Dundee boss credits former gaffer with reigniting career

– I had to do the bleep test! We hadn’t even spoken about money yet.”

McPake’s playing career came to an end with a serious knee injury after a derby against Dundee United in January 2016.

He embarked on his coaching career and credits the tutelage of Hartley and his successor Neil McCann for giving him the experience to be able to take over the top job at Dens Park.

“I think I’ve been lucky and this is where Paul (Hartley) and Neil McCann really helped me,” added James.

“Paul had me taking sessions on a pre-season trip to Austria. Then when Neil came in I was U/18 coach and I asked what he wanted me to do, he said ‘go and find out about being a coach, make mistakes, go do stuff and come to me with anything’.

“I kept calling him gaffer but he said ‘stop that, you’re now part of my staff’ but I never could and I think he just accepted it.

“Paul had me on the bench, which people probably thought it was weird but he said use it as a coach. I was there when Wighton relegated United and when Rangers battered Dundee at Ibrox, sitting there with the coach’s head on. You don’t get that experience (anywhere else).

“Neil and Garts ( Graham Gartland) were great with me. Neil had me watching games and going to watch players. He was brilliant because he knew every player and he would ask me ‘how’s Fin doing, how’s Lyall?’

“People give me credit for putting Fin (Robertson) in but it wasn’t too much of a risk. I had phoned the SFA to ask if, at 15, Fin and Lyall (Cameron) could play in the Betfred Cup. They said no but Neil was going to play them at 15.”