Tony Docherty breaks Dundee sack silence as he eyes quickfire dugout return
In an exclusive interview with Record Sport, Docherty insists he looks back on his time at Dens Park with pride
Tony Docherty insists he's itching to get back into management after his shock sacking by Dundee.
Docherty was surprisingly axed by Dees chiefs at the end of the season - less than 24 hours after guiding the club to Premiership survival.
He's since been replaced by Steven Pressley, an appointment that has gone down like a lead balloon with supporters.
But the 54-year-old has revealed he's ready to make a quick-fire return to the dugout after a rollercoaster two years at Dens Park.
He told Record Sport: "Absolutely. I'm open to anything. I've been in the game a long, long time.
"I've been 25 years in dressing rooms at first team level as a coach, as an assistant manager and most recently as a manager.
"I just love that environment. I've got that educational background. That's my passion. My passion is improving and developing players and I'm just looking forward to the next opportunity I get to do that."
Docherty had been Derek McInnes' long-serving right-hand man at St Johnstone, Bristol City, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock before deciding to go out on his own in 2023.
In his debut season in Tayside, Docherty impressively led Dundee to their first top-six finish in nine years and earned multiple Manager of the Year nominations.
He nurtured one of the youngest squads in the top-flight, handing more minutes to Under-21 players than any other boss.
Experienced Docherty also played a key role in the development of breakout stars Luke McCowan and Lyall Cameron, who have since sealed life-changing moves to Celtic and Rangers
And Docherty was the man who ended Dundee's 69-year wait for a derby win in the Scottish Cup, as well as leading them to their first win at Tannadice in two decades.
Asked if he reflects on his time at the helm with pride, he said: "Yeah, I think so. I look back on it, and there's a lot within that as well, like your record-breaking derby wins.
"Sometimes it can be challenging when you improve and develop players, particularly the young players. I take a lot of pride in the fact that there was a stat out just recently, they were saying about how much we were the youngest team in the league.
"So I take pride in that as well, knowing that I played a big part. Not just your boys that you mentioned there, but Owen Beck, Ziyad Larkeche, Aaron Donnelly, Oluwaseun Adewumi... you could go through them all.
"I do look back on it with a good sense of pride, but as I say, that chapter's gone now and it's about moving on to the next challenge."
Docherty isn't wasting his time by sitting around waiting for the phone to ring for a new job.
He spent last week sharing his experience and skills at Oriam as part of the Scottish FA's Uefa A Licence coaching course.
Docherty - who revealed he's been sent messages of support by other SPFL bosses - added: "Yeah, I've been busy. I always keep myself busy anyway, but I was down at the SFA A Licence Course, taking the coaches through, being on the staff there with a lot of former managers like Robbie Neilson, Callum Davidson and Jack Ross, boys like that.
"So I really enjoyed that. I'm keeping myself busy just waiting for the next challenge.
"Football's football. You move on as quickly as you can. I look back on my time at Dundee with real pride, particularly with guys like McCowan, Cameron, Beck and Josh Mulligan.
"I would like to think I played a pivotal part in their development and I'm just readying myself for the next challenge."
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