Ray McKinnon admits his first few months at Dundee United may have put years on him and, in the dozen years since he first became a manager, he’s never known a hectic period like this.
But with the Championship season just days away, the Tangerines’ new gaffer is quietly optimistic all the hard graft he and his staff have been putting in over the summer will prove worth it.
Since he was unveiled as successor to Mixu Paatelainen back on May 12, Ray has been working around the clock to turn things round at United.
Coming into the job with his eyes open, he always knew it was a task that would be a race against time.
With a vastly-reduced budget and around a dozen players set to depart, just getting a decent team on the park in time for the start of the new campaign looked a daunting challenge.
Seven signings later — an eighth could come soon in the shape of Dutchman Christian Supusepa — he has good reason to feel satisfied.
And he’s also pleased to report Tannadice is a much happier place to turn up for work at than when he walked through the doors just a week or so after relegation.
“I’ve aged about 10 years. It has been a long summer, a hard summer.
“Just trying to get the people I want in and turning things round in terms of atmosphere hasn’t been easy.
“It’s been tough but it’s been enjoyable.”
Before his explanation of what exactly his early priorities were, it should be stressed all that was said with a smile.
Hard as the work’s been, he’s loving the job and the changes he’s been able to make so far.
“Probably the big change in personnel has been important.
“We’ve got seven new players in and that’s been a big job but it was what we had to do.
“And creating a nice atmosphere for the players to work in has been a big thing as well.
“That’s something we’ve been trying to do and it has helped. We want everyone to come in here happy, wanting to come to training and be happy to be here.”
Anyone who deals with the manager knows he’s someone who is easy to get along with.
But that and his desire to make United a happy ship should not be mistaken for a soft streak.
Easy going as he may seem, there is no question who the boss is. Standards have been set and rules laid down. Anyone who doesn’t adhere to them is a fool — that’s crystal clear.
“We treat them (the players) well but they have to buy into the same thing and act accordingly.
“We’ve changed wee things. All the kids get jobs, nobody eats after quarter to ten in the morning, every training session has to be a high standard — blah, blah, blah.
“And what I do is treat the players like I wanted to be treated when I was a player.
“But it goes hand-in-hand — if we treat them well, they’ve got to behave well.”
He’s pleased to report so far he’s got the response he wanted, hence his optimism about the league campaign.
But he knows this is only a start. The real test comes from Saturday onwards and Ray is under no illusion that, as happy as he is with the progress so far, there is still a long way to go.
“It’s about how we go forward and how we keep improving as a team and there’s lots of room for improvement.
“It’s about focusing on that and what we do as a team, what we have to do together because we are in a very tough league.
“Everybody, myself and the players, that’s what we’re concentrating on.”
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