My Dundee team are too good to park the bus against Celtic, says Neil McCann

NEIL McCANN insists he will not sell his Dundee stars short by shutting up shop against Celtic.

The Dark Blues welcome Brendan Rodgers’ “Invincibles” to Dens Park in the League Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday night.

Dee gaffer McCann could be forgiven for instructing his misfiring side to park the bus after their sloppy start to the season.

But he will not order his players to run a containment job on the Bhoys – because he believes doing so would be a waste of their talent.

“I am really looking forward to going up against Celtic, a really hard game and test for us in a quarter-final,” said McCann.

“It’s an opportunity to get into a semi-final, so I will need to come up with something that’s strong, that allows us to be hard to break down against a very good Celtic team.

“But also, when we have it, I will be the same – I know it sounds weird off the back of a 4-1 from Rangers – I still want the guys to have the freedom to play.

“Because football is boring if you just think: ‘I am going to try and frustrate for 90 minutes’.

“Somewhere along the line you will come undone against a side like Celtic, so you have to be prepared to play as well.

“We must come up with something that suits us, that allows us to be solid, and try to reduce the spaces that Celtic like to operate in.

“But when we have it I will not just ask them to smash it up the pitch.

“That’s not fair to the fans, and I don’t think it’s fair to the players, because we’ve got good footballers here.

“I don’t want to play like that.”

Celtic were humbled in midweek by Paris St-Germain, a team with a vastly larger budget than their own.

The irony of the situation is not lost on McCann.

But to his credit, the Dark Blues boss will not make excuses along those lines.

“It’s a different standard of player you’re coming up against when you play Celtic,” he conceded.

“I know there is a disparity of budgets, a huge one, but I am delighted with what I have here.

“I really am. I trained with 22 players, all fit, and we had a practice match with subs, and I am getting to the stage where a lot of these guys are getting fit again.

“So I’m not going to cast an envious eye across.

“Every manager in the Premiership would love that type of budget, but we haven’t got it and we’ve got to earn the right to try and compete with what we have.

“I am so happy with the boys I’ve got here. I’ve no doubt that if we get it right from my coaching staff, and they perform on the night at 100%, we can give Celtic a game. Definitely.”