Vincent in no doubt McCann remains a perfect fit for that Dens Park hotseat
NEIL McCANN has returned to the sanctuary of the television studio but definitive news on his future has yet to be broadcast.
Free from his five-game agreement to manage Dundee, McCann was a central figure in Sky’s coverage of yesterday’s Scottish Cup Final, a shift that proved eminently less stressful than the one he endured at Hamilton a week earlier.
A surprise appointment as caretaker boss in the wake of Paul Hartley’s sacking, McCann fulfilled the job specification of keeping the Dens Park club safe from relegation but cut a pained and frustrated figure after a 4-0 defeat in Dundee’s final league game of the season at New Douglas Park.
The 42-year-old seemed ill at ease with the prospect of an onward struggle should he be offered — and accept — the chance to stay. But despite questioning the mentality of the players, he would appear to carry at least some support in the dressing room.
Midfielder James Vincent describes McCann as a ‘perfect fit’ for the post and would like to see him return for pre-season training.
‘We were on a bad run of form and something needed to change, whether it be the players or the manager,’ admitted Vincent, a Hartley signing from Inverness Caley Thistle last year. ‘The club made the decision to get Neil McCann in and he was perfect for the job, exactly what we needed.
‘He made us solid as a unit, made us strong and good in attack. For the first three games we were fantastic.
‘I thought he was a perfect fit for the club and the lads. He got the best out of us.
‘It was disappointing to finish the way we did. The manager was saying he wanted to take how we were playing into next season so that it would flow but it is what it is.
‘Whether the fact that we were safe played a part in the Hamilton performance, I don’t know, but it shouldn’t have happened.’
McCann was due to sit down for talks with the club’s managing director John Nelms in midweek but has also promised to be respectful of his long-time employers Sky as he maps out his future.
He insists it would be impossible to combine the two roles — ‘absolutely not, you just couldn’t do that,’ he stated last weekend. After declaring himself ‘embarrassed’ following a performance that confirmed a tenth-place finish for Dundee, one wonders whether he believes management is worth the hassle.
The most obvious precedent was set by Gary Neville, who swapped a lucrative and well-regarded gig analysing the English Premier League to manage Valencia in Spain.
Less than four months later he was sacked before re-emerging in front of the cameras.
Vincent believes both highly opinionated men deserve credit for subjecting their own methods to scrutiny.
‘There is a pressure when these guys walk the walk,’ agreed Vincent. ‘Look what’s happened in England with Gary Neville.
‘But he has done it. Some people maybe do just talk the talk, they give an opinion and it causes controversy.
‘Neil came in with his standards and philosophy. From day one there was a plan and no stone was left unturned.
‘I knew my job and I knew those of the three or four people around me. That allowed me to organise and boss it.
‘It was an easy transition for him and he dealt with it very well.’
Not that McCann reserved his strong opinions for his broadcast work. His frank talking helped spark the reaction that secured the two wins and a draw that secured Dundee’s safety after three games.
‘That’s what you want from a manager — honesty,’ continued Vincent, at 27 taking his own baby steps towards management as he commences work on the SFA’s B Licence course.
‘He was good from day one when he said he was never going to be happy just scraping by.
‘Clearly, surviving was the objective but he always said he wanted more.
‘I had watched him on television as a pundit and knew he was a straight talker. You compare your opinion and I always thought his knowledge was good.
‘He had to analyse games in that environment and he has brought that to the club.
‘Over the season we have not done ourselves justice. We believed we should be top six but ended up finishing tenth.
‘I think the last five games summed us up — we showed how good we could be and also how poor we can be.’