Ross and McIntyre top Dens targets

EXCLUSIVE: Dark Blues begin search for new manager as McCann walks away

Jack Ross and Jim McIntyre are frontrunners for the Dundee manager’s job after Neil McCann turned it down.

Courier Sport understands that the Dark Blues directors were confident McCann would stay on after discussions last week with the man who kept them in the Premiership.

And it came as a shock that the former Dundee, Rangers, Hearts and Scotland winger had a change of heart and opted to return to the Sky Sports studio rather than the Dens Park dugout.

Attention now turns to his successor, with St Mirren manager Ross and McIntyre of Ross County among the candidates of interest.

Ross is the bright young thing of Scottish football just now, having saved St Mirren from relegation out of the Championship on the back of previous success with Alloa.

McIntyre is an established Premiership performer, and won the League Cup with the Dingwall club.

Former Dundee boss Jim Duffy also has a strong recent CV at Morton, while out of work Alan Stubbs is short-priced with bookmakers.

With more than a week having passed since the end of the league season and a big squad rebuild required following a near escape from relegation, Dundee will want to get their new man in place quickly.

A club statement read: “Dundee Football Club can today confirm that Neil McCann has left the club after fulfilling his role as interim manager.

“Neil returned to Dens on April 18th with a clear objective to steer the club clear of relegation with five matches of the 2016-17 season remaining.”

The statement continued: “Since Neil returned to the club the process for finding our next permanent manager began.

“Extensive discussions have taken place over the past few weeks and the process continues this week.”

Managing director John Nelms said: “On behalf of the entire Dundee Football Club family I’d like to thank Neil for his interim spell in charge.

“He came in and did the job we asked him to do. The club once again owes Neil a debt of gratitude. Neil is certainly a credit to Dundee Football Club and Scottish football as a whole.”

McCann said: “I’d like to thank everyone at Dundee FC for their hard work in the time I was manager there.

“It was an honour to become manager of the club where my playing career started and finished and I’m very proud I was able to succeed in keeping them in the Scottish Premiership.

“I wish them great success in the future.”

Pictures: SNS Group. Clockwise, from top: Neil McCann, who turned down the chance to take over at Dens; and the frontrunners for the vacant post, Jim McIntyre and Jack Ross.