. They are great memories. I’ve had so many good times here and it will be really hard to leave. It has been a decision made with a heavy heart.
“But nothing changes for me in the last few weeks of the season. I’ll give everything I’ve got. Hopefully it will be good enough to get some wins and to finish seventh.”
Last month’s derby exploded after the final whistle when Dens boss Neil McCann and Perth sub keeper Zander Clark clashed with both banned for their troubles.
And MacLean said: “Of course there will be an edge to the game after what happened the last time.
“We’re all in it together here. If there’s ever something ready to kick off we’re always there together as a team. It might be spikey but the biggest thing is they lost 4-0 last time and are fighting for their lives and will be coming out to right a wrong.”
Following success with Sheffield Wednesday before going to Cardiff and Plymouth, ex-Ranger MacLean opted for Perth after a brief stay at Yeovil.
He said: “I probably should have come back to Scotland earlier. I’d made a few mistakes and fallen out with a couple of managers down south.
“But as you get older you become a better player and a better pro.”
With MacLean heading for Hearts to mentor boss Craig Levein’s kids and keeper Alan Mannus agreeing an 18-month deal with former club Shamrock Rovers, Wright’s cupwinning team is slowly breaking up.
MacLean added: “That team is such a close-knit group. I still speak to Dave Mackay and Frazer Wright regularly. When you get guys who were so close and achieved so much there’s always going to be a bond.
“It was such a good dressing room. Ruthless mind you but brilliant. You could be made to suffer with the patter, that’s for sure.”