James McPake responds to Mark McGhee 'moral support' claim as ex Dundee boss insists he had all the backing he needed

The former Dens Park gaffer was replaced by McGhee in February with the Dark Blues fighting for Premiership survival.

James McPake says he had all the moral support he needed at Dundee before being replaced by Mark McGhee as gaffer.

Current Dens Park boss McGhee claimed that he tried to support McPake when he was fighting to keep his job in October.

McGhee attended a game at St Mirren alongside pal Gordon Strachan to back the manager. Four months later – despite winning two games on the bounce – McPake was fired and McGhee took over.

When he was unveiled on Tayside, McGhee said: “I went to a game when James was under pressure.

“Gordon said: ‘Come on, we’ll go and give him a bit of moral support.’ And we did.”

But McPake has only spoken to McGhee once – in 2008 when he tried to sign the ex-defender for Motherwell.

Asked about McGhee’s claim of being in Paisley to back him, McPake said: “The only support I needed was from my family, staff, players and other managers. And I fully believe I had that.”