In this week’s Talking Football The Courier’s sports writers Eric Nicolson, Ian Roache and Neil Robertson discuss the challenge facing rookie Dundee manager Neil McCann, how to get the best out of Dundee United’s Tony Andreu and Danny Swanson’s departure from McDiarmid Park.
Q A lot has happened since Dundee last played. Reflecting on Paul Hartley’s sacking, do you think it was fair on him and the right decision for the club?
IR: I thought, wrongly as it turned out, that Hartley would have been able to lead the team to victory over Hamilton but when that didn’t happen his jaiket really was on the proverbial shoogly peg. I had previously thought him to be a lucky coach but his luck ran out. The shocking seven-game losing streak wore the club down in the end and they were left with no choice but to try something different. Also, a manager who survives a 7-0 home defeat is a rare thing indeed. Mind you, I wouldn’t have let him take training before giving him the bad news at lunchtime. Ideally, he should have been told after reporting for work that morning.
EN: Hartley’s post-match press conference after the Hamilton defeat didn’t help him. He came across as a man who had run out of ideas. You can understand the sacking. If Dundee are making a loss after budgeting for the top six, it doesn’t take a financial genius to work out that relegation will have consequences.
NR: When Dundee were beaten by Hamilton, it was either a case of back the manager to the hilt for the remaining games or dispense with his services. John Nelms obviously opted for the latter but the real shock for me was having sacked Hartley with just five games to go, they then went for a complete managerial novice in Neil McCann.
Q How will he be remembered by Dundee fans?
IR: When a boss leaves for a reason other than to go on to a bigger job in a bigger league it is because things have turned sour. Therefore, the bitter memories are fresher than the sweeter ones. I think the fans were just demoralised and deflated by the dire form and results and most turned against him. No one could ever accuse Hartley of not being a grafter, though, and he put his heart and soul into the job. To answer the question in two words: Doon Derby.
EN: A bit of perspective should give him credit for promotion and the short-lived Greg Stewart/Kane Hemmings era. And if his successor keeps them up then history will judge his three-and-a-bit years pretty positively. Also, the cup failures of Dundee managers all tend to merge into one, which is no bad thing for him.
NR: I think he split opinion especially this season and he will probably continue to do so as supporters consider his legacy in years to come. Taking over from John Brown and winning promotion for the club will always be a warm memory for the fans as will a certain derby mentioned by Ian, along with the top six finish two seasons ago. Ironically, how Hartley will ultimately be remembered by the Dark Blue faithful will possibly rest on whether his interim successor McCann can secure Premiership safety.
Q Nobody predicted Neil McCann to replace him, did they?
IR: Err, can I plead not guilty to this one passing us (and everybody else) by as I was on holiday last week?! Only joking. Seriously, though, it did come from left field but it will look like a masterstroke if he leads the club to safety.
EN: They’ve broken the mould for crisis-time appointments, that’s for sure.
NR: Even Roald Dahl couldn’t have come up with this tale of the unexpected. Nelms had been tight-lipped when we put names to him following Hartley’s sacking on Monday but McCann’s was certainly not one of them thrown at him. Even by Dundee standards, his appointment was a shock of seismic proportions.
Q What are McCann’s priorities this week?
IR: Beating Motherwell.
EN: Putting the proverbial arm round the players’ shoulders (there isn’t time for the bad cop routine) and picking a system and sticking with it. 4-5-1 would be my choice.
NR: Instilling some confidence into a group of players who have lost their last seven games and now their long-serving manager. How he does that only he will know but certainly having spoken with him at length on Monday at Dens, I have the feeling he will have his players fired up at Fir Park.
Q Are we already at the ‘must win’ stage for Dundee at Motherwell if they want to avoid the play-offs?
IR: For me, this game is the club’s biggest for many a year, going all the way back to the Deefiant season. It can go very well or very badly. Scenario 1: Ross County beat Inverness on Friday night and Dundee win at Motherwell the next day to go eight points clear of bottom spot. Scenario 2: ICT beat County and the Dark Blues crash to their eighth straight defeat to be only two ahead of the Highlanders and with them still to play. I know which one (1) I prefer.
EN: It’s a must not lose. If Dundee draw but play better, that’s a reasonable start. If they win and play badly, that’ll do nicely as well. Lose and it doesn’t matter how they’ve played.
NR: I just hope the players fully realise the predicament they are in now. It is only a few short weeks ago that they were still talking about the top six and catching St Johnstone. It will require a huge change of mind-set to ready themselves for a relegation dogfight and we will probably only know if they are up for the battle come five o’clock on Saturday.
Q If you were a Dundee supporter would you be wanting Ross County or Inverness Caley Thistle to win the Highland derby on Friday night?
IR: The Staggies – 100%.
EN: I’m with Ian. Staying above Inverness is the number one priority. Even if they have to go into the play-offs, they will be favourites to beat Dundee United, Falkirk or Morton.
NR: Make that three for the Staggies.
Q Looking at the last two games for United and Falkirk. Who do you think will clinch second?
IR: After that gutsy last-gasp goal against St Mirren, I fancy United to win their last two games against Dumbarton on Saturday then away to a Morton team that by then should be stuck in fourth place. Falkirk should beat Queen of the South on Saturday but I have a sneaky feeling they might struggle away to Dumbarton on the final day. Of course, that’s probably wishful thinking . . .
EN: I think they’ll both win their two games and Falkirk will cling on to second.
NR: I honestly think it is too close to call especially from my high vantage point atop that fence!
Q One of the biggest talking points for United fans at the moment is Ray McKinnon’s decision to drop Tony Andreu back into midfield. Are you surprised he has persisted with it?
IR: McKinnon has made the decision in order to partner Thomas Mikkelsen and Simon Murray in attack. It is a gamble but one he is willing to take in order to get the most out of his in-form frontmen.
EN: Murray is suspended for the Morton match so you would expect Andreu to play further forward in that one. The sooner he is back in his favoured position the better as far as I’m concerned.
NR: It is a huge call by the manager but he must believe it is working if he has kept faith with it.
Q Danny Swanson is going to Hibs in the summer, it would appear. Is it a wise move for the player and will he be hard to replace at St Johnstone?
IR: Swanson and Hibs will be a good fit, especially as he is a lifelong fan of the Easter Road club. Of course he has been a big player for Saints this season but that was mainly in the earlier part of the campaign and Saints will be able to replace him without too much trouble.
EN: Stevie May and Michael O’Halloran were more important to Saints in their day than Swanson, as talented a footballer as he undoubtedly is. The team will cope fine. The player? Who was the last one to leave McDiarmid and improve? No, me neither.
NR: The whole Swanson contract situation feels like a longer-running saga than The Archers and thankfully it has now reached a conclusion albeit one that might not please Saints fans. To answer the question, though, Hibs seem an ideal fit for the player while I am certain Tommy Wright is already working on finding a suitable replacement.
Q The Angus teams have all got something to play for at the moment. Are we going to get a title winner and all the rest in the play-offs?
IR: It has been fascinating to see how the results have been panning out, especially the title battle between Forfar and Arbroath in League Two. The Loons have been like a marathon runner looking over their shoulder and desperate not to get passed before the finishing line. I have no idea how that race is going to finish and I imagine neither do the fans of both clubs.
EN: It’s Forfar for the League Two title now, for me. Montrose, Arbroath and Brechin (just) will all be involved in the play-offs. Special mention has to go to Stewart Petrie for the stunning rise up the table he’s masterminded at Links Park.
NR: There should be a nail-biting finish to the campaign for all the Angus clubs but it is great that at this stage of the campaign just about every side in the SPFL has something to play for thanks to the play-off system. It now seems incredible that it took so long to implement it.
