When Neil McCann was appointed Dundee interim boss, Kevin Holt expected a manager who knew the game.
What he didn’t realise was the passion his new boss has for the club where his career started.
Having starred for Hearts, Rangers, Southampton and Scotland as well as working as a Sky TV pundit, Holt reckoned McCann’s knowledge of the game would be extensive.
But for all the heights he reached with those clubs and his country, it also became clear the manager had never forgotten his roots at Dens Park.
“You can tell when he’s speaking the passion he’s got for the club. He’s not just here to try out what management’s like, he wants to do a good job for Dundee,” said the left-back.
“He wants to make an impact and he’s here to win games of football. His knowledge is good but what he’s drummed into us is that it’s all about winning games — that’s got to be the most important thing.”
And while eyebrows were raised when the Dark Blues opted for a man with no managerial experience to get them out of the relegation hole they’d dug for themselves, Holt suspects it might prove a masterstroke.
“It’s obvious from day one he’s not just been watching the games he’s commented on when working for Sky.
“As a player you never really think of what these guys are doing in their spare time but it’s clear the gaffer’s been looking at footage of matches and he’s known exactly what he’s coming into.
“He has an obvious idea of what’s been going wrong and he’s worked to put things right, pointed things out and it’s been a help. The boys have really taken to it.
“Going into Saturday at Motherwell, we were drilled about everything.
“It was maybe good to have someone who’s been watching the games on the telly and not from the dugout.”
Holt also admits the 3-2 win at Fir Park that saw McCann get off to the perfect start has given everyone at Dens a lift.
The three points moved the Dark Blues up two places and out of the relegation play-off spot they’d dropped to after defeat to Hamilton two weeks earlier — a seventh loss on the trot.
He also knows ending that dismal run can prove vital.
“It was important we got out of the play-off place as soon as possible and doing that on Saturday was massive for us.
“You shouldn’t be playing if you are not looking forward to a Saturday and during the bad run we never stopped wanting the next game to come.
“But there was a lot of frustration during it and, when you’re in a losing rut like that, it’s hard to get out of it.
“So the break between Hamilton and Motherwell was good and it was bad.
“With the new manager coming in, it was good because we had time to work with him and he could get his ideas over to us in training for a full week or so.
“The bad side was the two-week wait for the game on Saturday because we just wanted it to come so we could end the bad run as soon as possible.
“It was great to get to the game and end that run because everywhere you look, everything you read, it’s mentioned.
“You’re the team that’s going down and you just want the chance to prove people wrong.
“We did that but there is still a long way to go. There are four huge games and we need to go and win them.”
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