He tried everything and couldn’t find the answer

PRIOR to winning at Dens Park on Saturday, Hamilton had failed to register a victory away from home in almost a year. They are also the lowest scorers across all four divisions of Scottish football.

The ease with which they dispatched Dundee made it clear there was no way back for Paul Hartley. Truth be told, some fans felt that the 7-0 home drubbing against Aberdeen should have been the final straw back on March 31.

Hartley was allowed to carry on, but, as the reality of a seventh consecutive defeat hit home, he very much gave the impression of a man who knew his time was now up.

As he took his seat in the Dens Park media room on Saturday night, Hartley was asked about what he can do to change an utterly ruinous run of form which has seen the Dark Blues plummet from the top six into the relegation play-off spot.

‘It is hard to change it because we’ve done everything we can,’ said the 40-year-old. ‘In terms of systems, players, different shapes, we’ve done everything.

‘We are trying to find a way to win a game and we are not quite doing it. We are not quite good enough at the moment.’

Here was an acceptance from Hartley that this current group of players are patently not performing. It was a stark realisation that the men whom he signed and put faith in are not up to scratch.

Plainly, he must shoulder some of the blame for that. His recruitment over the past 12 months was average at best. Damningly, Greg Stewart remains Dundee’s joint-top scorer this season despite leaving for Birmingham back in August.

It wasn’t just the fact they lost, but it would have been the manner of Saturday’s defeat which convinced the board to relieve Hartley of his duties. A chronic lack of confidence saw them essentially play like the away team.

Deeper and deeper they dropped, with players looking scared to make themselves available for the ball.

Chopping and changing between formations confused them, of that there is no question. The 4-4-2 which was used so effectively to defeat Rangers 2-1 and Motherwell 5-1 in February was again ditched against Hamilton in favour of 3-4-2-1.

Cammy Kerr at left wing-back, Tom Hateley at right wing-back, Kevin Holt at centre-half, James Vincent on the pitch in any capacity; these were square pegs in round holes for Dundee.

Hateley was directly at fault for Hamilton’s opening goal by having a wild swipe at Dougie Imrie to concede a penalty. He was an empty jersey for 90 minutes — hiding, as one punter shouted at him. But, playing out of position, was it really a surprise?

Losing Stewart, Kane Hemmings and Gary Harkins last summer was a huge blow. The trio were Dundee’s three main attacking weapons.

Stewart and Hemmings were more prolific, but it was the departure of Harkins which caused a rift between Hartley and a section of the dressing room.

Again, it all comes back to recruitment. Is Paul Hartley a bad coach? No, not at all. Let’s not forget he was Manager of the Month as recently as February.

If Dundee’s run of form continues, there is every possibility that he has a better chance of operating in next season’s Premiership than they do. Make no mistake, he won’t be short of offers even if, during the latter stages of his Dens Park tenure, he seemed to be steering his team onto the rocks.