Dundee chief executive Scot Gardiner strongly denied there had been any “fit-up” over the appointment of Paul Hartley as the club’s new manager.
The 37-year-old former Hearts, Celtic and Scotland midfielder was officially unveiled at Dens on Wednesday night after signing a two and a half year deal.
He moves into the hot-seat vacated by John Brown on Monday after he left the Dark Blues by “mutual consent”.
Hartley had been strongly tipped to take over and becomes the fifth manager at the club in just four years.
He was a free agent having left his post at Dundee’s Championship rivals Alloa last month, stating he had taken the part-time club as far as he could.
However, the timing of Hartley’s departure from Recreation Park along with Brown losing his job had sparked feverish conspiracy theories all of which Gardiner emphatically denied.
The chief executive also stressed that “Bomber” was not sacked by the club and instead left of his own accord.
Gardiner said: “It’s disrespectful to Paul, to Alloa, to Dundee and to John Brown to suggest this was some massive fit-up. It’s quite ridiculous but that’s the modern world we live in.
“It’s really unfortunate but that’s the circumstances we find ourselves in. Paul resigned three weeks ago. I was so surprised I thought he’d had a punch-up with Mike (chairman Mulraney) at Alloa!
“At that point we were top of the league, could have beaten Hamilton but the game went off, then could have beaten Falkirk and Alloa to go further clear.
“Even Mike has had people say it’s a fit-up Paul coming here. But he’s laughing about it because if Alloa had not scored in the 95th minute (on Saturday at Dens), John wouldn’t have come to us and none of this would have happened.
“Someone even said that the deal was done in August, that if we were not 10 points clear John would step down. It’s silly.”
Gardiner also said he had tried to persuade Brown to reconsider his decision to leave the club after a run of results that had seen the promotion-chasing Dark Blues take just one point out of a possible nine.
However, Bomber could not be swayed.
Gardiner said: “It was 100% John’s decision to leave Dundee. It was extremely difficult to see John leave because he was very popular.
“He told me what he wanted to do on Saturday just after the game and it was difficult to hear. He said he didn’t think he could get us over the line.
“It would have been difficult for me anyway, even if John wasn’t a friend. But it was very personal and I said I’d call him in a few hours.
“We spoke again when I was driving home and my wife asked what was wrong. I told her and she burst into tears because she’s known him for a long time.
“I thought he’d wake up the next day and see we’re top of the league but I met him in Edinburgh and he was totally clear-eyed and clear-headed.
“We set the wheels in motion, sorted the legal formalities at 4pm and by 5pm I was on the phone to Paul Hartley speaking to him about the job.
“Paul was the man we thought should be coming to Dundee.”
Hartley, who had won back-to-back promotions with Alloa, had been in the frame for the vacant Inverness job but lost out to John Hughes. And Gardiner believes the Highland side’s loss is Dundee’s gain.
He added: “We’re not surprised to get Paul I’m more surprised he didn’t get the Inverness job. I told Paul that because I felt he was a great fit for that.
“But we’re delighted it never happened and he’s able to come to us. We’re lucky to get him because the circumstances have fallen in our favour.
“He was someone we looked at before John but this time last year, Alloa were going for the league and we wouldn’t have got him.”
Gardiner, who played a large part in bringing Brown to Dundee on an initial interim basis last year following the sacking of club legend Barry Smith, admitted that he understands why fans are saying he deserves to accept his share of blame for what has happened recently.
He said: “People are entitled to criticise me, they are entitled to their opinion. There were people who were never happy with John and who were never happy with me.
“They all have their own agenda and their own thoughts. They are entitled to that, it’s a free world.
“Do I agree? It doesn’t matter because people are entitled to their opinion. You bring people in in good faith and then they go.
“John almost produced a miraculous escape last season, he did an amazing job and we all decided he deserved the job on the back of that.
“We’re joint top of the league. Were we happy with performances? No. Was John happy with performances? No.”