What does a manager want to hear from his club’s owners during the transfer window?
“We can do that,” would be high on the list.
For Tony Docherty, that has been the soundtrack of the January transfer window so far – and it must be music to his ears.
So far, the Dee boss has welcomed Cesar Garza, Aaron Donnelly and Imari Samuels into his squad. And the new arrivals won’t stop there.
Another Mexican star is set to join up from the Dark Blues’ partner club, Monterrey, while securing a loan extension with Burnley for Seun Adewumi is a superb piece of business.
Yes – a few players have bid farewell to Dens Park as the owners seek to balance the books – and it’s possible Rangers target Lyall Cameron could yet join them, although it would take a significant sum for Dundee to part with the midfielder this month, considering they can wait until the end of the season and still expect to be well-compensated.
But for me, the story of Dundee’s transfer window so far is another one where the those holding the purse strings have given the manager their full backing.
So far, that’s been amongst the most impressive things about Tim Keyes and John Nelms – their willingness to put their money where their mouths are.
The seem to see it as their side of the bargain; they have appointed Docherty as boss, so they are duty bound to give him the tools to do the job they want him to do.
Dundee managers who have worked under Keyes and Nelms will know how fortunate they are to have owners who see the game the way they do.
Because not all owners are like that.
For some managers, bringing signings in (particularly in January) can be a nightmare.
They may find themselves having to beg, steal and borrow to appease owners fixated on the bottom line.
Dundee’s owners have not made Tony Docherty do that.
That’s why they are a manager’s dream.
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