Dundee boss John Brown could end up becoming a victim of his own success since taking over at Dens Park.
The Dark Blues may have finally fallen through the SPL trapdoor at the weekend after only drawing in a contentious match with Aberdeen, but the squad has won new admirers since “Bomber” transformed their fortunes in the short time he has been at the club.
And he is certain sides remaining in the top tier will have set their sights on trying to lure some of his star performers away.
Brown said: “You would think that some of the SPL teams would try and poach one or two of our players away from us.
“I would say in the majority of the games they’ve looked better than their opponents, including the Scottish Cup game with Dundee United. They showed they’re not First Division players.
“Even against Aberdeen last Sunday, they created so many chances which proved they can play at SPL level. I would like to think I’d be able to keep most of the ones who have done well for us.
“But if there are offers on the table from other clubs, then it will be difficult. So I’ll be getting ready to speak to the boys this week who I’d like to keep if we can find a bit of cash in the budget.
“This week I’ll be dealing with the board and the chief executive.”
Brown admitted he had been impressed by the majority of his squad’s work ethic since taking charge at Dens.
He believes his players’ willingness to put in the hard graft allied to the footballing ability they possess will prove invaluable as the Dark Blues look to bounce straight back into the SPL.
Brown said: “I’ve enjoyed working with the boys and I think they’ve enjoyed the change too.
“They’ve been allowed to go and express themselves and one thing they have done is work their socks off. They’ve put in a great shift and if we can retain them for going into the First Division that will be good for the club.
“It won’t be easy. We need fighters and guys who are going to roll their sleeves up, but we also have some good footballers who will play a level of football which will hopefully get us back up.”