Colin McMenamin, one of the players axed by Dundee, has accused those previously running the club of playing “silly games” with people’s lives.
In a hard-hitting interview outside the front door of Dens Park, he claimed one of the players who was supposed to be getting student loan repayments deducted from his wages had discovered they have not been forwarded to the proper authorities.
He also criticised former chairman and outgoing director Bob Brannan for “hiding” when the job losses were announced.
“One of the boys has a student loan and the payments for that should come off their wages,” he said. “But they have not been paid and they got a letter this morning saying they owe a certain amount.
“They have been playing silly games with people’s lives. It’s shocking.
“A few of the boys are feeling guilty about keeping their jobs, but they shouldn’t think like that it is not their fault.
“The people who are at fault are not actually here.”
He added, “I had a good relationship with the chairman (Brannan), but I found out this morning that he resigned last night.
“I would have liked him to have been here even if it was just to say he is sorry about what happened.
“He should be a man and face up to everyone, but he has hid and that is one of the most galling things.
“People are entitled to do what they want with their money but… the money people have not been doing it properly.
“They are bound to have seen this coming. They signed players as recently as five weeks ago (Njazi Kuqi), and now they have been laid off.”
McMenamin said, “If people want to come into football they should be made to show there is a plan behind it instead of a fairytale.
“Before anything is invested they should be made to prove the money is there.
“A lot of people have not been told the truth here.””Disgraceful”Sadly for McMenamin, he has also been at Gretna and Livingston as they have lurched into financial crises, with the Borders club going out of business and Livi relegated to division three.
Remarkably, given those outcomes, he argued that this is the grimmest experience of the three.
“I have been through this before, and this one has been the worst,” he said.
“The kit man (Neil Cosgrove) has been here for 13 years and he has lost his job.
“The wages we didn’t get paid are lost now and we are creditors of the club like everyone else.
“We got told they only paid us half wages to keep the taxman at bay, but who knows if that’s the truth?
“Even at Gretna when all the rubbish was happening there we were told what was going on.
“What has happened here has been nothing short of disgraceful.”
Manager Gordon Chisholm was no less damning in his assessment of how the club has reached this point.
“Someone has got to be answerable for what has happened here today it’s an absolute disgrace,” he said.
“For this to happen to ourselves, players, office staff and the fans is disgraceful.
“People will come to their own conclusions. Things will come out in the next few weeks and people will have a clear idea of what’s been going on here.
“Today is more about the club and the people being laid off.
“There is real anger about the way this has been allowed to develop.
“I have never seen anything like this before and I don’t want to ever again.
“The people losing their jobs don’t deserve it honest, hard-working people who don’t deserve what has happened to them.”
Chisholm was expected to be offered reduced terms but he revealed, “The administrator said he wouldn’t embarrass me by offering a wage cut because things are so tight.
“It was just a case of ‘thanks and see you later’. We stayed in a bit longer to say cheerio to the office staff.”Praise for fansAngry assistant boss Billy Dodds described his sacking as the lowest point of his career and said the club’s directors must take responsibility for the slide into administration.
“People have to stand up and take responsibility,” said the former Scotland international.
“The main thing is the club survives, but people have to stand up and be counted you can’t play with people’s lives, and that is the way it has been in there.”
He added that he believes the club needs to secure new investment within the next four weeks if it is to survive.
Dodds sad, “It’s important that the club goes on I left a good job to come here, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
“If the club keeps going then they couldn’t ask for better fans. They’ve been put through the wringer, but still come out in numbers.”
Former captain Eric Paton said he believed the team’s directors had failed Dundee.
He said, “For a club to go into administration so quickly after coming out of administration shows something is wrong.
“They must have realised for a while something was wrong, but were still signing players three weeks ago.
“It’s disappointing and difficult for everybody at the football club.”
However Paton paid tribute to the fans who have stuck with the club through thick and thin, adding, “I hope that Dundee gets through this, for the fans and the players that are still in there.”
Midfielder Paul McHale was also told he was being made redundant after four years with the team.
He said, “I’ve not really thought too much about my future, I was just wanting today over with, but full-time football doesn’t offer much, so I’m considering getting a job and playing part-time to get some enjoyment back again.”
He added, “I hope I never have to go through a day like this again we’re talking about guys with mortgages and kids.
“People think footballers are well paid, but that’s not the case at this level.
“There are a lot of good people at the club and the supporters will do everything they can to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”