Rookie Neil McCann '˜has no fear' of Dundee challenge

Neil McCann was unveiled as Dundee's interim manager at Dens Park last night. Picture Alan HArvey/SNS

McCann, the surprise appointment to replace the sacked Paul Hartley, is a popular former player at Dens. But other than a spell under Jim Jefferies at Dunfermline, he lacks coaching experience.

The 42 year-old must arrest a seven-match losing run and inspire a dressing room lacking in confidence.

John Nelms, Dundee’s managing director, described McCann, who has initially been appointed on an interim basis, as “the best man for the job”. He was first choice to steer the club away from relegation trouble in their five, possibly seven, remaining games. Dundee lie in 11th place, two points behind Motherwell and Hamilton Accies, and could face a Premiership play-off.

McCann acknowledged appointing a novice manager represented a risk on the club’s part. “It is but I went into Sky Sports having no experience of live television,” he said. “You don’t excel or become successful unless you are prepared to put 100 per cent in.

“You can’t go over 100 per cent because that is all you have got.

“I have always done that and I am pleased to say it has brought me rewards as a footballer. I also enjoyed the job I was in at Sky but this opportunity was too good to turn down.

“Sky have been fantastically supportive in terms of giving me this opportunity to come out of the comfy chair, as people call it, and go into the firing line. But I’ve not got any fear.”

McCann will take training tomorrow and Friday at Dundee before fulfilling his Sky commitments at the two Scottish Cup semi-finals at Hampden Park this weekend.

“Neil was our first choice,” stressed Nelms. “He’s been in this situation with us before. He knows loads about the club.

“At Sky Sports he often gets better angles than we do at times.

‘The passion which Neil has for this organisation… there’s not a better person for the job,” added the American.

McCann went on: “There are no half measures. I am in tomorrow and after the weekend that’s me until we get ourselves out of trouble.”

He is convinced Dundee have all the talent needed to steer away from the bottom two places, beginning against Motherwell at Fir Park a week on Saturday.

“I am going into this with my eyes wide open,” he said.

McCann stressed he had “full confidence” in the players. “They have to believe though,” he added. “You can talk until you are blue in the face. But those guys have to believe they are good enough. They are good enough – I know that. I will keep telling them that. But until they cross the line and show people they are good enough, that’s when we find out.”

Not for the first time McCann returns with an intention to rescue Dundee, who slipped into a relegation play-off place after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Hamilton Accies.

He answered the call six years ago when the club cast out the net for “trialists” while in administration and having been handed a 25 point penalty together with a signing ban by the Scottish Football League.

McCann, who started his career at Dundee before spells at Hearts and Rangers, was training with St Johnstone at the time while working at Sky but hadn’t played for nearly two years.

It was a gamble that paid off. He scored a winner six minutes into injury time against Raith Rovers to further burrow into the fans’ affections.

“It was the same thing as coming in here now,” he recalled. “‘Oh he’s the guy off the telly’. Quite quickly I embedded myself in the squad. I couldn’t believe how the game went of course, scoring on my (second) debut.

“But those are things you can’t purchase in life. They are gifts given to you. So that was a trying time for the club. I understand what they were going through. I was a tiny part of the ‘Dee-fiant’ season. But I was proud to play a part in it. This is the next chapter.”

McCann’s first chapter at Dundee is equally celebrated. He scored against Airdrie in 1995 to secure a League Cup final place and help secure Dundee’s financial future.

With then owner Ron Dixon ready to pull the plug, his winner earned Dundee a much-needed windfall. It is remembered as the goal that saved the club. He noted the wallpaper had not changed since those days n the lounge where he was speaking last night.

So there’s little doubt McCann will be warmly welcomed by the Dundee fans. But even the most fervent supporter will harbour doubts about appointing someone with no managerial experience at such a critical juncture of the season.