Jamie Adams endured some dark days in the past as he battled to overcome two career-threatening cruciate ligament injuries.
However, Dundee’s on-loan midfielder admits his personal ordeals pale into insignificance compared to the events that have befallen the Dark Blues in the last few days.
The Dens Park side are facing a desperate fight for survival after mounting debts forced them to enter administration on Friday for the second time in seven years. Administrator Bryan Jackson’s first job was to reduce costs, with management duo Gordon Chisholm and Billy Dodds, youth coach John Holt, kit man Neil Cosgrove and nine players being dismissed.
Adams was not one of the players at risk, but he confessed it was still a terrible time as he waited to discover who among the squad faced the axe. He revealed the players who escaped the chop were determined to produce a top performance at Stirling Albion on Saturday in tribute to their former colleagues.
“What has happened has been a nightmare and really horrible for all the boys, the staff, everyone involved with the club,” he said.
“The boys are still gutted, really low, and I think the performance we gave was great for the fans and the players who had to be let go along with the management team. I feel Gordon Chisholm has been terribly let down. He had a great job at Queen of the South.
“He came here for a change, but there has been just one thing after another and it has not worked out for him and Doddsy, but they are two strong people. He’s a great manager and Doddsy is a great assistant guy to have. I am quite sure they will get another job very shortly and obviously, I wish them all the best.
“My job was not under threat, but it was still a terrible feeling you got inside because it was as if it was you getting pulled in to be told bad news. It just drained your whole body. It was a horrible feeling and obviously one I would never like to be involved in again.”
He continued, “You have boys with mortgages to pay and kids to bring up, families to look after, and for them to be told they have to go is a sinking feeling for everyone.
“They were all harshly treated and it was not a nice thing. But the performance against Stirling showed the spirit inside the camp. Barry Smith has come in as gaffer but he has not really had to motivate us because we were so eager to get out onto that park and give a performance for our fans.”
What transpired on the pitch on Saturday was almost secondary, but Smith in his first game in charge was still able to select a strong Dundee side to challenge a Stirling outfit who beat second-top Raith in their last match.
Around 1000 Dundee fans travelled to Forthbank to show their solidarity with the team, and the emotionally-charged atmosphere was heightened prior to kick-off, when the stadium announcer asked the crowd to stand to give a minute’s applause in support of Dundee.
The Dark Blues created a series of chances in the first half, but it was Stirling that came closest to opening the scoring when Gordon Smith crashed a header off the underside of Rab Douglas’s bar from a corner.
Having survived that scare, Dundee were finally rewarded for their persistence 10 minutes into the second half when Sean Higgins fired a long pass towards Leigh Griffiths. The Scotland Under-21 striker who has been linked with a move to St Johnstone in January won the race for the ball with Stirling’s Martyn Corrigan, and clipped a shot just inside Callum Reidford’s post.
However, Dundee’s lead lasted just 14 minutes, when the unmarked Ross Forsyth bulleted a header past Douglas from another corner. Shortly before the end, Stirling’s Jonathan Brown was sent off for a cynical challenge on Griffiths.Tribute to fansAdams paid tribute to the large travelling support, and while there is still a doubt over whether his loan spell will continue at Dundee, he admitted he would be happy to stay at the club.
“The fans were outstanding today. They have been out-standing since the news came out,” he added. “We get at least 4000 for home matches and can take 1500 or more to away games. The away stand was packed with our fans, singing for the whole game and getting behind us.
“That’s what we really need, and I think the boys paid them back with our first-half performance. The way we started, we were a credit to ourselves. Hopefully, we did the boys and the staff proud who left the club on Friday.
“There are still a lot of great players left in that dressing-room with a lot of ability who can shine. I think the club will survive. It’s not just the people inside Dundee who want them to continue. Everyone in football wants them to because they are a massive club.
“I spoke to (St Johnstone manager) Derek McInnes at the end of the week and I just have to wait and see, but I would be happy staying here.”Managerial rumourAdministrator Jackson was in attendance at Forthbank and was quick to dismiss reports linking former Dens Park striker James Grady with the Dundee manager’s job, insisting it is Smith’s for the foreseeable future.
“I do not know where that has come from, but there is no truth in it,” he said. “We have made our decisions, we trust the management and certainly the performance today was very encouraging.
“The fans were great and I am thinking of trying to get the rules changed so that the away team gets at least half the takings,” he smiled. “It was really encouraging and that was what we were wanting to see.
“I think I have about 200 emails from Friday and I know quite a few are from interested parties but it is difficult to know how serious the intent is at this stage.”
New boss Smith admitted being awarded the manager’s position had been a bittersweet experience.
“I have mixed emotions as this is a club I love and have played for, but by the same token there are two guys who have lost their jobs for me to become manager that is the difficult part of it,” he said. “So there is pride and sadness. I cannot speak highly enough of the players and how proud I am of them. They were unbelievable in the circumstances.”It has been reported that Mickael Antoine-Curier, was not officially informed of his sacking. The player is currently in France recovering from injury.