Dundee manager John Brown has launched an astonishing attack on his own club’s directors.
In a verbal assault from a current manager of a Scottish football club on his employers that could be unprecedented in its ferocity, Brown ripped into the two remaining Dark Blues’ board members Dave Forbes and Fraser MacDonald.
* He blasted them for a delay in signing papers to formally agree the Heads of Terms pertaining to the proposed investment from Keyes Capital, which he stated should have been done last Friday.
* He said that the directors, who represent the Dundee FC Supporters’ Society in the Dens boardroom, cost him two signings by not putting pen to paper before the weekend.
* He slammed the lack of communication, accusing both men of failing to talk to him or chief executive Scot Gardiner.
* He claimed that they haven’t been answering emails or phone calls from Gardiner.
* He also called the mattera “joke situation” and speculated if they were “having a laugh”.
Courier Sport understands that Forbes had made moves yesterday to sign the paperwork but by then both he and MacDonald had been caught full on by Brown’s verbal volley.
Brown, who stressed he was “raging” at what he perceived to be needless dragging of heels, said: “I am really disappointed in Dave Forbes and Fraser MacDonald.”
“Heads of Terms were agreed last week and they were to be signed by Friday,” Brown added.
“I have lost two players that I could have brought in here because you can’t hold on any longer. When players become available you show an interest and agents phone you every day.
“But we can’t do anything further until the investment is through and the money will be freed up. The longer this is delayed by these directors the team is going to suffer.
“Heads of Terms should have been done but the two of them have not had any contact with me in three weeks. They are supposed to liaise. Scot Gardiner has been left in the lurch with everything.
“They need to get their acts together and agree the Heads of Terms so that we know the investment is coming in and I can allow myself to get two, three or maybe even four new signings to help us in the campaign next season.
“Nowadays, you can be on the other side of the world and get business done via e-mails, faxes, sign any contract. You don’t need to be in the same room.
“I am raging because what they are doing is refusing to answer phone calls and e-mails from Scot Gardiner. I am doing the football side and Scot is in charge of that.
“So, having agreed the Heads of Terms, to not respond and get it done when it should have been done on Friday…
“For a club where the manager has not spoken to any of them for three, four weeks and they refuse to speak to the chief exec are they having a laugh?
“Fraser MacDonald and Dave Forbes, if they can’t communicate with the management and the chief executive, where does the club go? Our shirt sponsorship was supposed to be done today but that has been cancelled because of this.
“This should have been done on Friday good news, let’s get the shirt sponsor in, new investor in and (have) the club going forward. It has been dragging on but they (Keyes Capital) are not going away. Let’s get it done. The Heads of Terms have been agreed so get it ******* done.”
Brown’s prime concern is assembling a squad capable of challenging for the First Division title next season and he also wants fans to know just who he blames for any delay in doing just that.
“I am saying this so that the fans know what is going on,” he added.
“I am trying to keep it away from the players and they are doing their pre-season and getting on with things. But this is going to impact on us. The longer this goes on, you (risk) missing out on the better players.
“If it is not resolved soon then we will miss out because other clubs are starting their pre-seasons. I want my squad now not the ninth of August (the day before the first league match against Queen of the South).
“This is a joke situation created by two directors.”