DENS AXE FALLS ON HARTLEY
Sacked Dundee boss was sure he’d beat drop
PAUL HARTLEY last night insisted he would have saved Dundee from the drop — had the Dens Park club not sacked him with five league games remaining.
The 40-year-old’s three-year stint in charge of the Dark Blues ended yesterday after seven successive defeats had dragged the Tayside club into the play-off place.
Alan Stubbs, Steven Pressley and Jim Duffy are all contenders to be asked to arrest the alarming decline before the club’s next game — Motherwell away from home on April 29
Sportsmail understands the Dens Park board hope to appoint an interim manager from their shortlist within 48 hours but that they remain open to the possibility of offering the right candidate a longer-term arrangement.
Although understanding of the club’s position yesterday,
Hartley felt he’d done enough since taking charge in 2014 to merit enough time to turn the situation around. ‘I’m disappointed not to have been given the chance to see out the remainder of the season because I firmly believe we would have retained our SPFL Premiership status,’ said Hartley. ‘I was confident we would have moved up the league table as there are some excellent players in the dressing room, led by captain Darren O’Dea. ‘However, I respect the decision made by the Dundee FC board and would like to wish everyone success in the final five games of the campaign. ‘I’m very proud of what I achieved at Dundee since I was appointed manager in February, 2014. ‘We won promotion to the SPFL top flight and we finished in the top six. There is no doubt I’m leaving the club in a far stronger position now from when I first joined. ‘I want to thank all my backroom staff, who have been a pleasure to work with and gave me unswerving support, and also thank all the people who work at the club behind the scenes. ‘I’ve met a lot of good people over the years at Dens Park and leave with a lot of happy memories. ‘Finally, I wish the club well in the future and look forward to my next challenge in management.’ Dundee managing director John Nelms said: ‘I want to thank Paul for his time with the club. ‘Unfortunately, the business we are in, sometimes change is necessary to achieve the goals we have set.’