James McPake admits he was “embarrassed” to be sacked by Dundee last month.
The former Dark Blues captain’s time as manager at Dens Park was brought to an end a month ago after two-and-a-half years in charge.
Dundee were second-bottom of the Premiership as Mark McGhee took the reins with 13 matches remaining.
And McPake has revealed he didn’t want to leave the house for a couple of weeks, until he heeded some advice from now-Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes.
Speaking to Go Radio, McPake said: “It was maybe a week after the sacking [Derek] called me and just said: ‘Get up, get out the house, why are you sitting in with your head in your hands? Get up and face people.’
“’Get over the embarrassment,’ stuff like that because that was the overriding feeling. I’ll be honest, that’s what it was.
“You lose your job and you’re embarrassed.
Young players
“But you take the time and reflect: Did I leave Dundee in a better place than when I took over? Absolutely.
“I’ll back that.
“Looking where they are just now, people will argue that.
“But, to get out of that Championship is not easy.
“We managed it as a group, not just me, but as a group.
“That’s what Derek kept saying: ‘Look back on the achievement, look at the young players who have made their debuts.’
“Max Anderson, for one, I can’t get my head around why he’s not in the Scotland U/21 squad – he’s made almost 60 appearances and played almost every game in the Premiership this season.
“Dundee are bottom of the league but Max Anderson is one of the reasons they are still within touching distance because he’s been so consistent.”
‘Thought I’d done a rubbish job’
After having time to reflect on his time as Dundee manager, McPake insists his experiences during that time will help him in any future job.
Though he admits at the time he was sacked, any positive thinking was far from his mind.
He added: “I believe myself, my staff and the players did a decent job to get out of that league (the Championship) and we still had a fighting chance in the Premiership.
“We were second bottom when I lost my job but we’d got the quarter-final of the League Cup, we’d got to the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup for only the second time in 10 years.
“At the time I was devastated and thought I’d done a rubbish job.
“But you look at it and reflect on it and I feel I’ve come out of it a better person.
“Hopefully, if I go back into management I’ll go in a better manager.”
McGhee and Rusk
Since the arrival of McGhee and assistant Simon Rusk, Dundee are yet to taste victory and have scored just one goal in their last five matches.
That has seen them drop below St Johnstone to the foot of the Premiership table and lose their game in hand against St Mirren last week.
Asked for his thoughts on the club’s current situation, McPake said: “You’ve got to move on.
“Of course, I have opinions and thoughts on it but I’ll keep them to myself because I’ve got a huge respect for that football club.
“I am hurting they are bottom of the league.”
