ian1964 10,548 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 WHEN news filtered through last summer that Dundee would replace Rangers in the SPL, Dens Park instantly turned into a scene of sheer joy. Boss Barry Smith didnâ??t join in the celebrations though. Unlike most, he realised the size of the task he and the team heâ??d built to win Division One would face playing in the top flight. Yesterday that summer rapture at Dens was replaced by despair when Smith paid for the radical change in Dundeeâ??s circumstances with his job, just weeks after being given assurances on his future. The axing of Smith, a day after his 39th birthday, left players and staff at the club stunned. Defender Matt Lockwood was part of the side Smith led away from relegation down to Division Two after they had been docked 25 points in 2010 for entering administration for a second time. And he reckons his gafferâ??s job was made IMPOSSIBLE when he was given just a few days to cobble together a team fit for the SPL following Rangersâ?? collapse and exit from the top flight. Ultimately it hasnâ??t worked, but Lockwood insists Dundeeâ??s recent 5-1 Scottish Cup win over First Division leaders Morton proved Smith had fulfilled his remit. He said: â??There were people in tears when they heard the news. Barryâ??s a good guy and he was hugely popular. â??We got promoted two weeks before the start of the season. If that hadnâ??t happened and weâ??d been in the First Division, I have no doubt whatsoever weâ??d be sitting at the top. â??The manager had been building a team for that league and if weâ??d been in it heâ??d still have a job. â??He had built a team of proven Division One players and he would have won that league. â??We played Morton a few weeks ago. They are five points clear at the top of that league and we put five past them. â??Itâ??s harsh. Barry has suffered because of the circumstances the club has been put in. â??Nobody is ever going to turn down the chance to be in the SPL, but ultimately that is what has cost the manager his job. â??Managers in the SPL will have been planning for next season from a few months ago â?? thatâ??s about eight or nine months of planning. â??Barry had a few weeks to do it. Heâ??s brought in players, but it was all very rushed.â? Smith achieved legend status at Dundee as a player, making over 400 appearances in 10 years there. But what he achieved in the first few months as boss after replacing Gordon Chisholm was arguably more important. Lockwood is adamant no one will forget Smithâ??s role in saving Dundee from oblivion. He said: â??The board have maybe decided to go in another direction, but I donâ??t think people will forget the role Barry played in saving this club. â??If you look at what heâ??s done over the last couple of years it has been fantastic. â??Barry and the players who kept the team going after administration saved the club from relegation to Division Two.â? Smith saw off an attempted boardroom coup in January and was assured that his job was safe. But with the Dark Blues 15 points adrift at the foot of the SPL, that proved to be only a stay of execution. Lockwood was shocked not only by Smithâ??s exit, but the timing of it, so close to next weekendâ??s Scottish Cup quarter-final derby with Dundee United. He added: â??It might be a step too far to stay in the league, but who is to say we wonâ??t beat United and win the Cup? So the timing of it is strange. â??I donâ??t know if the manager was told heâ??d definitely be safe, but football is a horrible business at times. â??I just donâ??t understand the timing of it, but nothing should surprise you. Thereâ??s no loyalty in football. Itâ??s horrible when things like this happen.â? The first Lockwood and his team-mates knew of Smithâ??s departure was when their gaffer turned up late for training and told them the news himself. The left-back admits the players were stunned and are shouldering a burden of guilt. He said: â??He was very emotional, as was everyone because we all liked the manager. â??Itâ??s our fault. Football is a results business and every time a manager gets sacked, players have to look at themselves. â??We have under-performed and heâ??s lost his job because of that. The boys are gutted. â??Barry has paid the ultimate price for our results.â? Assistant boss Ray Farningham, who left Montrose to return to full-time football at the start of the season, has been placed in temporary charge. And Dundee have already started the search for Smithâ??s successor, with former Aberdeen gaffer Jimmy Calderwood in pole position. Lockwood hopes they get a new man in as soon as possible and said: â??We donâ??t know if they have someone lined up, but weâ??ve been told that Jinky will be in charge for the meantime. â??Weâ??ll just have to wait and see who comes in. â??But youâ??d imagine that because theyâ??ve made this decision they will have someone lined up.â? Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/feeds/smartphone/scotland/4805447/Rangers-cost-Baz-his-job.html#ixzz2LWRHeGqd 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovanAllan 0 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Trying to hold back the tears its a scandal so it is. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,548 Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 Rangers are hitting the headlines today again! Next title will mean MORE than one we won when Gers were here Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/feeds/smartphone/scotland/4805148/Next-title-will-mean-MORE-than-one-we-won-when-Gers-were-here.html#ixzz2LWS2I2ms NEIL LENNON has revealed lifting the SPL title trophy this season wonâ??t mean as much to him as last yearâ??s championship glory. Itâ??ll mean MORE. With no Rangers itâ??s been no contest with Lennon expecting no credit. But with the league now virtually wrapped up the Celtic boss has hit back at any suggestion his side wonâ??t have earned their medals. Lennon knows the absence of the clubâ??s biggest rivals will affect how some view Hoopsâ?? 2012-13 campaign. But having reached the last 16 of the Champions League, the Irishman is in no doubt how the season should be remembered in the future. Lennon said: â??Iâ??d say every title means the same but this one may actually mean more given the European run weâ??ve had this year and the exertions the players have gone through. â??Winning championships is not easy, even though everyone looked at this one as a forgone conclusion. â??But if you look at Germany, Bayern Munich are 15 points clear. Manchester United are 12 points clear in England and I donâ??t know how far ahead Barcelona are over in Spain. â??Not many of the big leagues are competitive. They tend to have one dominant team and that seems to be the case with us as well. â??Rangers being out of the league wonâ??t take away any of the satisfaction if we win it, not for me or the players. â??We won the league with Rangers in it last year. Theyâ??re not here now and there is nothing we can do about that. â??The reality is that theyâ??re in the Third Division and we need to keep improving as a club. â??We need to keep winning and keep creating assets in the squad. â??Weâ??ve done all that, more or less reaching all the targets we wanted to. Others may look at it differently but you can only beat whatâ??s in front of you. ONLY ONE SHOW IN TOWN:rfc: 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluedell 5,382 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 They voted for Rangers not to be in the SPL, so their title was won away from the park and therefore will be forever tainted. It's easy to win a league when you vote out your only challenger. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thinker 887 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 The Dundee decision seems utterly moronic. They're getting relegated anyway, and it's plain to see it's not really the managers fault. If they have a team that would walk the First Division why not take relegation, properly strengthen it for the SPL, and come straight back up? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,548 Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 They voted for Rangers not to be in the SPL, so their title was won away from the park and therefore will be forever tainted. It's easy to win a league when you vote out your only challenger. It is a tainted title regardless of what any BHEAST says. FACT! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueMazza 0 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Ffs. More shit we are responsible for! Just can't stop talking about us 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovanAllan 0 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 It is a tainted title regardless of what any BHEAST says. FACT! Timmy propaganda getting in ahead of time its what they do best. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 743 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Andy Walker was coming out with more tosh by saying the match this weekend between Celtic and Dundee is a mis-match due to the 45 point difference, where else would you get that. Well the so called greatest league in the world in England also has bottom v top match this weekend - QPR v Man Utd where the gap is 48 points yet nobody says its a mis-match.....just shows the different in the Celtic minded way. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gunslinger 3,366 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 utterly rediculous he was sacked. absolutely nothin to do with rangers. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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