Neil McCann has walked away from his job as first team coach at Dunfermline Athletic.
The former Hearts and Rangers (IL) winger joined the club under Jim Jefferies and remained in place through administration and Jefferies decision to step down as manager in December.
Dunfermline made the announcement this morning on the back of a disastrous season with interim manager John Potter stepping down to resume his role as first team coach.
Announcing McCann’s departure the club stated:http://www.dafc.co.uk/story.php?t=DAFC_Board_Statement&ID=8460 We wish Neil every success in the future.
“John and Neil were both highly professional in their approach. They are bright, articulate, hard-working coaches, who were amenable to everything the Board requested.”
Despite McCann’s in-depth knowledge of the game Dunfermline have slumped to seventh in League One adrift of clubs such as Forfar, Brechin and Peterhead.
In a brilliantly honest statement the club gives supporters the lowdown on exactly where their club stands and the issues the face.
It stated: “We lost out on a budgeted third Scottish Cup tie, which as it turned out would have increased our income by £100,000. As a result of our disappointing league finish, we will lose out on £50,000 of budgeted income from the football authorities. Furthermore, £50,000 has been spent on legal fees trying to extricate our club from the lease at Pitreavie.
“However, the success of the Centenary Club Lifeline, the continuing support of the fans at the gate and better than expected commercial and hospitality income mean that we anticipate a trading loss (before depreciation) this season in the region of £250,000; more or less in line with our budget.
“It is now clear that the significant investment which was made in the playing squad this season to try to ensure promotion has not paid off. Clearly, our club simply cannot afford to invest in the playing squad at the same level next season.”
Looking forward the statement added: “Despite the performances and results our home attendances have been fantastic – testimony to the loyalty and passion of our wonderful fans. The average attendance at East End Park has been 2,700 which is still the envy of many other clubs.
“We are all too aware that the wider fan base has contributed so much in recent months and we would like to pass on our sincere thanks to the core support of the “Club for their loyalty, backing and financial contribution during these difficult times.
“We no longer rely on bucket collections or cash donations, but the three key areas where we really need fans to continue to support our club are as follows:
• Renewing their season tickets for next season;
• Attending home matches; and
• Maintaining their Centenary Club Lifeline memberships.
“If we can achieve 1,900 season ticket sales (down from 2,100), an average attendance of 2,500 (down from 2,700) and maintain our Centenary Club Lifeline income we can realistically get to the position where we can operate much closer to break even, whilst maintaining a very competitive football playing budget in this division.
“In SPFL League One, the Centenary Club Lifeline and season ticket sales effectively keep our club alive, and provide the only platform, other than promotion to the SPFL Championship, to allow our club to operate as a full time club again next season. It is so important to stress that if any of our three core income streams were to deteriorate that would have serious implications for our club at this time. Therefore, we need the continued support of our magnificent fan base.
“There is no question that the frustration we all feel at present causes negativity, but we must remain focused and remember why we all fought long and hard to save our club from administration only 18 months ago. If we fracture and let negativity grow around our club, it festers and undermines our collective power and strengthens our rivals.”
CLICK HERE to read the statement in full
