Mark McGhee insists it's ridiculous to suggest his appointment at Dundee is "underwhelming".
The new Dens Park boss takes charge of his first match - albeit from the stands as he serves a suspension - after replacing James McPake in midweek as the relegation-threatened Dark Blues face Premiership leaders Celtic.
There's been a lukewarm reaction to the 64-year-old's appointment among sections of the Dundee support, with some pundits claiming a "jobs for the boys" scenario with Gordon Strachan working at Dens.
But McGhee is adamant that it's an "insult" to both himself and Strachan to suggest he only got the job because of his relationship with the former Scotland boss.
"Underwhelmed? What, with promotions at Millwall, Reading? Through my career keeping teams up at Wolves and Motherwell?
"Underwhelmed is ridiculous. If my age or whatever leads to a bit of doubt, then fine.
"But underwhelmed is really unfair."
On Strachan's influence in the appoinment, he continued: "Again, you insult Gordon Strachan and you insult me. Gordon Strachan clearly had an influence in me getting the job, he's doing a role at Dundee and it's not a first-team role - he's not involved in the first team.
"Go interview James and ask what role Gordon played in his time at Dundee.
"So, of course, when the chairman or owner asked him: 'What about Mark McGhee?' I'm sure Gordon Strachan would've given me some sort of support to get the role.
"That's as far as it went. I've not known about this job coming for months and months, weeks and weeks, breathing down James McPake's neck - nothing like that.
"It was last minute and when I got the call, I said yes."
