McGhee keen for old hands to take the wheel at Dens
MARK McGHEE will look to harness the experience of the senior players at Dundee as the Dens Park side look to stay in the top flight.
A tough afternoon can be expected for Charlie Adam if the former Ibrox midfielder takes to the pitch this afternoon for the game against Celtic while Niall McGinn can count on a warmer reception from the home support. The duo, however, are fundamental to what McGhee is trying to do as he quickly seeks to get a handle on a squad he needs to steer away from the bottom of the table.
“One hundred per cent guys like Charlie and Niall are so important because they have vast amount of experience,” said McGhee. “I worked with Charlie in Scotland camps so we already have a working relationship while Niall is another international footballer.
“I do think it helps when you have senior players who can be the link between the dressing room and the manager. They obviously carry an influence on the pitch in terms of what they contribute but just as important is how they help off the park.
“You need to have a mental strength and resilience in a situation such as this and helps when you have players who have had a career showing that strength of character.”
Dundee’s challenge will be to capitalise on any lingering hangover Ange Postecoglou’s side may have in the aftermath of a sobering Europe Conference League defeat to Bodo/Glimt on Thursday evening.
It was a limp performance from the Parkhead side, although McGhee will be wary of the threat posed by Celtic; a bruising afternoon when he was Aberdeen manager in 2010 resulted in a 9-0 defeat, a loss that was felt by sections of the Dons support to be one of the worst in their history.
Interestingly, the last time McGhee was an away manager in Scotland came five years and a day ago when he took charge of a Motherwell side at Celtic Park.
The difference this afternoon is that any influence he exerts on the game will come from a distance as he starts his reign with a six-game suspension. The penalty was given in 2017 for his part in an angry exchange with an Aberdeen supporter that escalated into an ugly confrontation with the referee and the fourth official.
He left Motherwell and Scottish football before the ban was issued but now needs to see it out. He has dismissed any suggestion that it presents a problem – “I actually think it might work to our advantage as I can communicate with the guys in the dugout and see the game fully” – but first and foremost it is about making sure his message is heard on a day-to-day basis.
“In a situation such as this the reality is that you don’t really have a lot of time,” he said. “We only really trained on Friday together and then it was a day of preparing the squad. At the minute it is about talking to the players, talking to the existing staff at the club and trying to work out why they are in this situation and what hasn’t worked.
“But there are always good elements in among that. It is about getting the players to understand that and work to improve those things while hopefully introducing a few more positive elements.
“The first job is really to stabilise things and then build on that but it is an exciting challenge and I am looking forward to it.
“There are good players here at this club and it is about bring back a wee bit of selfbelief.”