Peter Grant has accused an unnamed player of showing ‘total disrespect’ to Dunfermline by faking illness in order to go abroad during his ill-fated tenure as Pars manager.
Grant, 56, appeared on BBC Scotland’s Sportsound programme on Monday evening — his first interview since being dismissed by the East End Park outfit last month.
Discussing some of the challenges he faced in the dugout, the former Celtic and Scotland broke his silence on one breach of discipline within the squad which prompted him to involve club chairman, Ross McArthur.
The individual concerned later departed the club after it was made clear that he would never pull on a Pars jersey again.
“We played on the Saturday and we got a call on the Monday saying this particular player was ill.
“In this situation, you can’t bring them in. In the olden days, you would bring them in and the doctor would check them and send them home before the rest of the boys came in. You can’t do that now because you Don’t want them near the rest of the players.
“That was fine. I’ve got the utmost trust in that. No problem.
‘He looks great for being unwell’
“Then he comes in on the Thursday with a mask and hat on, which was unusual for him.
“He takes it off and he’s got a haircut and nice suntan. I’m thinking ‘he looks great for being unwell’.
“He plays on Saturday then on the Monday — or Sunday — somebody phones me to ask if I realised that he wasn’t ill, but he was abroad. I said, ‘no’.
“So, I spoke to the chairman [Ross McArthur] and said: ‘he never pulls on our shirt again, whether I’m the manager or not. He’ll never play for me or train with me. It’s up to you — but that’s my decision’.
“This was the night before we played in a big game against Raith Rovers. It was a big call for me because he was going to be playing.
“It showed a total disrespect to the club and the players, especially at a difficult time.”
No excuses
Grant left Dunfermline with the club rooted to the foot of the Championship and the only side in the SPFL without a league win.
And, while he noted ample obstacles, from disciplinary issues to Covid outbreaks, the experienced coach hailed the support he received from the boardroom and insisted he had ‘no excuses’.
Grant said: “The bottom line is you need to win games of football and I couldn’t turn the draws and defeats into victories.”
