I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
McCann has the swagger to be saviour of Dens men
THIS weekend, Neil McCann will sit in a warm television studio and pore over the minutiae of the Scottish Cup semi-finals. What’s more, he’ll be paid for the privilege. And handsomely so, at that.
It’s a job that does not come without a few verbal brickbats being cast in your direction, but it’s a minor occupational hazard. Were the post to be advertised tomorrow, the queue of applicants would snake from Mount Florida to Dens Park.
The question being asked of the man who yesterday agreed to do that journey in reverse to join a struggling football club is pretty obvious. Why bother?
Sure, the 42-year-old has a deep affinity with the club that gave him his break in the senior game. Doubtless it hurts him too see them languishing second-bottom after a wretched run of seven straight defeats. Yet, no one would blame him for considering it to be someone else’s problem.
But, in a way that perhaps only those who know the adrenaline rush of the professional game, when John Nelms’ telephone number flashed up on McCann’s phone yesterday morning, rejecting his advances would have gone against his natural instincts.
‘There’s nothing comes close to being a footballer,’ he explained. ‘Second to that is being able to influence a football match by being a coach or a manager.
‘Next to that, is sitting in a chair talking about it and being close to it and having an impact to the viewers at home.
‘That is the reason I am sitting here and not in my seat in the Sky set-up, because I have a love of the club and I believe I can make a difference. Time will tell whether that is true or not but that is my belief.’
He has not a shred of doubt or a single reservation. The confidence that he will do enough to preserve Dundee’s Premiership status and elongate his time in the role is coursing through his veins.
‘I am (confident he will save Dundee). I would not have taken the job otherwise,’ he added. ‘For the love of the club and the position they are in, I would be a fool to think I should take something I am not prepared for. I am going into this with my eyes wide open.’
That the affection McCann has for the old place is completely genuine is beyond all doubt. Nothing he achieved in the game would have been possible had Jim Duffy not handed him his debut at Dens Park in the early 90s.
Six years ago, after almost two years out of the game, he was training with St Johnstone but to all intents and purposes retired and getting his feet under Sky’s table.
Dundee, then in the Championship, had been hit with a 25-point penalty when Barry Smith asked if he’d strap on the boots and play three games as a trialist. Not only did he answer the call, he scored an injury-time winner on his debut and played a part in one of the game’s great survival stories. ‘I wouldn’t quite use that phrase (trouble-shooter),’ he smiled. ‘I’d been training with Derek McInnes at St Johnstone and Barry was looking for players and asked: “Is the wee man fit?” I think Del laughed and said: “He’s probably one of the fittest here”.
‘When I got that opportunity to come in here I was nervous, but without that wee bit of nerves and that little bit of edge I just don’t think you’re ready mentally.
‘It was a trying time for the club. I was a tiny part of the “Dee-fiant” season. But I was proud to play a part in it. This is the next chapter.’
As a TV pundit, McCann isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Truthfully, few are. And he acknowledges that poachers turned gamekeepers can sometimes come a cropper.
‘I’ve always taken the view when I went into that job that I’d be constructive in my criticism,’ he said. ‘I’ve probably criticised a few of our boys and I’ll maybe meet them on Thursday and they might not be so kind.
‘But I’m straight up front, I’m honest. I’m very hard working.
‘I would say it’s one of my best qualities that when I go into something I don’t give less than 100 per cent and those guys in there will hopefully get the best of it.’
McCann’s first assignment will be to take the side back to Motherwell on Saturday week and he believes their downturn has been simply a blip rather than a true reflection of the squad’s standing.
‘I am surprised the position they are in because when you look at the squad there has been investment in the team and Paul has been backed,’ he stated. ‘I am sure Paul will be the first to say that. Paul will be disappointed with where the club are, there is no doubt about that, but that would be stating the obvious.
‘The players will also be disappointed but equally you can say that about the other clubs around us.’
McCann is also not blinded to what the man in the street will be thinking. Replacing a manager with six years frontline experience for another who’s CV stretches to being assistant to Dunfermline in the lower leagues is an enormous leap of faith. Some would question the logic.
‘I have no managerial experience but I don’t live in fear of that at all,’ McCann insisted.
‘Throughout my career I’ve built up an extensive knowledge of the game and years of working with Sky have also allowed me to see the game differently. I did my Pro Licence to ensure I was academically equipped in football terms but that’s just part of it. You need to understand the game and the job at Sky has allowed me to analyse the game, break it down and offer opinions.’