Partick Thistle have moved to explain their decision behind sacking Ian McCall.
The experienced gaffer was relieved of his duties last night just hours after the Jags' narrow 3-2 defeat to Rangers.
The Championship promotion hopefuls were edged out in the end by Michael Beale's side, with James Sands scoring a header late in the game to seal Rangers' progression into the Scottish Cup quarter-finals.
The timing of the sacking has bemused many, with the performance from Thistle undoubtedly their best in months.
With that said, their league form has been poor of late, with recent defeats at home to the likes of Hamilton and Cove Rangers.
And the Thistle board insist that was their main reasoning behind the call - as they reiterated their desire for the club to be back in the Premiership.
A statement reads: "The primary aim for Partick Thistle Football Club for season 2022/23 is to regain Premiership status. The management team were given a budget to support this objective.
"Given the playing squad assembled for this season, everyone at the club was united in the belief that this was an achievable prospect.
"The decision to relieve the management team of their duties in relation to the first team was a strategic decision to achieve this objective. The timing of this decision was to allow maximum preparation time for our vital upcoming cinch Championship match with Ayr United.
"Ian, Alan and Neil deserve a huge and sincere thank you from all at Partick Thistle Football Club for their leadership over the past three-and-a-half years, including winning the League 1 title.
"They have operated in challenging circumstances, most notably during the pandemic and then as we transition to fan ownership, but there can be no doubt they have left the men’s team in a much stronger position than when appointed in September 2019.
"Our squad remains strong, our season’s objective remains unchanged. With more than a third of the season to go, the squad have already demonstrated they are capable of a strong run of form as evidenced at the start of the season where we sat atop of the Championship standings after the tenth round of games.
"Kris Doolan and Paul McDonald have been asked to step up on short notice from our Academy to look after first team matters on an interim basis. We would ask that all players, staff and supporters give them their united backing throughout this time.
"The board of directors are also aware of recent speculation regarding the financial situation at the club.
"Having reviewed the Club’s finances following the recent change of control, it has become clear that the club faced significant challenges in delivering its budget for this season.
"A plan has been developed to ensure budgets are brought in line, and actions will be taken on an ongoing basis to ensure this remains the case.
"In addition, there are several live discussions regarding bringing additional investment into the club to support this process and to contribute to our plans for next season. We will provide updates on progress as and when appropriate.
"Finally, the support the team received at Ibrox yesterday was simply outstanding and we would like to thank all the fans for their tremendous backing, noise and colour."
At The Herald and Times we know the importance of reaching you where it's convenient, which is why we've engaged top sportswriter James Morgan to bring you an irreverent daily update on what's happening in the world of sport. Be it football, golf, rugby, cricket or something more exotic, James will tread where the best stories take him. To get this bespoke piece sent directly to your email inbox for free every day at 5pm, simply take 5 seconds to type in your email here. It's that simple!
