Frustrated Dundee United chairman Mark Ogren has ripped apart Jack Ross' brief spell as boss at Tannadice after a "largely disappointing" start to the campaign.
The former Hibs and Sunderland boss was shown the door at Tannadice with the heavy defeat to Celtic proving the final straw for Ogren. The impressive first leg win over AZ Alkmaar in Europa Conference League qualifying proved to be an outlier amid a run of rotten results, with the 7-0 trouncing away to the Eredivise side dealing an early bodyblow to Ross' tenure.
United have never recovered having lost their last four Scottish Premiership games with the 9-0 thrashing by Celtic in the City of Discovery leaving the fans, owners and players shellshocked. The anger was palpable from the stands with a stream of punters heading for the exits at the interval with their side trailing 4-0 to Ange Postecoglou's side, and Ogren and the board decided to wield the axe just seven games into the campaign.
Ogren has now broken his silence on the decision, and called for patience from the fans to find a successor. In a lengthy statement, he wrote: "I would like to address the current situation amid what has been a largely disappointing start to the on-field campaign.
"A string of poor performances and unacceptable results led to the board making the decision to relieve Jack Ross of his position as Head Coach. Such actions are never taken lightly and, as a board, we took a period of reflection and information gathering after Sunday’s game before coming to our decision.
"This has been a horrendous run of results for the club and for that we apologise unreservedly to our fans. However, it is my belief that the tools and infrastructure remain in place for us to achieve success on the field. This will require everyone to be united behind what we are trying to do.
"In the almost four years of ownership at this club, we have achieved nearly all of our goals and objectives earlier than expected and as a board, we believe we can take things even further soon. I am confident the players, staff, executive team, and board currently in place are the ones to take us forward alongside a new Head Coach.
"As we begin the process of looking for our new Head Coach, please know this will take some time and I ask you all to remain patient and supportive.
"Your support has been exceptional, both in terms of ticket sales and vocal backing and I know you simply crave success for our club. I can assure you I share that craving and certainly expect we will again soon be seeing performances in which we can all be proud."
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