The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
McCann tells of belief that Wright put in complaint against him
New twist to wrangle in aftermath of Dark Blues’ defeat by St Johnstone
Neil McCann has kept the pot boiling after last weekend’s Dens Park touchline bust-up by suggesting that St Johnstone boss Tommy Wright “personally put in a complaint against me”.
McCann and Saints keeper Zander Clark have been charged with “excessive misconduct” by the SFA after their postmatch spat seven days ago.
“I can’t say too much about it because obviously I’ve got a date at Hampden (on March 29),” said McCann.
“What I will say is that I believe Tommy Wright, personally, has put in a complaint against me for the incident at the weekend.
“I’d imagine that complaint will be that I’ve put my hands on his goalkeeper.
“What I’m prepared to say is that everybody who watches the footage will see who makes the initial physical contact. I think that’s quite clear.
“That’s all I’m prepared to say at the moment.
“It’s the exact same as I said after the game. I’ve shook hands, I’m trying to leave the technical area and I’m not allowed to do so.
“I can confirm that I’ll be at Hampden to state my case. I’ll be there in person and won’t send anyone there on my behalf.”
McCann’s stance on his actions after Saturday’s derby defeat to Saints hasn’t altered, and neither has his take on the performance he witnessed from his players.
“I’ve not retracted a word of what I said after the game,” he insisted. “I think it was fully merited. “I apologised to the fans. “I think I said that I was embarrassed by the performance, and the players share that as well. I know they share it.
“It was a shocking performance, probably our worst by quite a distance. “It was a sore one to take. “The tactical side of the game stands on its own merits.
“What is difficult to do is get 11 guys going in the same direction and showing the same amount of application.
“I don’t think our application levels were there. I didn’t think we fought for each other the way we should have done and the way we have done before this season. “That’s where we fell short. “But I’m not going to go on about it. Last week’s game has gone. We’re looking forward to Aberdeen now.”
McCann has seen what he wanted to see on the training pitch over the last few days.
“We’ve had a really good week,” he reported.
“We’ve had an extended week because I had them in on Sunday.
“It’s been quite intensive. Things that I felt needed addressed have all been done this week. I can sense that they want to put it right and I’m looking forward to seeing if they can do it.
“In strong dressing rooms you get a
reaction from within. I’ve got a dressing room that is capable of getting results and performances. “It’s up to them to put it right.” Today’s match at Pittodrie is the start of a daunting run of fixtures – Aberdeen away, Hearts at home, Celtic away and Rangers away.
McCann admitted: “Yes, the four fixtures are difficult ones but I’m very respectful to this league and all the other games are difficult for their own reasons.
“We performed really well at Pittodrie earlier in the season.
“Performances previous to this game mean nothing. You have to do it when it comes around.”
Two key players are back from suspension, Paul McGowan and Glen Kamara.
“Of course they were huge misses for us last weekend,” said McCann.
“They’ve been such a mainstay of our midfield. When you lost two of those, clearly it’s going to have an impact.
“It wasn’t just about the boys in the middle of the park, though. This was a team let-down, and I include myself in that.”
Lewis Spence is ruled out with a hamstring injury, while Genseric Kusunga is also doubtful.
The good news, though, is the return of Craig Wighton to a match-day squad for the first time since knee surgery.
“It’s fantastic for the club that we’ve got him back,” said McCann. “I’m delighted for him. “He’s had a couple of really good performances (for the under-20s).
“He got 90 minutes and a goal against St Johnstone in midweek.
“He’s been training really aggressively. He’s been building it up gradually, which is the most sensible way to go – 45 minutes, then 60 or 70 and then a full 90.
“Craig’s a determined young boy and I could see in his early application to his gym work and his rehab that he was really focused on changing his body – which was the only thing he could work on when he was off his legs. Then I saw his drive to get back.”