Tony Docherty admits he is constantly exploring new avenues to gain a sporting edge – including reading a former Dundee United boss’s book.
Every day is a school day for the Dundee manager, who completed a post-graduate qualification last year, works with the SFA and is never slow to pick the brains of people from other sports.
Docherty is also an avid reader and is currently completing “The First 100 days: Lessons In Leadership From The Football Bosses”, which was co-authored by ex-Terrors manager Micky Mellon.
The book contains contributions from the likes of Sam Allardyce, David Moyes and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Docherty admits he is enjoying it.
The 52-year-old said: “I am probably an educationalist. When I went out of work at Aberdeen, I did the LMA (League Managers Association) course on football management.
“It was a University of Liverpool degree and you pick up so much from other sports and different areas of your own sport.
“I also do a lot of work with the SFA in between, doing the coaching courses and I have also spoken to a few of the rugby boys.
“There are loads you can get from sports and business. You adapt things to your environment.
“Footballers are also human beings. It is trying to manage and get the best out of them.
“Any opportunity or research I can do, then I will do it.
“It is keeping up to date with what is new and relative. Keeping yourself current is important and I am quite big on that.
“I am reading Micky Mellon’s book ‘The First 100 days’. It is really good.
“I love that and all the high-performance podcasts. You need to be current and relevant.
“The more experienced players are all doing that and looking for that marginal gain. If you don’t do that then you are getting left behind.”
Tony Docherty relishing being own man
Docherty is in Ireland at the moment with Dundee having two games against Bray Wanderers on Wednesday night and then another friendly with Scott Brown’s Fleetwood Town on Saturday.
The manager, who was previously Derek McInnes’s long-term assistant, admits he is enjoying being a boss in his own right for the first time, even if it is giving him some sleepless nights.
Docherty added: “The buck stops with me now, they are my decisions. I am really, really enjoying it.
“I felt ready for it. I had served a long apprenticeship as an assistant manager.
“You are not getting a lot of sleep because you are always thinking about things.”
Docherty also declared what he believes is Dundee’s No.1 priority this season as they prepare to make their return to the Premiership.
He stated: “The first objective, as the newly-promoted club – and I have done it before, albeit as an assistant with St Johnstone and Kilmarnock – has to be survival.
“We will have internal objectives that we’ll keep to ourselves.
“We don’t look further beyond that just now.”
