Dundee United Part Company With Manager Jackie McNamara

Dundee United have confirmed the departure of manager Jackie McNamara.

McNamara's exit had been widely expected following a poor start to the Premiership campaign where they have taken just five points from their opening nine matches and the former Scotland international held showdown talks with the board over the weekend.

A club statement late on Monday night read: Dundee United Football Club and Jackie McNamara have mutually agreed the departure of McNamara as first-team manager with immediate effect.

Following widely reported talks between the chairman and McNamara, the club and McNamara agreed that a change was required to improve the results of the club's first team, with immediate change being required following the club's start to the season.''

The statement continued: Simon Donnelly, Darren Jackson and Craig Hinchliffe have also left the club. The club thanks Messrs McNamara, Donnelly, Jackson and Hinchliffe for their service.

The club will commence recruitment for a new first-team manager and associated staff.''

Former Partick manager McNamara has led United to three top-six places and two cup finals since taking over in January 2013, although a place in Europe and silverware has eluded them.

But they have struggled this year amid the sales of key players Gary Mackay-Steven, Stuart Armstrong and Nadir Ciftci to Celtic.

Since the sale of the first two at the end of the winter transfer window, United have only won four out of 24 league games.

The club expected better results after giving McNamara money to rebuild his squad in the summer, which saw him bring in the likes of Billy McKay, Darko Bodul, Coll Donaldson and Mark Durnan.

They are believed to have the fourth-highest playing budget in the top flight and have given the manager more money to spend than previous bosses.

Yet there was no sign of imminent improvement following their worst start to a season for 12 years and McNamara paid the price following a derby defeat to St Johnstone at the weekend.

Chairman Stephen Thompson said that United's early-season results were simply not good enough and is confident McNamara's replacement is inheriting a strong squad.

I'd like to personally thank Jackie McNamara for his efforts during his tenure which saw him become the longest serving manager in the league,'' he said in a statement on the club's official website.

Everyone at the club - from the board to the coaching staff, from the players to the fans - knows our recent run of results and current position in the league isn't good enough and we all want the club back to where it should be, challenging for silverware and European qualification.

We've finished in the top six for eight consecutive seasons and reached four cup finals in that time, against a backdrop of reducing the club's debt significantly. Although this has not been easy, it's the standard we have set here at United.

We have a strategy to run the club in a financially sustainable way while achieving real progress on the pitch and these things are not mutually exclusive. This is a big club with a large squad and playing budget, so we won't be short of interest from top managers within the game.

We have one of the most exciting young squads in British football and a lot to be upbeat about. The next manager will be taking on a talented bunch of players at an exciting time for the football club.''