Tony Docherty’s time in charge of Dundee was brought to an end on Monday after two rollercoaster seasons at Dens Park.
Just after 9.30am, less than 24 hours after sealing Premiership survival on the final day of the 2024/25 season, that club statement arrived.
Docherty, 54, and his backroom team were gone.
He had spent the previous evening with his players and club supporters at the DSA Player of the Year dinner.
The best of the season just past was celebrated, with Simon Murray winning Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year.
However, a shadow had been cast over the night.
Fans among the various DSA supporter clubs may not have sensed anything was wrong.
But talk had begun among the players and staff that something was happening.
Looking to the future
McDiarmid Park was the venue for Dundee’s final match of the season.
A result was needed to guarantee survival after a disappointing season saw them flirt too strongly with relegation.
The Dark Blues duly delivered with Lyall Cameron’s brace finishing the season off on a positive note before a pitch invasion followed.
Dundee were delighted to have stayed up but managing director John Nelms was certainly not happy to have come so close to the drop.
Docherty did his usual post-match press duties with broadcasters pitch-side and the written press in the St Johnstone media room.
He shook hands with a couple of journalists before leaving, but this was not through any expectation that his time as manager was up.
He had spoken about what lay ahead for his team.
Docherty said: “Last year was great, top six and manager of the year nominations.
“This year has been tough. Every experienced manager will tell you that you need to go through that and come through the other end of it.
‘I don’t want to be in the bottom six’
“There’s loads of learning from such a challenging time. I will make sure as manager I take that into next year’s campaign.
“I want to thank the loan players and those moving on out-of-contract for their contribution.
“But I’ve got a core of really good players. It’s important we learn lessons and recruit well.
“We have to come back and have a strong campaign.
“As Dundee manager I don’t want to be in the bottom six.”
This was a boss looking to the future.
But moments after this interview, Docherty was told by a Dark Blues member of staff that he was to be at the Gardyne Campus training centre for 9am the following morning to meet with Nelms.
The former Aberdeen No2 and his staff got on the team bus in Perth with the unsettling news of an impromptu summit with the club’s most powerful figure ringing in their ears.
Player of the Year dinner
Later on, they all attended the DSA Player of the Year dinner. Nelms didn’t.
The Dee managing director was down to speak at the dinner but he often misses the end-of-season do, leaving fans and players to enjoy their evening.
That was the case this time.
Docherty, though, to his credit – well aware that it could very well be his last act as Dundee manager – attended the event.
He spoke with fans and made a speech to the room.
The players knew of the meetings in the morning, too, and were well aware of what they may hold.
A night that should have celebrated the better moments of the campaign had a subdued feeling to it.
Meetings
Docherty and his staff arrived at Gardyne Campus the following morning, with individual meetings held.
The Dundee boss, assistant manager Stuart Taylor, goalkeeper coach Alan Combe and head of performance Graeme Henderson were told their time at the club was over.
The reason given was underachievement across the season. The results had not met the standard expected.
Those meetings began at 9am.
The statement detailing the news of Docherty’s sacking was released at 9.34am – and the search for his successor is now well under way.
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