Love of football has drawn Gordon back to Dark Blues

2017, Strachan admits the fact it’s brought him back to Dundee is largely a coincidence.

“I’ve never planned my life and if you told me two years ago I’d be technical director at Dundee, I would’ve gone ‘no’,” he added.

“Because I love the game so much and it’s an avenue back in, not that I had to force myself, it’s only because I love the game so much.

“I really want to do it, see what we can achieve. That’s the thing about me, I love the game more than anything else.

“I’d love in four or five years time, six years time I can sit back and go I helped that guy, I helped that player.”

Known for honesty and frankness, what Strachan is not returning with is a guarantee of success but, if the ideas he puts in place do not come off, it won’t be for the want of trying. And, after lengthy discussions with Dens managing director John Nelms over the past few months, he is ultra-confident that, in terms of backing he’ll get, he’s come to the right place.

“It might fail but the fact is I’m going to have a right good bash at it.

“And I know I am going to be backed up to the hilt here.

“I spoke to John and he said ‘yep we can do that, we can do that, that might be hard but we’ll try to do that’. The reaction of the coaches has also been good and that was important.”

Strachan will be on hand to give first-team boss James McPake any help but has stressed that will only be on an ask-and-it-will-begiven basis, though the manager has stressed he will be tapping into his knowledge.