New gaffer Jim determined to to keep Kamara
Jim McIntyre last night revealed his determination to keep in-demand Glen Kamara at Dundee. Bayer Leverkusen, Swansea City, Cardiff City, Celtic and Rangers are all tracking the Finland internationalist, who is out of contract in May. The Dark Blues are bracing themselves for bids in January. But new gaffer McIntyre hopes the 22-year-old will stay at Dens Park – at least until the end of the season. “Glen is a quality footballer – there’s no doubt about that,” said McIntyre. “He makes the game look simple at times because he’s technically very good. “He’s definitely a player we want to keep.” McIntyre is in no doubt about his immediate aim at Dundee – lifting the club off the bottom of the Premiership. That is his sole focus. But having lifted silverware with Ross County, the Dee gaffer knows what a lift a trophy can give to a club. The Dark Blues’ league position means he isn’t interested in making bold statements. Yet he knows what sort of club Dundee is – and the kind of ambition it should have. “This is a massive club and if you were to have success it would be a fantastic place to be,” he said. “Anybody who was offered the Dundee job would be saying to themselves, ‘Fantastic’.” “It is a big, big club with brilliant history, it has a fabulous playing surface, and it has a core group of fans that can swell in numbers if you get the right results. “That’s the aim for us – to try to put a smile back on the punters’ faces and make sure we bring some good times back here. “But it’s all about the short-term for me just now, and it’s so important that we don’t take our eye off the ball.” McIntyre’s eye is currently trained on each and every one of the players at his disposal. He is assessing them on every front. But he insists everybody will be given a fair crack of the whip while he figures out who he can utilise and who he can’t. “There are certainly some big characters in the dressing-room and there are some I don’t know, a few of the foreign lads,” he said. “It’s about me getting among them as quickly as possible and finding out who reacts to what, because we’re going to need everybody. “Like at Ross County, everybody will get a chance, and I don’t mean just playing on a Saturday, I mean being analysed every day in training. “The gauntlet is there for the players – it’s up to you to get yourself in the team and show that you want to be part of what we’re trying to do. “Then we’ll know where we are and how strong the squad is.”