Dundee defender Matt Lockwood has lamented the decision to reject the club’s appeal against the 25-point deduction for being in administration, claiming that the Scottish Football League are “out to ruin lives.”
While it was the Scottish Football Association’s panel comprising Supreme Court judge Lord Carloway, SFA senior vice-president Campbell Ogilvie and Fraserburgh chairman Findlay Noble that issued the verdict at Hampden on Friday, it was the SFL who felt Lockwood’s wrath for imposing the sentence initially.
“When they first came in with the 25 points it was clear they wanted us down,” said the enraged Englishman.
“Straight away, that is affecting people’s jobs both on the playing and non-playing side.
“If this club goes down will it be full-time next year? Probably not.
“We all have mortgages and bills to pay so the way we have looked at it is they don’t care about that.
“They want Dundee down and don’t care about the consequences for the people at the club. They are out to ruin lives.
“Thirteen people lost their jobs through no fault of their own and they are trying to do it to the rest of us.
“It is scandalous really because the players and staff have done nothing wrong.Punishing”We know what the club did was wrong, but surely at some point they have to stop punishing us?
“The team has been decimated, even though the lads have really pulled together, and still they want to keep hurting the club.”
Lockwood argued that Dundee should have been treated like a team operating in Scotland’s top flight or England would have been.
“A fair punishment would be 10 points like it is in the SPL and the leagues down south,” he said.
“In England if you go into administration and it is above board… then it is 10 points in the Football League and nine in the Premiership.
“Clubs have been given more but that has been for financial irregularities. In our case the punishment should have been 10 points.
“This 25-point thing makes no sense. Maybe UEFA should have a rule in their new Financial Fair Play agenda and sets out guidelines for every country to stick to, because it seems wrong that it can vary so much and some leagues can make it up as they go along.
“Of course there needs to be a way of punishing clubs who maybe take things to the extreme but some sort of guidelines are needed.
“I have spoken to a lot of people I know in England and they all can’t believe it. Everyone thinks it is scandalous and is harsh-but it is not them who are deciding.”
Lockwood hinted at a “deeper” reason for the punishment.
“Obviously I have only been here for a few months and don’t know the full history,” he said. “But it seems there is something deeper.
“Are they trying to make an example of us? I don’t know the answer to that.”
Lockwood insisted Dundee’s players will be able to take this latest blow on the chin and take a place in the folklore of the club.
“The big setback for us was the management team going and the boys losing their jobs,” he said.
“The lads are so close now and no matter what they do to us it won’t hurt the spirit.
“We are only five points off the second-bottom side even after this so it would be nice to turn around at the end of the season, stick two fingers up and say, ‘You didn’t beat us!’
“The lads have talked about it and someone said that if they stick with the 25 points and we stay up then, along with the fans, we will go down in history.
“Other teams from the past have won things and achieved a lot more but I don’t think any of them would have come through the same level of adversity.
“But that is a long way away, there is plenty of football still to be played and it is going to be a massive battle.”
Manager Barry Smith was as defiant as Lockwood in the face of this latest bout of adversity.
“We will stay focused on trying to win points and making the most of this situation,” he said.
“It is not the first time we have had to go into a game after a setback but we will continue to do all we can for the club and the fans.”
Along with the points penalty has come the transfer embargo that has prevented Dundee taking Wolves-bound Leigh Griffiths back on loan, with St Johnstone, Hearts and Hibs all reportedly ready and willing to invite him back up north.Major changeSuch a development would give Griffiths more time to get his head around what will be a major change in his life.
The former Livingston player has agreed terms with Wolves and is now looking to clinch his move by training with the Black Country club for a spell.
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy said, “It has been agreed with the (Dundee) administrator and with Leigh that he will come and train with us for a while so we can have a good look at him.”
Griffiths will also travel to watch McCarthy’s men play at Eastlands against Manchester City today.
Everyone at Dens is wishing him well but Lockwood also warned that he will take time to adjust to life in arguably the world’s best league.
“I don’t think Leigh is ready for the Premiership quite yet,” said Lockwood.
“He is a cheap gamble for Wolves and they are buying his potential.
“He has lots of potential and can go far in the game, but it will be up to him.
“He is very single minded and all he wants to do is score goals.”
Lockwood added, “Playing for us, he does silly things like shooting from the halfway line and getting sent off.
“He won’t be able to get away with that sort of thing down there.
“I know the Wolves assistant manager Terry Connor I was with him at Bristol Rovers and he won’t stand any nonsense.
“It is a massive chance for him, a great move and I hope he realises it.
“He is a big fish in a small pond here but down there it is massive and he will have to work hard.
“I just hope he doesn’t think he has made it and gets into trouble.
“He will have to knuckle down, be sensible and if he does that he will do well in the next two or three years.
“If he asked me for advice I would give him it but I’m not sure he is the type to ask.
“If he works at it then he can be a success.
“I said to the boys the other day that you wouldn’t be surprised if he were to come off the bench against Manchester United or Arsenal and score. That would be just like Sparky.”