Speaking exclusively to BOYLE Sports , Dundee technical director Gordon Strachan has detailed his behind-the-scenes role at the club where his football career began.
Strachan has explained how his remit has shifted from the academy toward recruitment and mentoring, praised the open-minded management of Steven Pressley , and insisted the tactical decisions remain entirely the manager's.
The former Scotland boss has also hailed the Dundee academy after Luke Graham 's Scotland debut, and set out why loan football and a high volume of games are building the club's young talent the right way.
The Role
What Do You See Your Technical Director Role As?
My role has changed over the years. Eight years ago, when I first started, my job was to restructure the academy, set up youth development, mentor the manager, and help in any way I could. Over the years since then, that focus has shifted. Because of the excellent work by Stephen Wright , Scott Robertson , and Kevin Garrick , who are as good as you'll ever get at running those areas, I spend less time there now. My input has shifted more toward recruitment and speaking with Steven Pressley .
The way I work over the last four or five years is that I make no direct decisions on anything that happens at Dundee . But if anyone asks for my input, whether it's looking at a player to sign, or helping a family considering moving their son to England , I step in to offer advice. I'm not sitting in an office all the time, but if anyone in the football organisation has a problem, we sit down and chat through the options. It's entirely up to them what they decide to do, but I can lay out the likely consequences based on what I've seen over my career.
It's a labour of love for me because I started my football career at Dundee and my wife is from there. Like every fan, I'm desperate to see a new stadium because it will change how people perceive Dundee Football Club and the area as a whole. If people see a brand new, state-of-the-art stadium that acts as a community hub, it will change perspectives on the town itself. There is a real opportunity to transform how Dundee is viewed, but the project has been blocked for about eight years now, which is a touchy subject.
Steven Pressley
What Has Most Impressed You About Steven Pressley's Management?
Steven is in his 50s now and very open-minded. Like most managers, when he first arrived he had a clear idea of how he wanted to play. We've all done it as managers; you start out thinking, this is my exact system, before realising you need to adapt to the squad you have. What's best is finding a system that fits your best players and meets the challenges of this league. Steven changed his approach midway through last season, and it worked. Then, due to player turnover in the summer, he reassessed things again.
That's the challenge for teams like Dundee , Motherwell , Kilmarnock , and St Mirren ; we can't always offer long-term contracts, so there is a constant turnover of players. Steven evaluated the best way for us to play this season and adjusted, and the players look comfortable with it. He has brought a fresh perspective to how we attack while remaining firm on defensive principles. If he asks for my opinion, I'll share my thoughts, but the tactical decisions and work are entirely his.
The Academy
Is There More Talent to Come From Dundee's Academy?
To be fair, we're really pleased with our academy over the years. Lyall Cameron went to Rangers , Josh Mulligan went to Hibs , and over the last 18 months, three young players from our academy have moved to English clubs. That means six academy players have earned major moves recently. Naturally, we would prefer it if players stayed and played over 100 senior games for us like Lyall , Josh , and Luke Graham before moving on, but we would never stand in a young player's way.
It shows the great work being done by Kevin Garrick , Stephen Wright , Scott Robertson , Greg , and Jamie McBrearty , who put this whole package together. Going back to Luke Graham , I spent time with him in La Manga recently during the Scotland trip. You can't easily create strong character in players without testing them, so we deliberately put challenges in our young players' way to test them mentally and physically. Luke played 55 games in a season recently, which would be unheard of in English Under-21 football. To reach the top level, you have to learn how to handle playing a high volume of matches and build resilience through hard work.
When I first joined Dundee , there was only one player out on loan; last season we had 14. Sending players out on loan builds their fitness and match readiness in proper competitive football. I remember talking to Luke when he played at left-back against St Johnstone in ridiculous heat, just to teach him what was required in that role. He has responded brilliantly, and his form is flying right now, which is fantastic to see. We firmly believe we are developing young players the right way.
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