Strachan leads hunt for head of scouting

Dundee are in the market for a head of recruitment as changes continue apace.

Courier Sport revealed last month that technical director Gordon Strachan would be taking a more active role in first-team matters this summer.

That has already begun with the club appointing Gary Bowyer as manager and Billy Barr as assistant.

Next on the agenda is to appoint a head of recruitment to take charge of the scouting and future transfer plans.

Strachan will oversee that but managing director John Nelms says the final say on ins and outs will be Bowyer’s as manager.

“We are bringing in a head of recruitment,” Nelms said, as Bowyer was unveiled at Dens Park.

“We wanted to have the manager in place but Gordon has been speaking to people about recruitment and we will have that.”

In terms of Strachan’s role going forward, Nelms explained: “Gordon’s title doesn’t change but he is taking on a more hands-on approach.

“We have modified our structure. They are not massive changes but small changes over how we recruit and things of that nature.

“Gary will work under Gordon as technical director. Gordon has a good way about him and obviously vast experience.

“We are putting in a system where if Gary wants a right-back, we have four or five right-back options who fit the criteria and they choose from there.

“The manager has the final say but we are here to help him.

“Everybody will have a good look at this person to make sure they fit the attributes to be a Dundee Football Club player.”

Nelms confirmed there will be opportunity to strengthen the squad for Bowyer this summer. Within reason, however. Asked about transfers this summer, the American replied: “Gary will have as much leeway as I have given any manager.

“We try to be successful in any way we can but we do it within reason.

“I think we have always supported our manager as best we can.

“Gary and Billy know our team well but they need to get in and start working

with them, then we start making decisions on personnel going forward.”

Nelms also explained there would be a shift in focus from the club as they target a specific profile of player.

And that will be shaped by the club’s experiences last season as the Dark Blues go in search of a team identity.

“We learn from all of our mistakes. We have made mistakes,” admitted Nelms.

“Even the most successful groups make mistakes.

“We learned quite a bit from last season. We just didn’t get it right.

“At times you thought here we go, we’ll kick on from here, but then the next game we fall flat on our face.

“There are reasons for that and we are fixing those reasons.

“One of the big things is we need to have an identity as a football club on the park. That’s something we failed to do last year.

“We are working on those issues.

“To achieve that identity, you need to have a base level of attributes that every player has. They have to be hungry, brave and want to go the extra mile.

“They need physical attributes as well as their football attributes.

“There needs to be a very similar mindset and we didn’t have that. That’s what the focus is going to be on.

“To build: that’s what it takes to be a Dundee Football Club player.”

Gordon Strachan.