ROBINSON PLANNING A TOUGH BAPTISM
IT is Stephen Robinson’s job to leave Neil McCann nursing some second thoughts about swapping a television studio for the technical area. Nothing personal, mind. The stakes at play when McCann makes his managerial debut for Dundee at Fir Park against Motherwell tomorrow simply make it so. The former Scotland winger’s interim appointment as Paul Hartley’s replacement means both clubs have different men at the helm from their one-sided meeting two months ago. Mark McGhee was sacked in the aftermath of Motherwell suffering a 5-1 first-half hammering at Fir Park, with Robinson stepping up from a coaching role. And while the Northern Irishman does not know McCann personally, he is intimately acquainted with the stress-filled arena the Sky Sports pundit has just entered. ‘I think I read Yogi (John Hughes) saying something about it and the crazy world of management,’ said Robinson. ‘Anyone that goes into this game must be mad! The amount of problems you encounter — but that’s what we do. ‘It’s not a nice cushy job but he’s taken the plunge. My focus is solely on Motherwell. ‘Neil can’t sign any new players, so the difference it will make is maybe two or three per cent where boys have let the previous managers down and now they are stepping up to the plate. They’ll run a bit further or put their head in a bit more. ‘But that doesn’t matter to me. We will match that. Our standard is set now and every game we have to match people for desire and energy. Maybe that’s what we didn’t do in that 5-1 defeat. ‘I have no idea what Neil McCann will do. That’s entirely up to him. I’ve enough to worry about getting my team ready.’ The thrashing in February was actually Robinson’s first match back on the coaching staff at Motherwell after being drafted in by McGhee. ‘Modern technology allowed me to book a flight back home again,’ he joked. ‘I hadn’t signed a contract by that stage! ‘It was a horrible game to be involved in. People let themselves down. ‘They certainly need to put that performance to bed. We have spoken about it and we are a different team now. We intend to match everything Dundee do.’