LEE WILKIE: Why the Dundee job is perfect for an ambitious manager

The Courier

26-05-2025

The Dundee job is the perfect opportunity for any ambitious manager.
I was a wee bit surprised when Tony Docherty was sacked that they didn't have a replacement lined up.
It's clear that decision wasn't a knee-jerk one made after the final match of the season.
Normally when you know the manager is going to leave, you have an idea of the man who want to replace him.
Now they may well have that in mind, Shaun Maloney seems to be the name in the frame, but want to go through the proper recruitment process.
That could be just dotting the i's and crossing the t's. Or you actually want to see who else is out there.
There will be some very interesting CVs being sent in to Dens Park.
Because Dundee is a serious job for a serious manager right now.
Think back over the years, it has a been a long time since the club was in this kind of position.
They will now be a Premiership club for the third straight season. Off the field there is excitement over the new stadium and training ground.
On the field, they overachieved in Docherty's first season and then underachieved last season.
You need more than one hand to count the number of games where Dundee should have won. In position for victory but throwing it away late on.
That shows a team that isn't far away from finishing much higher.
Plus going into a club that is underachieving is perfect for any confident manager.
I look at Hearts. It's an ideal job for Derek McInnes – it's a big club which underachieved last season, he'll fully back himself to improve things at Tynecastle.
The same can be true for the next man in the Dens Park hotseat.
It's a great time for a new manager to come in.
There is a lot of work to be done on the squad but that also provides scope to really make it your own squad right from the off.
That, though, is something Dens Park chiefs need to be wary about.
If this search for a new boss lingers on and on, transfer targets will get fed up waiting and the players at the club waiting on a new deal will get offers from elsewhere.
Right now, I don't see that as a big issue. Most footballers and managers are on holiday right now and just want to switch off from football.
But it's not good for the boys left in contract limbo like Joe Shaughnessy, Scott Fraser and Charlie Reilly.
In an ideal world they would have wanted told one way or the other two months ago. There's nothing worse than being in this period of the season and you've got no team.
If you have a lot of interest then that's different, you know you'll have a team but just need to make the right decision.
But if you're hoping the club you are at will offer another deal, it's a different story.
Clubs look after themselves and I've seen it far too often at youth and first team level where players are left hanging until the very last day. It is not right.
It is a difficult balance for Dundee. The smart thing to do is take time to get the best manager for the job in place.
But take too long and the club risks been left behind rivals.