Brighton boss Mark McGhee spoke to the Southwark News prior to the Millwall game and much of what he said will certainly interest Lions fans. Stephen Eighteen gives us this internet exclusive (well, it's exclusive until the other sites nick it anyway!).
Mark McGhee has revealed the first time the behind the scenes discussions that led to his departure.
The former Lions boss, who this Saturday returns to the Den for the first time since leaving by mutual consent last October, has also stated how he was ready to leave weeks before the fateful game at home to Preston - but agreed to continue after holding crisis talks with Paphitis.
McGhee has previously remained tight-lipped about his departure from Millwall, citing that he had taken the club as far as he could in his three-year stay, but on the eve of bringing his Brighton side to the Den, the Scotsman has indicated there were other motives for the decision.
He said: "I'd become very frustrated of our inability to find the target man who was going to be a huge part of any hope we had in going further, and I was finding it more and more difficult to be in agreement with the chairman.
"Our own views started to diverge, so before we fell out I thought it was better that we did what we did.
"He was okay with it and we are still friends. We'd always worked closely together with regards to players going in and out and the running of the club in general.
"He had always allowed me to get on with my job, but his views on how the team should be playing started to conflict and I was not prepared to be compromised.
"It was on the cards for three to four weeks. At one point I'd already left but we talked it over and decided to stay."
The 2-0 home defeat against Preston signalled the end of McGhee's Millwall reign, and though results in the preceding games were adequate, performances were lacklustre.
While scotching rumours that player unrest had also led to his demise, the former boss added that it would be unjust should any boos come his way on Saturday.
"I still see the players and talk to them. Any suggestions of otherwise is disgraceful and a joke", stressed McGhee.
"I can't think what I have done to deserve anything other than a good reception. There's no advantage gained from giving me stick because I have had stick at Leicester and Reading and it's water off a duck's back.
"If they didn't think I did a good job I don't know what more they could have wanted. They're at a lower position than when I was here but have spent more money.
"I went there when we were ninth position in the second division and won the Championship and then finished 4th.
"We had an identification card scheme introduced, the collapse of ITV Digital and the personal tragedy of Ray Harford's illness and eventual death in my last year.
"I did all I could to get them into the First Division and consolidate. I only did it with spending what will eventually become £350,000 on Darren Ward.
"I brought in Kevin Muscat for nothing, and a couple of the others on loans. Bob Peeters came on a free."
It can be misleading to judge by voice alone, but it certainly sounds as if all Mark McGhee needed was a change rather than a rest.
There were a few raised eyebrows when McGhee took up the post as Brighton manager thirteen short days after going out in a cacophony of boos at the Den last October.
Football management is such a stressful job that switching from one cooker to another is usually done when the dish has had time to go cold, and the frost has killed any lingering mould from an uncomfortable experience.
But over the telephone at least, McGhee transmits like a man who has been given a new lease of life and zest for the game without needing to have time out.
It there was a phrase that could sum up our conversation, it would be; 'No regrets.'
"Quite often when you leave a football club you are told to leave", said McGhee. "But I was party to it because I wanted to leave.
"I was sure that I felt I had to leave Millwall and I wanted to start working again the next day. I had no qualms about not being in the right frame of mind.
"I didn't feel any pressure at any stage from the fans. If we lost in the season we were promoted they would complain but it was never part of the decision."
When the Scotsman succeeded Keith Stevens and Alan McLeary as Millwall manager in September 2000, it was a time that many supporters consider as something of a golden generation.
The likes of Steven Reid, Tim Cahill, Richard Sadlier and Paul Ifill were on the verge of blossoming from youthful prodigies into fully-fledged regulars, and McGhee's guidance helped them achieve promotion to the old Division One and almost on to the Premiership before the roof began to cave in against Birmingham in the play offs on May 2 2002.
To a certain extent, this parallels his achievements at Brighton under a similar job description.
McGhee said: "When we came up we had a mixture of experienced players like Stuart Nethercott and Sean Dyche, and youth players like Steven Reid, Tim Cahill and Paul Ifill.
"But even though they were young a lot of them already had 200 games, while some of our youngsters I've got here have only played 20/30 games.
"We pass the ball better than when we got promoted last season, where we direct, but I felt the passing game was better for this division.
"We don't score a lot of goals but we haven't spent any money on players. Recently we wanted to bring in Mark McCammon from Millwall on loan but couldn't afford to pay his wages, so we are making do with young players and free transfers.
"We need to get things right financially because unless we get our new stadium we have no future. The young players will leave and it will all go pear shaped."
McGhee is proud to have unearthed midfielders Darren Currie from Wycombe and Alex Nicholas from Chelsea, but any hopes and dreams harboured by Albion fans for a brighter tomorrow lie with deputy prime minister John Prescott, who will decide in April whether the club can move from the tiny Withdean stadium to a new 22,000-seat venue in Falmer, on the edge of the city.
The familiar face that is Steve Claridge has also arrived on a month's loan, after getting sacked from Weymouth, and McGhee is delighted with the condition of the former Lions frontman.
"We needed a striker and as soon as he became available I had no hesitation in signing him. He and Dennis Wise are two of the fittest players I have ever worked with as a manager or player.
"Dennis has done brilliantly since he came to Millwall, but being a player-manager is an impossible task.
"The day he finishes playing and concentrates on managing he will be better for it. Since I left he has signed a number of strikers but he's still looking for the right combination.
"He's only been there a year, and with players contracts it's impossible to change things completely. He needs another year before you can judge."
When McGhee joined the Seagulls a year ago, he would have taken Archie Knox - who was his assistant during his last few months at Millwall - had he been permitted.
"Archie Knox has just taken another job. I would have taken him to Brighton, but just as at Millwall I was asked to assess staff - and I had Ray Harford and Steve Gritt - so I had it the same way at Brighton.
He may have had his differences with Theo Paphitis in some areas, but McGhee insists finance was not one of them.
He added: "I had the backing from the chairman in terms of money and spending, but there was never anything to spend because of the riot and the collapse of ITV Digital, but in terms of the players I did sign, me and the chairman were 100 per cent in agreement and shared responsibility.
"If it was not for these two events we could have got the club to the Premiership, as long as we brought in another two players.
"I've spoken to some of the players regularly but have never had the need to go back to the Den yet, but I will be sticking around after the game for a drink."
Mark McGhee has revealed the first time the behind the scenes discussions that led to his departure.
The former Lions boss, who this Saturday returns to the Den for the first time since leaving by mutual consent last October, has also stated how he was ready to leave weeks before the fateful game at home to Preston - but agreed to continue after holding crisis talks with Paphitis.
McGhee has previously remained tight-lipped about his departure from Millwall, citing that he had taken the club as far as he could in his three-year stay, but on the eve of bringing his Brighton side to the Den, the Scotsman has indicated there were other motives for the decision.
He said: "I'd become very frustrated of our inability to find the target man who was going to be a huge part of any hope we had in going further, and I was finding it more and more difficult to be in agreement with the chairman.
"Our own views started to diverge, so before we fell out I thought it was better that we did what we did.
"He was okay with it and we are still friends. We'd always worked closely together with regards to players going in and out and the running of the club in general.
"He had always allowed me to get on with my job, but his views on how the team should be playing started to conflict and I was not prepared to be compromised.
"It was on the cards for three to four weeks. At one point I'd already left but we talked it over and decided to stay."
The 2-0 home defeat against Preston signalled the end of McGhee's Millwall reign, and though results in the preceding games were adequate, performances were lacklustre.
While scotching rumours that player unrest had also led to his demise, the former boss added that it would be unjust should any boos come his way on Saturday.
"I still see the players and talk to them. Any suggestions of otherwise is disgraceful and a joke", stressed McGhee.
"I can't think what I have done to deserve anything other than a good reception. There's no advantage gained from giving me stick because I have had stick at Leicester and Reading and it's water off a duck's back.
"If they didn't think I did a good job I don't know what more they could have wanted. They're at a lower position than when I was here but have spent more money.
"I went there when we were ninth position in the second division and won the Championship and then finished 4th.
"We had an identification card scheme introduced, the collapse of ITV Digital and the personal tragedy of Ray Harford's illness and eventual death in my last year.
"I did all I could to get them into the First Division and consolidate. I only did it with spending what will eventually become £350,000 on Darren Ward.
"I brought in Kevin Muscat for nothing, and a couple of the others on loans. Bob Peeters came on a free."
It can be misleading to judge by voice alone, but it certainly sounds as if all Mark McGhee needed was a change rather than a rest.
There were a few raised eyebrows when McGhee took up the post as Brighton manager thirteen short days after going out in a cacophony of boos at the Den last October.
Football management is such a stressful job that switching from one cooker to another is usually done when the dish has had time to go cold, and the frost has killed any lingering mould from an uncomfortable experience.
But over the telephone at least, McGhee transmits like a man who has been given a new lease of life and zest for the game without needing to have time out.
It there was a phrase that could sum up our conversation, it would be; 'No regrets.'
"Quite often when you leave a football club you are told to leave", said McGhee. "But I was party to it because I wanted to leave.
"I was sure that I felt I had to leave Millwall and I wanted to start working again the next day. I had no qualms about not being in the right frame of mind.
"I didn't feel any pressure at any stage from the fans. If we lost in the season we were promoted they would complain but it was never part of the decision."
When the Scotsman succeeded Keith Stevens and Alan McLeary as Millwall manager in September 2000, it was a time that many supporters consider as something of a golden generation.
The likes of Steven Reid, Tim Cahill, Richard Sadlier and Paul Ifill were on the verge of blossoming from youthful prodigies into fully-fledged regulars, and McGhee's guidance helped them achieve promotion to the old Division One and almost on to the Premiership before the roof began to cave in against Birmingham in the play offs on May 2 2002.
To a certain extent, this parallels his achievements at Brighton under a similar job description.
McGhee said: "When we came up we had a mixture of experienced players like Stuart Nethercott and Sean Dyche, and youth players like Steven Reid, Tim Cahill and Paul Ifill.
"But even though they were young a lot of them already had 200 games, while some of our youngsters I've got here have only played 20/30 games.
"We pass the ball better than when we got promoted last season, where we direct, but I felt the passing game was better for this division.
"We don't score a lot of goals but we haven't spent any money on players. Recently we wanted to bring in Mark McCammon from Millwall on loan but couldn't afford to pay his wages, so we are making do with young players and free transfers.
"We need to get things right financially because unless we get our new stadium we have no future. The young players will leave and it will all go pear shaped."
McGhee is proud to have unearthed midfielders Darren Currie from Wycombe and Alex Nicholas from Chelsea, but any hopes and dreams harboured by Albion fans for a brighter tomorrow lie with deputy prime minister John Prescott, who will decide in April whether the club can move from the tiny Withdean stadium to a new 22,000-seat venue in Falmer, on the edge of the city.
The familiar face that is Steve Claridge has also arrived on a month's loan, after getting sacked from Weymouth, and McGhee is delighted with the condition of the former Lions frontman.
"We needed a striker and as soon as he became available I had no hesitation in signing him. He and Dennis Wise are two of the fittest players I have ever worked with as a manager or player.
"Dennis has done brilliantly since he came to Millwall, but being a player-manager is an impossible task.
"The day he finishes playing and concentrates on managing he will be better for it. Since I left he has signed a number of strikers but he's still looking for the right combination.
"He's only been there a year, and with players contracts it's impossible to change things completely. He needs another year before you can judge."
When McGhee joined the Seagulls a year ago, he would have taken Archie Knox - who was his assistant during his last few months at Millwall - had he been permitted.
"Archie Knox has just taken another job. I would have taken him to Brighton, but just as at Millwall I was asked to assess staff - and I had Ray Harford and Steve Gritt - so I had it the same way at Brighton.
He may have had his differences with Theo Paphitis in some areas, but McGhee insists finance was not one of them.
He added: "I had the backing from the chairman in terms of money and spending, but there was never anything to spend because of the riot and the collapse of ITV Digital, but in terms of the players I did sign, me and the chairman were 100 per cent in agreement and shared responsibility.
"If it was not for these two events we could have got the club to the Premiership, as long as we brought in another two players.
"I've spoken to some of the players regularly but have never had the need to go back to the Den yet, but I will be sticking around after the game for a drink."
