THE BIG INTERVIEW
It’s only a few months since Ray McKinnon’s brush with death and he’s back putting in the miles.
A daily jog after suffering a heart attack back in April comes with a joke.
He claims to be running more now than he ever did as a professional with the likes of Dundee United, Aberdeen and Nottingham Forest.
Having been a team-mate with the 51-year-old as kids at Tannadice, this admission may actually be true.
McKinnon’s account of walking into Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital with chest pains is also a story of a newfound zest for life and an appreciation of mortality for a manager who is now biding his time for a dugout return.
He said: “It’s the fright you get when something like this happens. I didn’t actually realise I’d had a heart attack.
“It may have happened during the night when I was asleep or when I was out for a run. It was bizarre as it was the cold sweats which scared me and the sore chest.
“I Googled the symptoms and it said I was either having a heart attack or had just had one.
“I decided it’s better safe than sorry so I went to get it checked out. I walked into the hospital and was feeling fine.
“The blood test conf irmed I’d suffered a heart attack and it was mental to hear that, I was stunned.
“The blockage was in my right artery and the doctors fixed it, they are geniuses and I’ll be forever grateful to them.
“It’s amazing as I feel great. I’m probably stronger than I’ve ever been and that may sound ridiculous.
“My dad died of a heart attack but this was just bad luck. My heart is working well and I’m just thankful the doctors were able to fix it.
“It was a 40-minute procedure and I was home four hours later.”
McKinnon’s last managerial role coincided with guiding Queen’s Park to the 2020-21 League Two title and he’s had a boxing champ putting him through his paces as he looks to throw his managerial hat back into the ring.
He said: “I’m running more now than I did when I played. I feel great and I’m doing 30 minutes each day. It has been a great feeling getting myself back into condition.
“I was over in America training with Paul Keane who’s a professional boxer from Dundee so that was an eyeopener to a different style of work-out. “Paul is the Scottish and Celtic superwelterweight champion and Celtic middleweight champion. He has been superb with me.”
There’s an excitement in McKinnon’s voice as he talks about the future – but there’s also an appreciation of the bigger picture. He said: “It puts life into perspective, I now take nothing for granted and make sure I appreciate all that I have. “What happened to me has made me think about my own mortality and the most important things in your life. “It’s about good experiences and family, living your life as best you can.” McKinnon laughs about his medical issues, which proved more than inconvenient as he prepared to get back to work. He said: “From a timing perspective, having a heart attack when I did couldn’t have been worse. “There’s never a good time but it was a period when there were managerial vacancies and out-of-work managers were looking for jobs.
“There were a few jobs I was looking at and then I had the heart attack, which put me on the back foot. “ImproudI’mproud oof my record as a managermanager, I’ve achieved so much that I can hold up as eevidence. Falkirk is tthe only blip on mmy career but the mmitigating factors I won’t get into.
“I wa s a l so dedelighted to see QuQueen’s Park gain propromotion into the ChamChampionship as I would nnever have a bad word to say about the club. Winning the title there was a great moment but I’ve had many.
“Winning a trophy at Dundee United and taking the club into the play-offs where we just failed to get up but football is all about small margins. “I haven’t put my name back out there but I’m ready to get into the game again. “My CV is strong and it’s now about opportunity. “I’m desperate to get back and I have a new lease of life.”
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