Hemmings praised for opening up over struggle

James McPake hopes the way Dundee supported Kane Hemmings in his hour of need has shown everyone at the club they do not have to deal with mental health problems alone.

Hemmings recently revealed he broke down in front of kit woman Lorraine Noble at Dens last season.

McPake was immediately summoned to help and the Dark Blues manager confesses he was shocked when he learned what the striker had been going through.

Before that, Hemmings had given no outward sign of the inner turmoil he was experiencing – including having suicidal thoughts – and McPake was taken aback that his former teammate had been suffering for so long in silence.

The club quickly made sure the 28-year-old was given all the help he needed.

McPake believes important lessons have been learned through the experience, and he hopes if any other players or staff are going through similar problems they now know they have somewhere to turn.

The Dens boss said: “Did it come as a surprise? Yes it did. That’s the lesson to take away from it, that you don’t know what is going on. You don’t know how people are feeling at certain times.

“I have since had this chat with numerous people, not just the staff at the club but even at home.

“Sometimes you see a player having a bad day in training and you he is not trying.

“But we should maybe ask these questions... are they OK?

“Kane was playing well in my opinion, he was training well, but we only see the guys for a certain part of the day and then you don’t know what happens when they go home.

“Just talking about Kane – and I know he won’t mind me saying this – but his missus and his kid were in England a lot of the time.

“That was obviously tough for him, and players are human beings.

“If any of our players or staff members feel the need to speak then there is help here and I am sure every other club is the same.

“If they do need help, I can step in and point them in the right direction, do that side for them and speak to the doctor.”

When Hemmings left Dundee in August before joining Burton Albion it looked from the outside that his departure had come on the back of a battle with the club over wage cuts.

However, it was his health problems that triggered the move down south with the player desperate to be closer to his partner and young son.

McPake praised Hemmings for being brave enough to talk about what he had gone through – just like another of the manager’s former teammates, Leigh Griffiths.

McPake added: “I have spoken to Kane since the article came out and I had a good chat with him. just think

“I am pleased that Kane spoke about it.

“Obviously, it might have looked like there was a massive falling out.

“Yes, I was disappointed with the way he left but that disappointment was simply down to the fact that I believed he is a good footballer and he would have helped our team.

“But when Kane was here, he worked extremely hard and again, that’s maybe the alarming thing for me: In training, he just came across as the Kane I knew.

“Obviously he had issues, but he spoke out which is great.

“I know Leigh Griffiths has done it as well and there are loads of others doing it.

“I spoke to Kano recently and he is in a good place. When it first happened up here, we got him the help he needed and we started him off on that.

“But you need to want the help and he did. It is good to see he is still getting it and he is close to his son who he is very proud of.

“I wish him all the best and I think it was a really brave thing that he did.”

McPake is also pleased that there has been an outpouring of support for Hemmings after he revealed what he had been going through.

He added: “I haven’t seen the response on social media but what I am told is everyone has backed him, which is good.

“The Dundee fans have rallied behind him as well, which is important and will mean a lot to him.”

SUPPORT: James McPake, seen with Kane Hemmings, has assured players that help is at hand with any mental health issues.