The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)

Neil McCann’s ref comments monotonous, says Rab Douglas.

- Rab Douglas

These must-win games keep coming for Dundee, don’t they. Every time you think they’re getting out of trouble they don’t manage to back up a good result.

Saturday at Motherwell was another case in point. A win would have made them all but safe.

You have to go back to the end of November and start of December for the last time Dundee won back to back league games and that tells its own story.

They’re just not learning from past mistakes.

Before the post-split fixtures Neil McCann talked about winning five in a row. That’s the sort of thing that should be kept in-house.

I didn’t like to hear Neil bringing up a refereeing decision after the Motherwell match either.

It’s getting a bit monotonous. It can always be the referee’s fault.

I think refereeing standards are as a poor as I can remember but it wasn’t the ref who didn’t pick up for the quick free-kick and lost a goal at the back post.

The pressure will be on Dundee against Hamilton, particular­ly if Partick Thistle get three points the night before, but I still think they’ll do enough to get the win they need.

Steven Gerrard’s comments about the Rangers job sound like a man who will be heading to Ibrox.

There’s a big question mark over whether he’ll be the right man – but there’s a big question mark over whether ANY manager could get Rangers above Celtic next season.

As Sunday proved again, there are light years between the two clubs. It would take huge money to plug that gap.

And even if Rangers do throw the cash at it, it wouldn’t surprise me if Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell spend even more.

What isn’t in doubt is that Gerrard is box office.

He was a genuinely world class player and the interest in our game if he comes here will go to another level. At a time when TV rights are about to be renegotiat­ed, that certainly isn’t a bad thing.

There hasn’t been any class about the way Rangers handled Graeme Murty’s departure, that’s for sure.

He was undermined before both games against Celtic. I know Graeme from Scotland squads and he’s a good guy who deserved better.

I was surprised to see that Jack Ross got the PFA Scotland Manager of the Year award.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s done a fine job to get St Mirren up but there are plenty of other managers who have won the Championsh­ip before and not come near it.

There are a few bosses I would put above him.

Steve Clarke would be one of them for turning around Kilmarnock. Brendan Rodgers is on the verge of a double-treble, which would be a historic achievemen­t. And Neil Lennon’s Hibs have had a brilliant season and may even finish second.

I was tempted to pick Lenny but I always think that the manager of the year has to have won something, which rules him out.

My choice is local – Stewart Petrie. I can’t believe he didn’t even get a nomination.

It wasn’t that long ago that Montrose were a game away from dropping out of the SPFL. Nobody was predicting they would win the League Two title.

Montrose are on the way up as a club and so is Stewart as a manager.

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 ??  ?? Neil McCann targeted five wins from the post-split fixtures as Dundee strive to avoid the Premiershi­p relegation zone.
Neil McCann targeted five wins from the post-split fixtures as Dundee strive to avoid the Premiershi­p relegation zone.
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