Out with the old: Gordon Chisholm (right) has taken over from Jocky Scott (left) as Dundee manager. Pic: ©SNS Group
Gordon Chisholm has been appointed as the new manager of First Division leaders Dundee. The Dens Park club moved swiftly to secure the former Queen of the South boss as Jocky Scott's replacement, having sacked the 62-year-old after Saturday's 3-0 defeat to bottom club Airdrie United.
Chisholm was named as Scott's successor just 24 hours after news of the three-times Dundee boss' departure had been announced, with a quickly arranged press conference held on Sunday night to unveil the new management team.
Former Rangers striker Billy Dodds, who together with Chisholm spent time as a player with the Dark Blues, has also left Palmerston Park to become Dundee's assistant manager. Both have been given contracts until the end of the 2011/12 season.
Ian McCall, manager of Partick Thistle, had emerged as a front runner for the vacant position on Sunday morning and Dundee made an approach to the Glasgow club to talk with their boss. It looked as though McCall, who managed across the road at Tannadice with Dundee United, would be charged with the task of keeping the Dees' promotion challenge on track.
Instead, his one-time assistant Chisholm, who succeeded him into the manager's chair at Tannadice for a short spell in 2005, was given the job and will charged with the immediate task of turning around Dundee's fortunes.
"The next six weeks are absolutely massive, the next nine games, and that's taking my full concentration," Chisholm told DFCtv after his appointment. "There will be a togetherness for that period of time and we'll look at it afterwards.
"I don't think anyone can deny how important this run-in at the end of the season is going to be so we'll focus totally on that."
Despite sitting top of the pile in the First Division, Dundee have won just two of their eight games since the new year, allowing Ross County, Inverness and Dunfermline back into the title race. County can pull level on points with Chisholm's team in the race for title, should they win their two games in hand.
A statement on Queen of the South's website confirmed that they had lost their manager to their divisional rivals but said their parting was "amicable". Chisholm's former assistant, Kenny Brannigan, will oversee the first team at Queens until the end of the season.
"Following a phone call from Dundee chairman Bob Brannan this morning, I gave him permission to speak to our manager, Gordon Chisholm, regarding the managerial vacancy at Dens Park.
"Since then, Gordon has accepted the job and is now the new manager at Dens Park. He will take over with immediate effect but the parting was an amicable one."
Chisholm was a candidate for the vacant Kilmarnock job back in January after Jim Jefferies left Rugby Park. After discussions between Chisholm and the SPL club, Killie instead went for former Aberdeen and Dunfermline Athletic manager Jimmy Calderwood.
In his time with Queen of the South, he took the Dumfries club to an unlikely Scottish Cup final appearance in 2008, in which they pushed Rangers all the way in a thrilling 3-2 defeat. In reaching the final, they qualified for the following season's Uefa Cup, playing against Danish club FC Nordsjaelland, going down 4-2 on aggregate.
Partick Thistle meanwhile expressed their relief at not losing their manager and said they were keen to get on with the rest of the season, leaving behind Sunday's drama.
"It is now once again business as usual at Firhill with Tuesday's fixture with Dunfermline hopefully signalling the end of a hugely frustrating period for all connected to Partick Thistle," a statement on their official website read on Sunday night.
