The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
No old pals act for Peaso
DUNDEE’S Peter MacDonald believes new boss Paul Hartley can revitalise the Dark Blues’ title challenge and take them all the way to Championship glory.
Hartley was installed in the Dens Park hotseat onWednesday night, replacing John Brown who left the club at the start of this week following a poor run of results.
The new manager has already shown he has what it takes to be a success in the role, having steered former club A lloa to back-to-back promotions.
MacDonald knows Hartley better than most players at the club, having played with him at St Johnstone.
Peaso kept in touch with Hartley over the years but insists that he will show nothing but the proper respect for the “gaffer”, who has already set the Dark Blues players a target of matches to win to secure the Championship title, starting this afternoon against promotion rivals Hamilton.
The striker said: “I spent a couple of years with the gaffer when I was at St Johnstone. He was an excellent player and I think he has already proved he is an excellent manager as well.
“There is no problem from my point of view calling him the gaffer now. There is a line of respect as a player.
“When he was manager at A lloa, I would speak away to him and (assistant boss) Paddy Connolly but now he is the new manager and you have to show him the proper respect as we did with John Brown.
“He started off his managerial career very well and, if he can get the right spirit into the boys and the right mentality again, we should have a title at the end of the season.
“His first training session was really positive and the boys seemed to have a big lift.
e added: “When any new manager comes in, it nearly always instills an extra 10 or 15% in the players.
“It shouldn’t be that way as you should give your all for every boss but Paul has come in and everything has been positive.
“We have 14 games to go and we have set a target to win a certain amount of matches and if we do that we will be champions — but it starts on Saturday with a massive game against Hamilton.”
While welcoming the new manager, MacDonald admitted he was still sad to see Bomber depart.
The striker started his career as a youth at Rangers under Brown and he played a big part in bringing him to Dens last summer.
However, 33-year-old MacDonald has been in the game long enough to know that football can be an unforgiving business.
He said: “Under any circumstances, it was harsh on John Brown going.
“We are joint top of the league and it is the players’fault that we haven’t won the last three games.
“If we had and stretched into a lead at the top of the table, would the gaffer still be in the job?
“The gaffer has though walked away and it is sad to see him go.
“He had me as a kid at Rangers and he gave me my grounding in football.
“He was excellent with the older boys like myself. He knew what to do to look after us.
“It is sad to see any manager go unless you have had a fall-out with them and there was certainly nothing like that with John.
“Football is very raw and brutal at times. If results aren’t going well, then it can be unforgiving.
“I also think new owners often want to bring their own man in. John Brown wasn’t their appointment whereas Paul Hartley is.”
MacDonald has been linked with a possible move toA merica this summer, with English Championship side Doncaster also believed to be interested in the prolific hit man.
The player, however, whose deal at Dens runs out at”the end of the season, insists he wouldH like nothing better than to stay at Dundee.
He added: “I spoke to my agent on Thursday night and he said there are interested parties but I said to him that, when Dundee come back with an offer, I would prefer to stay here.
“My missus wouldn’t fancy A merica, especially as we have a young son now.
“You need to look at all options if there is nothing here but fingers crossed the club make me an offer of a new contract.”
Dundee will be without the injured Nicky Riley, Iain Davidson, Steven Doris and Stephen O’Donnell but Christian Nade should be available after returning to training earlier this week.