The Courier brings you the latest updates from Dens Park as the administrator arrives and the fight for Dundee FC’s survival gets fully under way.
3.51pm That’s it for this live update. Thanks for joining us. The Courier has had reporters at Dens Park since early in the morning and you can read their full accounts of a dramatic and emotional day in Saturday’s paper.
3.42pm Asked to estimate the chances of the club surviving, administrator Jackson hesitates before saying, “I wouldn’t have taken the job on if there was no chance. I would say there’s a 50/50 chance.”
3.29pm Asked about the possibility of investors putting money into the club, Jackson says there have been expressions of interest but says he has “no idea as early as this” how serious they are. But he does feel there is “a lot of public support within the city.”
He confirms nine players have been released and says he is “hoping” that is the final figure.
Asked by Courier reporter Ian Roache about his concerns about this being Dundee’s second period of administration, Jackson says he’s “very concerned”, adding, “Very concerned not only that it’s the second time round and fans have been asked to put their hands in their pockets before they are also being asked to do it again in a brutal time from an economic point of view. And that does make it more difficult.”
He adds, “We must get money in the door before Christmas.”
3.13pm Administrator Bryan Jackson tells a press conference at Dens Park he “cannot stress enough how much the club needs the support of Dundee and its people and how short a period we have before the money runs out.” But he adds, “I believe that with the support of the staff, players, supporters and the wider community we can resolve the serious financial issues that Dundee Football Club faces now and in the future months. But the club will need as much support as possible, as soon as possible if it is to remain in existence.”
2.23pm Paul McHale says he is considering his future in football after being released.
“I’m considering getting a job and playing part-time to get my enjoyment back again,” he tells reporters.
“I hope I never have to go through a day like this again we’re talking about guys with mortgages and kids. People think footballers are well paid but that’s not the case at this level.
“It’s not really for me to say what happened at the club. I think other people will ask those questions but whoever was in control hasn’t done a good job because 12 people are losing their jobs.
“There are a lot of good people at the club and the supporters will do everything they can to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
“But what’s happened over the last three weeks is unacceptable. People have not been paid from September and still have bills to pay.”
2.02pm Former club captain Eric Paton is one of the players released by the club. He left Dens just before 1pm and said questions had to be asked about how Dundee had been allowed to slide into administration for the second time.
“It’s disappointing and difficult for everybody at the football club,” he said. “We had a meeting with the administrator this morning and then had talks individually.
“I think 10 first-team players have been let go. We were just told we were no longer required because of the financial difficulties.
“They must have realised for a while something was wrong but were still signing players three weeks ago.”
Players were told the club will be in administration until the end of the year but requires new investment within the next month to survive.
“I hope dundee get through this for the fans and the players left,” said Paton.
12.40pm Dunfermline chairman John Yorkston tells the Dunfermline Press that league bosses face an impossible task in deciding how to deal with the fall-out of Dundee’s woes. “Dundee decision will cause fury – Yorkston”
12.24pm Assistant manager Billy Dodds says today’s events are the lowest point of his career.
Speaking after leaving Dens Park alongside Gordon Chisholm just after noon, he confirmed both have been sacked and said directors will have to take responsibility for what has befallen the club.
“Today isn’t about Billy Dodds, Gordon Chisholm or individuals,” he said. “We all have personal issues but people will have to stand up and take responsibility.
“It’s more important that the club goes on. I left a good job to come here but I wouldn’t change a thing.
“I’ve had a career but this the lowest point. If the club keeps going they couldn’t ask for better fans.
“They’ve been through the wringer but still come out in numbers.”
12.14pm A reminder from The Portsmouth News today that Dundee are not the only club in trouble. “Pompey ‘could go out of business’ – administrator”
11.21am Message from the online team: please bear with us if things seem to go quiet on this page. We’re experiencing a few technical difficulties but will battle the gremlins as best we can. And please add your comments below if you hear something we haven’t covered.
10.56am Leigh Griffiths, arguably the club’s best asset, told The Courier’s Ian Roache on Thursday that the wait for news was like being in “limbo.”
There has been speculation that Griffiths has asked for free transfer on the understanding that the club is in breach of contract over non-payment of wages, but the player was concentrating on what awaits today.
“It is not a good time for anyone when people are going to lose their jobs,” he said. “It has not been the best way to build up for a game but once we find out who is left, we will have to get on with it.
“It is difficult for the fans as well, because they love the club and will be saddened to see what is happening.”
10.43am The BBC reports that former chief executive Dave MacKinnon has revealed there could be a possible buyer for the club.
10.35am A bit of background: Dundee’s collapse is the 10th time a Scottish club has gone into administration since 2000.
Greenock Morton were the first team to enter administration at the tail end of 2000. Although they were not docked points, the financial turmoil sent the club into a spiral that saw it relegated twice in two seasons.
Clydebank also went into administration in December 2000.
Motherwell were the first SPL side to go into administration, in April 2002, releasing 19 players.
Dundee suffered their first taste of administration in 2003. They sold most of their best players and stadium as part of their survival plan, allowing the club to go on.
Livingston FC followed a year later and avoided any penalties from the league.
In 2008 Gretna were relegated from the SPL and went into administration they owed £4 million, including £600,000 to the HMRC.
The SFL relegated the team to the third division and they resigned from the league when a takeover failed.
Livingston went into administration again last July and were relegated to the third division.
10.26am Speaking on Thursday, midfielder Brian Kerr was grim-faced as he came through the front door of Dens, echoing Harkins’ concerns (see below) about how the directors had handled the matter.
“We have been in the dark for a good few weeks and that’s been the most difficult thing,” he said. “We have learned most of what we know from the papers.
“It has been hard not knowing and if we had known a couple of weeks ago we could have started looking for other things.
“For some of us that will mean in football and for others it will mean getting a day job. Bills still have to be paid and it is getting harder each day.
“It is not for me to say if the club could have handled it better but, of course, we would have liked to have known more and known it sooner. It has carried on a few weeks now and that has been a lot longer than anyone would have wanted it to.
“It has been tough going, there is a game (against Stirling Albion) on Saturday and nobody in the dressing-room has really thought about it.
“It is not looking great at the minute. Statements will be made by Bryan Jackson and Fraser Wishart about what state the club is in.
“Reading the papers one day it seems positive and the next day it doesn’t. We have been letting ourselves get a bit of hope, then it gets taken away from us. At least now we know we’ll find out our fate in the morning.”
10.14am Chief executive of the players’ union Fraser Wishart arrived at Dens just after 10am.
He said, “We don’t know how long it will be. We’re just here to support our members and the staff who we know very well.
“We’re here to counsel the players and to tell them what the next steps are. We’ll have more to say later.”
10.11am Club captain Gary Harkins, talking on Thursday, declares he would have liked to have been better informed by the board over recent weeks.
“It is a tough time for everyone as some of us won’t have a future here and there are families to provide for,” he says.
“There are players in the dressing-room whose wives have just had children and they don’t know if they will have a job.
“We still really don’t know what the outcome is going to be. We will have to wait until tomorrow for that.
“We would have liked to have known more about what has been happening. It is difficult to find out your job is on the line from reading the newspapers.
“It is not ideal and we have a game on Saturday, but you have just got to get on with it.”
9.45am Administrator Bryan Jackson tells Courier reporter Stefan Morkis saving Dundee will be his biggest challenge.
However, Mr Jackson, who also acted as administrator at Motherwell, offered some hope to fans of the beleagured Dens Park team.
He said he hoped “a fairly decent team” would be able to take to the field againt Stirling Albion tomorrow.
After arriving at Dens Park he said he would speak to staff and players today about their future with the club.
“I wouldn’t have taken this job on if there was no hope,” he said. “But without a doubt this is my biggest challenge.”
Goalkeeper Rab Douglas was the first senior player to arrive at the club.
Management team Gordon Chisholm and Billy Dodds arrived at 8.40am, 40 minutes before Mr Jackson.
9.32am A terse statement issued by the club just after 5pm on Thursday read, “Dundee FC are now officially in administration. Papers were lodged at the Court of Session in Edinburgh today. Bryan Jackson of PKF will now assume control of the club.”
Jackson is due to arrive at Dens Park this morning to wield the jobs axe. It was previously being predicted that the number of players sacked would be around 10, as well as the management duo of Gordon Chisholm and Billy Dodds.
However, it is understood that the wage bill needs to be reduced by 70%, raising fears that almost the entire first-team pool could have their contracts terminated.
Jackson is also expected to issue a stark warning at a 2.30pm press conference that Dundee’s very existence is in doubt unless a buyer can be found within four weeks.