‘YOU SUFFER’

Dundee boss James McPake has revealed this season’s 5-0 loss to Ross County was the worst night he has ever had in football.

The Staggies entered that game without a win but managed to kick five men from McPake to Dens.

The two sides will meet again this weekend.

Ahead of the draw, McPake recounted how the loss lasted for days.

He said: “It was my worst football night, the worst football days after that too.

“Until we went to St Mirren and won this game. Even that didn’t make up for it.

“Getting three points at St Mirren was really important after the Ross County game.

“We will use this game.”

McPake turned to Scottish legend Gordon Strachan, the club’s technical director, for advice. But even he couldn’t say much – he just had to suck.

When asked how to deal with it, Strachan simply replied “You are in pain”.

McPake added: “I got some great advice from Gordon who said there was basically nothing he could tell me you are going to suffer.

“You have to. The staff and the players are suffering too.

As a player I was terrible after a loss, but as a manager it intensifies because you absolutely question everything.

“But when you’re the manager, you feel like you’ve let the whole football club down.

“That’s why you stay awake. Gordon said he would watch westerns at 4 a.m. because he couldn’t sleep.

“If someone like Gordon, who has been so high in football, is still in pain after a loss, then I will, being new to it.”