I KNOW HOW TO NEIL AND DEAL

McCann says agency stint gave him the inside track

- BY ANDY NEWPORT

NEIL McCANN is convinced he can drive a hard bargain for Kilmarnock in the transfer window - because he knows all the old tricks used by agents.

The former Dundee and Inverness gaffer is back in management at Rugby Park after his latest stint working as a pundit on TV and radio.

But McCann has also built up a wealth of experience around the negotiating table, having combined his shifts in the studio with a sideline consulting for one of the game's major agency firms.

And he reckons he'll be able to spot the tactics employed by player reps a mile off.

McCann said: “The agency work is a tough environment. I was fascinated about dealing with directors of football, sporting directors and managers.

“What it did do is allow me to get involved in how the dynamics of contracts work, negotiations of contracts, the subtleties of durations of a contract, how players react, all that stuff.

“It’s actually been really good information for getting into a job like this at Kilmarnock because now when I’ve got an agent phoning me up, I'm going, Aye, aye, I've heard that wee trick!’