Hartley sacked by Dee

After six straight defeats, Dundee’s subsequent loss to Hamilton proved to be the final straw for boss Paul Hartley who was sacked on Monday.

The following day he was replaced by Neil Mccann, as interim manager at least until the end of the season.

In a statement, former Hamilton midfielder Hartley expressed his disappointment at not being given the chance to get the Taysiders out of relegation trouble.

He said:“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.

“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.”