Football management is such a precarious profession, anyone taking over as boss at a club and looking for new accommodation would possibly be as well pitching a tent instead of trying to secure any permanent form of residence.
However, it would be fair to say that Paul Hartley is now “in with the bricks” at Dens Park after joining the club three years ago in February, 2014.
The 40-year-old admits he loves being manager of the Dark Blues along with life in general in the City of Discovery and if he has his way, he will be at the club for a long time to come.
The former Celtic and Scotland midfielder said: “I am really happy here.
“This is a place I really love. I enjoy my work, I enjoy staying in the city which is an important thing for me.
“I don’t travel every morning sitting in a car for an hour and a half – I am five minutes from my work.
“I like to be in first thing to gather my thoughts and I leave last thing.
“I really enjoy it and I have no plans to go anywhere else. I have a year left (on his contract).
“But for me, I enjoy working here, I enjoy working with the players. I have a brilliant bunch of lads in there.”
Hartley’s passion for the job at Dundee is an all-consuming one and he is quite happy to forego what some would regard as normal treats such as holidays to make the most of his chance in management.
He famously admitted to working 80 hours a week when he was “part-time” as boss at Alloa but he insists he has not taken his foot off the accelerator and is still as driven at Dens.
Hartley admitted: “I have not calmed it down. I think I still work as hard seven days a week.
“I am always going to games and I will rarely miss one of our under-20s matches unless there is another game I have to see that night.
“I think it is important that we are out there and are seen.
“I was speaking to Gordon (national boss Strachan) last week and he was saying that you have to put in the hours.
“You have to be prepared to work and work and work. That’s me and I won’t change.
“I very rarely relax. I am not a big holiday person – I would rather work.
“I might go away for a few days’ golfing this year but for me, the majority of the time is working.
“I don’t stop – even on holiday you are working. You just have to make sure you give this your best shot when you are in it.
“And I am prepared to work and graft for the club.”
While his love for Dundee and his job have not diminished in the three years Hartley has been at the helm, this season has been a rocky rollercoaster.
Many felt his position could be under threat when the Dark Blues went 10 games without a win – losing the last six matches of that disappointing sequence – but Hartley insists he received nothing but support from the club board and chief executive John Nelms, owner Tim Keyes’ right-hand man.
The manager said: “John is the main person I go to as Tim is in America.
“John would always say we are behind you 100%. At no time did he say you are under pressure.
“He just said he understood what I was trying to do and how hard I work.
“I know myself that we had to win games. I am not stupid. There does become a time when something has to change.
“But thankfully, our board and John are strong personalities.”
Hartley admitted that in his time of need he turned to two people he respects hugely – Strachan and former Aberdeen and Scotland boss Craig Brown.
He said: “As a manager, you come under pressure. You know that you have to win games.
“But you have to remain strong and focused – make sure that doesn’t affect you.
“I always speak to Gordon and Craig.
“Speaking to Gordon at times in the last couple of years has definitely helped me.
“They’ll phone me and make sure I am OK as they have been there.
“I always feel I have a strong personality and character.
“When you are on a poor run like that it is horrible and you try everything and then all of a sudden it just clicks again.”
One of the reasons for Dundee’s struggles earlier this season was the loss during the summer of star men Greg Stewart and Kane Hemmings.
Hartley was left with a major headache trying to replace them and the goals they brought to the team but he insists the club could not have stood in their way.
He said: “We had two lads who were going to attract attention.
“We didn’t want to lose either of them but they were ambitious and at the time we got what we felt was good money for them.
“We couldn’t stop the players going. They wanted to go and as I said they were ambitious. We always say that when players come in to this club, if they are not ambitious they should not be here.
“But we lost a lot of goals and quality. They left fairly late in the window and it was always going to be difficult to replace them.”
When asked what he felt was his biggest achievement at Dundee, Hartley said: “To bring stability to this club.
“We have also played really good, exciting football at times as well as bringing good players in and selling some for a lot of money in Scottish football terms.
“We have also brought through two good young players in Cammy Kerr and Craig Wighton. They are mainstays of the team and not too many clubs can say that.
“I feel the job I have done has been steady.
“We want to try to improve but the big disappointment for me has been the cups.
“That has been a down side for me – not doing well enough in the cups.
“That is something we want to try and change.
“Overall though, we have brought stability and have tried to improve all aspects of the club.”
Nelms confirmed last week that the club are still looking to move to a new stadium but, for Hartley, the more pressing need for the immediate future is for Dundee to have a place of their own to train at.
He added: “I think it is really important for the club to have their own training facility. That is the next stage, for me.
“It is difficult just now. When the weather strikes, it is difficult to get our own training base. We are here, there and everywhere. We have to phone around sometimes when the weather is really bad.
“We want somewhere where the players just turn up every morning and walk straight out on to the pitch and we can stay there as long as we want. We cannot do that just now.
“A new stadium would be brilliant also but, for me, the training pitch is the most important thing.
“We just want to work with the players for as long as we can.”