Jackie McNamara has managed Dundee United for the last time.
Following this defeat to 10-man St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park, McNamara has been told the club no longer want him in charge.
No formal announcement has been made yet but he was informed of the Tannadice board’s decision after the final whistle.
It was his assistant Simon Donnelly who faced the media after the game and word then started filtering through that it was the end of McNamara’s tenure.
The Tangerines will now start looking for a new boss.
They are likely to be reluctant to rush into an appointment despite facing a crucial match against bottom club Partick Thistle at Firhill next Saturday.
Victory in Perth had looked there for the taking for the toiling Tangerines after 24 minutes when Saints’ goalkeeper Alan Mannus was red-carded for a challenge on Billy Mckay.
After Mannus traipsed off, Mckay stepped up to make it 1-0 to the visitors with the resultant penalty.
However, instead of United hammering home their advantage, it was the Perth men who came back brilliantly to clinch all three points.
They levelled through a Graham Cummins header after 64 minutes then, with 10 minutes left, sub Simon Lappin lobbed the ball into the net to make it 2-1.
The United supporters – and the board – were at the end of their collective tether after a loss like this one.
That is not Saints’ problem, however, and they will rightly enjoy the rest of their weekend after a brilliant few days that saw them win at Ibrox in midweek.
St Johnstone made two changes to the line-up that started that excellent 3-1 League Cup win over Rangers.
Lappin and David Wotherspoon both dropped to the bench, making room for Liam Craig and Cummins.
United made four changes to the team that kicked off their extra-time cup win over Dunfermline, with Sean Dillon, John Souttar, Blair Spittal and Adam Taggart all handed a jersey. The men who made way were Jamie Robson, Aaron Kuhl, Charlie Telfer and Darko Bodul.
With one minute on the clock United’s Scott Fraser volleyed over the bar after a freekick from Spittal had been headed his way.
The Tangerines, playing a 4-4-2 formation with Taggart and Mckay up top, had an escape on eight minutes when a cutback from the right from Michael O’Halloran zipped across the face of goal and just missed the boot of Cummins.
United defender Callum Morris then sent a back-header flying over his own bar as the hosts pressed, then the visitors came close with a header off a Spittal freekick.
On 15 minutes, McNamara’s men came closest to opening the scoring when Taggart’s shot, which seemed to sneaking inside the post, was blocked.
There was another chance for United three minutes later when a slide rule pass from Fraser ran nicely for Taggart but his strike was weak and straight at Mannus.
However, United took the lead on 24 minutes and it was a nightmare for Saints, who lost a man as well as a goal.
With the St Johnstone players appealing for a handball decision that never came, a high ball was played into their half.
United striker Taggart was in an offside position but walked back without touching the ball.
That left his teammate Mckay and home defender Scobbie in a race to reach it, which the Saint “won.”
However, his header back to Mannus was well short and in nipped Mckay, only to be taken out of the play by the goalie.
It was a definite penalty but the decision by ref Bobby Madden to show Mannus a red card rather than a yellow was harsh.
After the number one had trotted off and deputy Zander Clark had replaced the unfortunate O’Halloran, Mckay confidently slotted the spotkick past the new arrival to make it 1-0 to the Tannadice team.
Saints, to their credit, continued with two up front Steven MacLean and Cummins and the latter broke forward on 33 minutes only to see his curling shot well saved by Luis Zwick.
United’s Fraser was booked for a bad challenge on Craig four minutes later then Murray Davidson followed him into the book for a foul on Spittal as half-time approached.
The second half started with ref Madden booking Saints’ frontman MacLean for a foul on John Rankin.
Saints were doing well despite being a player short and they carved open a decent chance on 52 minutes only for MacLean to scoop the ball over the bar form a good position inside the box.
Taggart beat the offside trap on 54 minutes for United but couldn’t get enough on the ball as he lunged at it with just Clark to beat.
The Perth men were trying to get forward whenever possible and Zwick had to leap to his right to punch away a well-struck freekick from Craig.
The visitors made two changes on 58 minutes when Taggart and Fraser were replaced by Mario Bilate and Ryan Dow.
Bilate, back from injury, was quickly involved and played a great ball in for Souttar, right in front of goal, who looked certain to score but had his shot saved at close range by Clark.
The big Russian-born Dutchman then wasted a great chance himself when he was picked out by a Mckay cross but sclaffed his shot.
St Johnstone were not out of this by any means and it wasn’t really a surprise when they equalised on 64 minutes.
A looping corner was played over by Craig and up jumped Cummins to make it 1-1 and reward the hosts for continuing to press forward.
Cummins was then teed up for a shot by a MacLean cutback but Rankin was there to clear for the Tangerines.
Souttar left the field to be replaced by Aidan Connolly as United tried to regain the lead, while Saints brought on Simon Lappin for MacLean.
Connolly almost made an immediate impact but his shot from the edge of the box went just over then it all went horribly wrong for United.
With 80 minutes on the clock the 11 men fell behind to the 10 men.
It was Lappin who grabbed the goal, nipping to lift the ball over the head of keeper Zwick and into the net.
It was fully deserved, too, with the home team by far the better side in the second half.
Some United fans started chanting for their manager McNamara to go, while the home supporters taunted him with: “You’re getting sacked in the morning.”
Time has indeed been called on McNamara’s reign and, once the severance details are sorted out, United will finally confirm that is the case.
Attendance: 4,634.
St Johnstone: Mannus, Mackay, Scobbie, Millar (Wotherspoon 69), Davidson, MacLean (Lappin 77), Shaughnessy, Cummins, Easton, Craig, O’Halloran (Clark 24). Subs not used: Anderson, Sutton, Fisher, Kane.
Dundee United: Zwick, Dillon, Morris, Mckay, McGowan, Souttar (Connolly 74), Durnan, Spittal, Fraser (Dow 58), Rankin, Taggart (Bilate 58). Subs not used: Szromnik, Telfer, Donaldson, Bodul.
Referee: Bobby Madden.