Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson has defended the way Jackie McNamara’s departure was handled, stating he at least “looked him in the eye” when the manager’s fate was sealed.
Thompson argued that there was no easy way of breaking the news to the man who had given 2 years of service to the Tangerines and that it pained him to be the bringer of the bad news.
Speaking at a media conference at Tannadice, the United chief rejected criticism of the events after the final whistle at McDiarmid Park, when McNamara was handed a letter by Thompson that indicated United no longer wanted him in charge.
The formal parting of the ways did not arrive until late on Monday night, when it was confirmed that McNamara, his assistant boss Simon Donnelly, first-team coach Darren Jackson and goalkeeping coach Craig Hinchcliffe had agreed to leave by “mutual consent.”
Asked if he had any regrets about how it was done, Thompson said: “Jackie only actually left the employment of the club last night (Monday).
“He was handed a letter on Saturday and asked to come to a meeting yesterday so some of the things reported aren’t accurate.
“There is no right or wrong way.
“I have seen managers sacked with a phone call to their agent.
“The one thing I did do was look him in the eye and I also spoke to him as I handed the letter over.
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“At least I did that.
“It could easily have been done by another employee of the club. It could have been done by anybody.
“I did that and you can criticise us if you wish.
“There are lots of different ways to do it but it’s done and we move on.”
Thompson was then asked about the letter and whether or not it had been drawn up some time before the loss to Saints.
He replied: “It wasn’t in my pocket – it was in somebody else’s.
“Like any business you’ve got to be organised and prepared for things and it could well have been torn up and thrown in the bin.
“You’ve got to be organised, though. We’ve got a business to run.
“There’s no ideal time for any of these things because we have matches and training sessions.
“There is no perfect way of dealing with it. Once the decision is made you’ve got to move on.
“We took legal advice on how to handle it and that’s what we did.
“The board had been discussing the position for quite some time – a week, two weeks, four weeks.”
Now the search has turned to a new manager and Thompson revealed as yet there have been no formal interviews.
He will not be rushed into appointed a successor, meaning he expects caretaker Dave Bowman to be in charge for the crucial clash with Partick Thistle on Saturday.
“What is important it that we make the right appointment, not a quick one,” added Thompson.
“We don’t want to be here in three months thinking we’ve made a mistake.”