Tuesday 18 April 2017 19:53, UK
Dundee have appointed Neil McCann as their interim manager until the end of the season.
McCann, one of Sky Sports' Scottish football pundits, replaces Paul Hartley who was sacked on Monday after a run of seven successive defeats.
He spent time as a coach on the staff at Dunfermline Athletic before moving into television, and while at East End Park he worked alongside current Dens Park assistant Gerry McCabe.
McCann will need to stem Dundee's losing run, with their last win having come on February 25 at the end of a month when Hartley was named manager of the month.
The losing streak has seen Dundee drop to 11th - the relegation play-off place - with five games remaining, five points clear of bottom side Inverness but only five points behind Kilmarnock in seventh.
McCann started his playing career with the club and spent five years at Dens Park, moving on to represent Hearts and Rangers before trying his luck in England with Southampton.
The 42-year-old also came out of retirement to play for Dundee in 2011, appearing in three more games and scoring a goal in his first outing.
"I'm very excited," McCann told Sky Sports News HQ. "This is a football club where I have many happy memories. I started here and then came out of retirement to come back and play three games, when they were in administration and a very precarious position.
"That worked out fine and I am hoping this decision does, to come out of the comfy chair and help steer the club to safety. That's my goal and I am very honoured to be given the opportunity.
"It's going to be difficult because the other sides around us are fighting to get away from the relegation zone and the play-off zone will believe they are good enough to do that.
"The team have been struggling to find the wins but I think they are well capable. I've done a number of live games, seen them myself live, and I know what they are capable of.
"It's my job to get the boys lifted, try and get that confidence, come up with my game plan and tactics. If that is implemented right, then it is down to the boys and I've no doubt we have enough in that dressing room to get us out of trouble."
McCann will be in the Sky Sports studio this weekend at Hampden Park for the Scottish Cup semi-finals, with Aberdeen and Hibs facing off on Saturday and Glasgow rivals Celtic and Rangers meeting on Sunday.
