Aberdeen Chairman Dave Cormack spoke to the press following the game at Easter Road.

“I met with Jim at the end of the game. Jim is a thoroughly decent guy. He came up, gave me a hug and said, “It isn’t good enough.” He has given it everything he can give it, but the simple facts are that the results since coming back from the World Cup break have been wholly unacceptable and the away form is utterly abysmal.

“I feel for Jim and his family today, and for Lee Sharp, his assistant. Two good guys have lost their jobs. Jim is a very, very honourable and decent man, honest and trustworthy so I feel for him, but this is a decision that Jim and I both immediately decided that we needed to make after the game.

“I feel for the supporters too. I feel embarrassed, humiliated, shell-shocked at events of the last week. That’s how our fans feel and I can only apologise to them.

“I saw the fans there today, 1,700 of them, and I used to be one of those travelling fans. I was in with the 5,000 fans that were here at Easter Road when we won 5-0 to win the league in 1980. I feel for them. Personally, I feel like I’ve let them down. The players need to take responsibility too.

“I’m 64 now. I first went to Pittodrie when I was six years old and fell in love with the club. I love our home city, but I’m chairman of the club and I take responsibility when things go this way and you have to part company with a manager.

“When you run a business, whether it’s a football club or the software companies that I’ve run, it’s about having a strategy and a vision. It’s down to having the right people in place at the right time that are able to execute that. I understand that it really doesn’t matter to supporters that things off the field are going well commercially, or that the Academy is doing well. First team results are what matters and our fans deserve better. I’m determined to continue to drive us forward.

“I apologise to our fans. I can only promise them that I’m determined to put things right.”