Dundee’s Matt Lockwood insists manager John Brown is a victim of the club’s desperate desire to get back into the top tier of Scottish football.
The Dark Blues may just be behind Falkirk in the Championship promotion chase but poor results and performances recently have forced the Dens board to act to dismiss the man they appointed just a year ago.
Lockwood said: “It’s always sad to see someone lose their job. It’s never a nice thing and it just goes to show how ruthless this game can be.
“At the end of the day, we’re still joint top of the league on goal difference and the board of directors have decided there has to be a change.
“It may look silly on the face of it but the bottom line is the club are desperate to get back into the Premiership.
“There will be no consolation prizes for missing out if that’s the case come the end of the season.
“That was the plain objective before a ball was kicked this season and it’s obviously not going to change. That’s the overriding dream here.
“There is pressure on everyone at the club because the rewards for getting promotion are massive, which is reflected in what has happened.
“We can’t deny there’s added pressure on us because we were made favourites for the title after coming down last season, through no fault of our own.
“Whoever has made the decision has obviously had that in mind as it’s a results-driven business.”
Lockwood says the players must now retain their focus as they prepare for Saturday’s crucial clash with promotion challengers Hamilton.
He said: “The lads all know what is at stake. Not getting back up at the first attempt is not something we would want to even contemplate.
“These things happen in football and now we just have to get on with the task in hand. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves or dwell on anything.
“In a sense, this might be the kick we need to go on and do the job and get to where we want to be. As players we have to look at ourselves as well.
“The buck always stops with the manager but we too have to look at where we might have done better. We know results haven’t been great recently so have to hold our hands up on that front.
“However, we’re still in a decent position at the top of the table, which is what we have to remember and try to build on.”