Dundee boss Mark McGhee has survived his week without heating so far, joking the weather on the “east coast Riviera” made life with cold radiators more bearable.
The Dens Park boss caused a stir this week after revealing his bizarre plan to go cold and hungry in preparation for Saturday’s big home clash with St Johnstone.
In an interview with Sky Sports, McGhee explained his thinking behind the move in the hope it might inspire his players to alter their approach to the must-win game.
‘Caught people’s imagination’
“I’m trying to get the message across that unless you change something, nothing changes,” he said.
“To be successful you need to make sacrifices.
“You have to do something about it.
“The boys have been fantastic, the quality of training has been the best it has been since we’ve been here.
“All I’m trying to do is give them ways of finding a little bit more in themselves, asking a little bit more of themselves and challenge themselves a wee bit.
“I used two things that I just plucked out of the air to try to demonstrate how you do that.
“It’s caught people’s imagination, which is great, because that’s what I was trying to do.”
Sacrifices
He added: “It was more ‘what can I do?’
“Out of the blue, I decided I wasn’t going to use the heating and I said that.
“I’ve done that.
“There’s a little diet that Lesley Strachan, Gordon Strachan’s wife, gave me some time ago which works.
Mark McGhee is box office 🍿 never a dull moment being a Dundee fan https://t.co/4letdrmdF3
— Aarryn Jackson (@Aarrynjackson96) April 19, 2022
“I decided to show that discipline this week, I was going to do that.
“I hope the players understand that when I arrive at the game on Saturday having made these little sacrifices I’ll feel slightly more entitled to get a good result.
“I’ll feel as if I have done something about it for myself.”
So, how cold was it?
Fortunately for McGhee the cold snap earlier this month has given way to milder spring weather.
And he’s thankful for that.
“It’s not been too cold – to be fair, I don’t know if it was frost on the windows whether I could have done without the heating!” McGhee joked.
🗣️"I'm trying to get the message across that unless you change something, nothing changes. To be successful you need to make sacrifices."
Mark McGhee looks ahead to Dundee versus St Johnstone and explains why he's turned his heating off and gone on a diet ahead of Saturday👇 pic.twitter.com/4TgOo88XB7
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) April 21, 2022
“But, it’s been absolutely fine, the glorious east coast Riviera here in Broughty Ferry and Dundee is a nice place to live.”
Player scepticism?
In his original interview, McGhee admitted he had spoken to captain Charlie Adam about his plan only to be told he was “off his head” by the former Scotland man.
Asked whether he has come across any scepticism from the playing squad, the Dundee boss replied: “I didn’t want them to go on diets and without heating, I just wanted them to understand the psychology of that kind of sacrifice.
“Of having to do something about it.
“Hopefully, it worked.”
