The whole situation with Billy Dodds possibly becoming the new assistant manager at Dundee has been nothing short of farcical.
Everyone in the game knows that Jim McIntyre has had a close working relationship with Dodds in recent years and that they come as a “package”.
So when Dundee decided to appoint Jim as the successor to Neil McCann there was bound to be a big problem with Billy after what happened with him and Gordon Chisholm in the dark days after administration in 2010 when they voted against the proposed company voluntary agreement.
In the eyes of the Dundee fans, the former management duo put the club’s very existence in doubt as they chased money they were owed. Not surprisingly the supporters have never forgiven them.
I can’t believe the owners weren’t made aware of the situation with Billy by the other directors.
Whoever is advising John Nelms – if anyone is advising him at all – should have made sure he knew about what had happened in the past.
It is an absolute shambles, to be honest.
Dundee moved quickly to appoint Jim after parting company with Neil and there must have been a lot of managers interested in the post because it is a good job at a great club.
But now the situation with the No.2 position looks like it could drag on which is the last thing Dundee need.
The fans are furious and I fully understand that.
The thing is it became public the way Gordon and Billy voted which was obviously disappointing for them.
They were due a lot of money but many people lost their jobs at the same time as them.
I stayed, played through injury and took a pay cut but at the end of the day, you do what you can to help save the club.
Now though, there are some journalists and pundits jumping on the bandwagon from outside Dundee who have no idea just how sensitive an issue it is with the club’s fans.
I honestly do not think Billy can be appointed Jim’s No.2.
I wish Jim all the luck in the job but I think they are better going with another option for his assistant.
Whether that is from within with Jimmy Boyle and James McPake to help until the end of the season or someone from outwith like Barry Smith.
Barry is available and is a Dundee legend. He would get everybody onside and is a good coach.
But the whole situation is so frustrating and is not untypical of Dundee.
I think Nelms has just given himself a lot of grief. If he had done his homework and spoken to people . . . at the end of the day that is what he is getting paid the big bucks for.
I am actually saddened and sickened that I am still talking about this rather than Dundee’s performances and the desperate situation they find themselves in at the foot of the table.
I thought the team might kick on under the new manager but they have now conceded seven in just two games against Livingston and Hearts.
I saw the goals from Saturday – four set plays – and by all accounts, the Hearts performance was even worse.
Dundee just have to hope they can hang on to the likes of fellow strugglers like Motherwell and St Mirren until January.
This will be the biggest test of the Dundee board’s tenure, seeing how many Jim can get out and how many he can bring in.
The simple fact at the moment is they are conceding too many goals, they are not scoring and they are simply not good enough – they are miles off it.
I think the current crop of players have to realise they are playing for their futures and have to keep Dundee up to stay at Dens or they will be chucked out the door.
That’s the brutal fact. When a new manager comes in and you are sitting at the bottom the league, nobody can complain because they are the ones who have put them there.
Jim is going to have to overhaul it in January – and that is not going to come cheaply.
