Players fought for me
James McPa ke had prepared himself for the sack at Dundee MONTHS before it happened.
But when he did get the bullet from Dens Park in February, he’s adamant his players were fighting to keep him in the job.
The 37- year- old had beaten Hearts away from home in the Premiership and got through a tricky Cup tie at Peterhead before he was fired.
Just days later the club unveiled Mark McGhee as his successor and the Dark Blues have failed to win a g a me u nd e r h i s stewardship so far.
McPake admits that after a 5- 0 home loss to Ross County, he’d have accepted his fate. But after seeing off Hearts he was sure the club would stave off the drop.
He said: “We’d had worse results previously than the two before I got sacked.
“Had it happened then, I’m not sure if I’d have had an issue with it. After we’d lost 5- 0 to Ross County I
told my wife Dawn: ‘ This could be a bad one.’
“I had to take it on the chin. If I’d been sacked then I wouldn’t have been as shocked.
“But the next day it was OK – although I knew we needed a result at St Mirren that weekend. We got that and won comfortably.
“The Hearts result was our best win of the season.
“Apart from Celtic and Rangers, Dundee are the only team to win at Tynecastle.
“So coming off the back of those two big results it was a shock.
“The players were great with me, along with Dave Mackay and Martin Harty, who are terrific coaches.
“You don’ t go to Tynecastle and win if you are not together as a group and a staff.
“We were under pressure in that game but the players were fighting for the football club.”