The appointment of Derek McInnes as Bristol City manager is not yet cut and dried, after it emerged that both he and rival candidate Mark Robins have strong support in the Ashton Gate boardroom.
The Perth boss headed south for an interview with Bristol chairman Colin Sextone on Monday and remains the favourite to be appointed as boss of the English Championship strugglers later this week.
However, out-of-work former Barnsley manager Robins is understood to be the number-one choice at present of their chief investor and majority shareholder.
The mindset of McInnes himself is still of a St Johnstone manager, not a soon-to-be Bristol one.
Before being interviewed, he said: ”Nothing has been decided one way or another. I have been granted permission to speak to Bristol and that is what I am doing.”
McInnes is keen that his team’s achievement of finishing the first quarter of the SPL with an impressive haul of 18 points isn’t lost amid the publicity of his possible departure.
He pointed out: ”We have lost three games in the SPL, against a Rangers side which remains undefeated, Dunfermline when we missed a penalty and at Easter Road when a penalty decision went against us. We might have had even more points, but every manager would tell you that.
”We have picked up some good wins and we have been very consistent. Going into the recent Kilmarnock game we targeted 18 points and we have done just that. The players deserve enormous credit. We have got to be pleased with that points tally.”
McInnes added: ”It may have been difficult for them given all that has been going on but they concentrated on the game and getting three points.
”If they had shown anything less than the appetite required we might have been in bother. I don’t think I gave the lads enough praise in the immediate aftermath of the win. Their approach and work ethic was different class.”
McInnes revealed that striker Cillian Sheridan, who limped out of the game with a hamstring problem, might yet make the Tannadice derby.
He reported: ”Cillian has been to a chiropractor because it seems to be deferred pain from his back. Hopefully he might respond in time for the weekend game.
”The front two have been doing very well but Marcus Haber and Carl Finnigan have been working hard in training and bounce games. Marcus improved as the game went on and was unlucky not to score himself.”