The gift that keeps giving


McGhee attended a game at St Mirren alongside pal Gordon Strachan to back the manager. Four months later – despite winning two games on the bounce – McPake was fired and McGhee took over.

When he was unveiled on Tayside, McGhee said: “I went to a game when James was under pressure.

“Gordon said: ‘Come on, we’ll go and give him a bit of moral support.’ And we did.”

But McPake has only spoken to McGhee once – in 2008 when he tried to sign the ex-defender for Motherwell.

Asked about McGhee’s claim of being in Paisley to back him, McPake said: “The only support I needed was from my family, staff, players and other managers. And I fully believe I had that.”