McCann is loving life in Dens hotseat
NEIL MCCANN last night insisted he is loving life in the Dundee dugout.
McCann’s Dark Blues took a huge step towards Premiership safety after claiming a spirited draw with Ross County.
Dundee fans turned out in their thousands to mark their interim gaffer’s third “home debut” for the club.
Their acclaim did not go unnoticed.
But McCann has not been swayed into making an early decision on his long-term future.
Asked whether he was planning to commit beyond the end of the season, he said: “I’ll answer that in two games.
“But what I can say is that I’m glad I’ve done it.
“Sometimes, people make decisions and regret them. I haven’t regretted one day of this.
“I’ve walked into a dressing-room and found a group of guys who have stood up and met my challenge head on.
“To go three games unbeaten – two wins and a draw – I think that’s a decent return.”
Dundee’s Premiership status could be secured before they next kick a ball – on Wednesday night at home to Inverness Caley Thistle.
But whether Dundee are playing the basement boys to save their skins or just for pride, McCann believes their approach will be spot-on.
“I’ve been consistent in the message that I’m not really worried about what happens elsewhere,” he said.
“I’ve been trying to drive it through the players that we want to finish top of this table (the bottom six). I think you could see today our confidence starting to bubble towards the urface. I think the fans saw it, too.
“Some of the football in the last 15 minutes was very attractive.”
While the ending of the game was impressive from a Dundee perspective, the opening was decidedly nervy.
McCann picked up on it from his seat in the dugout – and so did his players. He called for the fans to trust him – and their team – to keep improving.
“I said to the boys at half-time I understood there were a few nerves. I actually felt it myself from the stands.
“But they’ve been watching a team lacking confidence. Now they need to believe in us.”
Meanwhile, Alex Schalk has become the latest Ross County star to commit to a new deal.
The Dutch hitman has extended his stay in Dingwall until the end of next season, joining Ryan Dow and Craig Curran in committing to the Staggies.
County boss Jim McIntyre said: “We’ve been in negotiations for a while and we’re delighted Alex sees his future here.”