The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dens boss planning to manage striker Miller
McIntyre admits veteran will need special care during busy month
Dundee boss Jim McIntyre admits he will be taking special care of veteran striker Kenny Miller as the Dark Blues gear up for a packed December that will see the team play seven games in just 24 days.
The former Scotland frontman has netted in his last two matches, against St Mirren and Hibs, and while he is as fit as ever, he turns 39 years young next month.
McIntyre himself played on until he was 37 so he knows exactly what Miller will need to do to recover between games, but he insisted as long as you stay mentally strong, the physical side is not a problem.
When asked if he would have to manage Miller really carefully over the next month, McIntyre said: “Of course. I have always made sure that I look after the older players in the group.
“In terms of whether they need an extra day on the Monday to go on the bike rather than on their legs – just take the weight off their feet.
“Kenny is a fit guy but we also have to look after him as well.
“I think when you are that age, it is your mentality – you know what it takes to get yourself through a game.
“You know what you need to do to JIM MCINTYRE recover, you know how your body is but equally you say, ‘Here we go again, it is game time, let’s get ourselves going’.
“So from that side of things, I don’t have any issues with Kenny.
“But we are going to need every one of the squad.
“It is a tough, tough period and there will be times where we make changes just because we feel we need to freshen it.”
On paper it is certainly a daunting schedule that Dundee face with games against the likes of Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen, but McIntyre insists he sees the run of matches as a chance to get off the bottom of the table and battle their way into the pack of teams above them.
He said: “It is the same for everyone else.
“It is just about making sure we are recovering well between games and getting ready to go.
“There is not a lot of turnaround between matches but it is an opportunity for us to try to maximise as many points as we can to go on and get back into the pack.”
Dundee’s December run of games starts on Wednesday evening with a crunch clash against 10th-placed Hamilton who are just five points ahead of the Dark Blues.
McIntyre added: “We are back at home and we want to go and capitalise against a team that is close to us at the bottom.
“It is a chance points back.
“They will be looking at it the exact same way. If they go home with the points, then it extends the gap.
“But we just have to look ourselves.”
I think when you are that age, it is your mentality – you know what it takes to get yourself through a game.
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