Tony Docherty has had opportunities to go it alone before – and turned them down.
But when Dundee came calling his ‘gut’ left him in no doubt that the time was finally right.
Docherty has racked up over 700 games as assistant to Derek McInnes at St Johnstone, Bristol City, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock.
It was a partnership that served both men well.
But Docherty has long harboured ambitions to strike out alone as a manager – and when the chance to join Dundee arose, advice from a late dugout legend convinced him to take the plunge.
“This is a football club that’s on a real upwards trajectory,” he said.
EXCLUSIVE FIRST INTERVIEW WITH TONY DOCHERTY
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“They’ve just won a championship and I know how difficult that is to do.
“I was given the tour of the facilities and I see the new stadium plans and it’s a club on the up.
“With my relationship with Gordon Strachan, it feels like the right time for me.
“That’s just the feeling I get. Something I go back to in all my experience is when I was doing my pro license and all these guys came in to do presentations and Walter Smith, God rest him, gave a speech and his biggest message was: ‘Go with your gut.’
“That’s what I’ve done. I’ve gone with my gut. I’ve done my due diligence and looked at it. At this stage of my career I like to think I’ve been a successful assistant who has worked under a brilliant manager, it’s not my time, it feels and I’d like to give it my best shot.
“Any job you go into you see the risk and reward and my gut tells me this is the one.”
In 16 years as Derek McInnes’ No. 2, Docherty has lifted silverware, won promotion, experienced cup finals, European campaigns and title-pushes.
He has just helped keep Kilmarnock in their successful battle against relegation.
With that job done, Docherty revealed his long-time professional partner was delighted the opportunity at Dundee had come his way.
“He was absolutely brilliant. Derek is my mate,” said Docherty.
“He’s a good friend and he understands me. We have been through a hell of a lot together outwith football. It’s not just been in football.
“We have been through loads of life events together in our 15 years. He knows my family, I know his family well and he understands that getting to the stage of my career now it’s about taking that opportunity, that I think is the right one.
“He trusts my judgement that this is the right one.
‘Ambitious person’
“Listen, he will still be my mate — apart from when we play them and I’ll be fighting like mad with him.
“But it was a very understanding, mutual thing. He was on the phone just 20 minutes ago.”
Asked whether he felt people would be surprised by his decision,Docherty was decisive.
“No I don’t because anyone who knows me knows I’ve always been an ambitious person,” he said.
“Everything I have achieved with Derek we have achieved together, but there does come a time when you want to test yourself and see if you can emulate what we have done as a partnership.
“I would only do it if it felt right — and it felt right.”
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