Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson has defended the way he handled the departure of manager Jackie McNamara.

The Tannadice club confirmed their decision on Monday night but it is understood the former Scotland international was told his time was coming to an end immediately after Saturday's 2-1 defeat against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park, which took the Terrors' winless run in the Ladbrokes Premiership to seven games.

McNamara's father, Jackie senior, a former Celtic and Hibernian player, was quoted as describing Thompson's behaviour as "abysmal" but the Tannadice chairman said: "He was not relieved of his duties on Saturday, whatever he said to anyone after that was up to him.

"He was invited to a meeting on Monday.

"There's different ways you could handle these things, there's never a right time. Emotions run high in football.

"I've seen managers sacked via their agent, a phone call from the chairman to an agent.

"At least I handed Jackie the letter to his face, spoke to him to his face, looked him in the eye.

"It wasn't just here you go, 'go give this to Jackie'. I've heard a lot worse ways of managers being handled over the years.

"It's not about that, it's about the right decision for Dundee United going forward.

"The board have been discussing it (McNamara's position) ongoing for a while, where we were as a club, where we think we should be and the support we've given to the manager.

"It's very, very hard on a personal level because as a chairman you build up a relationship with your manager, you speak two, three or four times a day. We're both human beings at the end of the day but as a board we decided it was the right thing for the club.

"How you do it or how different clubs do things in different ways, we followed what advice we had from a legal point of view so that's what we did."

United have begun their search for a new boss but Thompson will not be looking for a rookie.

He said: "I do believe that this club is too big a club for a first managerial appointment.

"As chairman, I would not be bringing in someone who has never managed before.

"We will take time. There is a lot of emotion going around just now.

"You have to think rationally and calmly and get the right person in. We are completely open-minded."