Mark McGhee has turned to some very old school approaches to try and save Dundee from automatic relegation back to the Championship.
Saturday’s home match against St Johnstone is effectively the Last Chance Saloon with Dundee five points adrift with five matches left to play.
With St Mirren, in third bottom place, 11 points ahead of Dundee there is virtually no chance of reaching safety with a win over St Johnstone opening the door to a play-off place.
McGhee hasn’t won any of the 10 matches that he has been in charge of since replacing James McPake, desperate times often bring out the worst in people with the Dens Park boss switching off the heating and cutting out the fizzy drinks, crisps, sweets and sausage suppers in a bid to get a win on Saturday.
Speaking to the Daily Record, McGhee revealed:
I’m going to tell you something really silly. I was trying to make a point with this with Charlie on Monday and he ended up taking the mickey out of me.
There are two things I’m doing this week to focus us on getting the win. The first thing, I’ve gone on a diet so I’m hungry all the time. I can then ask myself why am I hungry – and I am hungry because there is a big game on Saturday.
The second thing I’m doing, and I’ve also told Charlie I am doing this, I won’t be using any heating. So I will be cold. I then ask myself why am I cold – and I can say because of the game on Saturday.
It’s not the two things of being cold and hungry but it’s the principle of it because I am asking my own players to make this game as important in their own minds. I want them to focus on the game and this is what I am doing to make sure they are focused.
McGhee is on a short term contract until the end of the season.
