Dundee manager James McPake is under no illusions what his future holds if he doesn’t turn his side’s fortunes around soon.
The Dark Blues head to high-flying Hearts on Wednesday rock bottom of the Premiership having not won a league match in their last nine outings.
And pressure is rising on the Dens boss with supporters making their feelings clear after the weekend defeat to Ross County.
He is, however, bullish about his ability to turn things around and get the Dark Blues away from the drop.
He said: “I’m not being cocky or trying to be clever in saying I don’t feel pressure of losing my job.
“If I don’t win games of football in a results-driven business then I know what is going to happen.
“The pressure I feel is to get this team winning games.
‘A dream to be manager of this football club’
“I would rather take all the pressure and allow the players to play with freedom.
“It hurts me a lot, I will say that.
“I’ve been at this club eight years now. I’ve been through a lot here, good and bad. It hurts me a lot when we don’t win.
“That’s where the pressure comes.
“Do I feel over-awed or if I’m sinking with the pressure? No.
“But we’re not doing what we should be doing, we should be getting up and cementing our place in this division.
“We still have a chance of doing that but we need to act quickly and be a lot better.
“In terms of pressure, it will always be there.
“I don’t want to belittle that and make it sound like I don’t care, it’s not that.
“It’s a dream to be manager of this football club.
“We’ve won promotion but for every high there are lows. We have to fight and battle our way out of it.
“That’s what we’ll do.”
Talks with Nelms and Strachan
McPake has had discussions with managing director John Nelms and technical director Gordon Strachan over the team’s run of results.
Being able to lean on the experience of former Scotland and Celtic boss Strachan has always been of great use to the 37-year-old Dundee boss.
But he admits relationships like that, however positive, can’t continue unless results change.
McPake added: “I’ve spoken to Gordon (Strachan) and spoken to John (Nelms).
“Gordon is fantastic for us.
“We are young, we get that, but we are going to learn. We’ll keep fighting, that’s one thing we will do.
“We’re certainly not going to give up, it’s not in any of our natures. It’s not in the nature of the players.
“At the end of the day, it is a results-driven business and those relationships and conversations don’t mean a thing if we don’t pick up results.
“I’m not naïve enough to ignore that.
“Your only collateral as a manager is getting results and, at the minute, I’m not getting results.
“My sole aim is to turn that around.”
