Gordon Strachan quizzed on Dundee FC role.

The former Scotland manager returned to Dens Park in 2019 as technical director.

Dundee is a “labour of love” for Gordon Strachan, who claimed that his work as technical director at Dens Park entails making “no decisions.”

Strachan returned to his first club in 2019, following a successful playing career at Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds, and Coventry, as well as managerial stints at the Sky Blues, Southampton, Celtic, and Scotland.

He started at Dens as a teenager in the early 1970s and played 91 games for the Dark Blues before moving to Aberdeen in 1977.

He won the Scottish Premiership twice, three Scottish Cups, the European Cup Winners’ Cup, and the European Super Cup before embarking on a lengthy career in England.

‘This is ludicrous’

Following his departure as Scotland boss in 2017, Strachan became “fascinated” by youth football.

After traversing the world to learn more, he contacted his former team Dundee to see if he could watch training.

He then returned to play for his first senior club. “As soon as I finished at Scotland, I got onto my high horse about youth football,” Strachan told me.

“So I travelled throughout the world to explore various sites. “I was in Belarus, Canada, and other countries, including Athletic Bilbao. “I went to all these venues to speak with folks. But I still have my own stuff. “So I called Dundee and planned to go up to see them. Stephen Wright (DFC’s academy director) had just taken over.

“About half past four, I asked him where he was training. He said, ‘I don’t know yet’. They weren’t sure where they were training at night.

“And when I arrived, they were all crammed into one pitch, approximately four teams.

“I felt this was ridiculous. “I didn’t want to do anything, but John [Nelms] called and asked, ‘I hear you want to do something with the kids?'”

“So I went up there and we set all that up.

“And I’m really pleased with the people I work with. I’m really pleased. Proud of people like Stephen Wright, Scott Robertson, Kevin Garrick, Jamie McBrearty, all these guys have done really well.

“We’re at the stage where we’re at the RPC (Regional Performance Centre) and everybody knows where we are.

“And some of the kids have come along smashing, really proud of them.

“Really proud.”

‘I make no decisions’

Strachan joined Chris Sutton, Kris Boyd, and Steven Naismith on the SPFL’s The Warm-Up podcast for a lengthy discussion about Scottish football.

When Naismith asked Strachan about his work as technical director at Dundee, he said, “At Dundee, it’s a labour of love, right?” So you can figure it out for yourself.

Just a work of love. “Again, it’s back to coaching. I enjoy seeing individuals achieve well. So my main goal is to ensure that everyone is connected and understands what is going on.

“We established the philosophies to try to play as children; today it’s the philosophy to ensure everyone is communicating and everything else.

“Trying to help. I make no decisions. Let’s get that right. Which I don’t want to make.

“So I make no decisions. I’ve had enough of decisions.

Consequences

“But what I do is when people ask, ‘What do you think of this?’ “I answer, ‘Well, the ramifications will be this, this, and this’. “That is what I do.”

I basically tell people what the implications are. “I talked to Scott Robertson the other day. He asks, ‘What do you think? I’m playing this. Look at this player. “‘You’re reading too much into it. The man is all right.

He’s OK. “So it’s just small stuff, and you stroll around. So, it is what I do. It simply keeps me in the great world of football. “Talking with people, laughing, giggling, and smashing. So that’s what I do.

“My wife is from Dundee as well, so it takes us back up there and allows me to see my mother. “So there is a reason for coming back to Scotland.”

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