McCann vows to fight on at the Dark Blues
Neil McCann last night vowed to fight on as Dundee manager, despite watching his team crash 4-0 to Rangers. It was the Dark Blues’ fifth successive Premiership defeat and, with St Mirren drawing against Celtic on Friday night, their position at the foot of the table has worsened over the weekend. “We won’t chuck it. That is not this group. I don’t chuck it and the players don’t chuck it,” said McCann, who announced the club will appeal Kenny Miller’s red card. “I don’t mind pressure. I will take the heat, absolutely. “As a manager you have to be big enough and brave enough to take it. It is the environment we all live in. “We all know it is a results business and I am disappointed for the fans. “We are playing with a lack of confidence just now but there are sparkles within games which gives me encouragement they are good enough to do it. “They just need a wee bit more selfbelief, a wee bit more confidence to say I am going to be the man who does it without looking across to the side and saying you be it. I am encouraged by that. “That is the character you need, especially when you are on a run of straight defeats. We will be back to work on Monday preparing for the next match.” Villarreal have announced they have made their Europa League showdown with Rangers a high-risk tie. And they have warned the travelling support from Scotland they will boot out any Rangers fans found in the wrong end of the El Madrigal stadium. Rangers have been allocated 2,200 tickets for the Thursday Group Stages encounter at the 23,500-capacity ground, but thousands more wanted a ticket. A Villarreal statement said: “Tickets will only be sold at the stadium and will not be sold to any British nationals. Full names, addresses and passport numbers will be required. “Rangers supporters will only be allowed in their allocated section and any away fan found in any of the home stands will be immediately ejected. “Villarreal reserve the right to take appropriate action against any supporter who is found to have passed on a season ticket to a Rangers supporter.” Rangers were fined £13,300 by UEFA for “discriminatory chanting” by supporters in both legs when the two sides met the last time in 2006.