LINVAL Dixon has resigned as head coach of four-time Premier League winners Portmore United with immediate effect.

His decision comes in the aftermath of the club’s poor showing in the first two rounds of the Digicel Premiership.

“I’m stepping aside because things are not going the way I want it to go as team coach,” Dixon told the Observer in an exclusive interview last evening.

Portmore, who have won three league titles this decade (2003, 2005 and 2008), and placed second on at least two other occasions, are currently lying in an unfamiliar seventh position in the 12-team league after 22 matches.

The team, which has a record of five wins, eight draws and nine defeats for 23 points, trails league leaders Harbour View by 19.

“Hazard (now Portmore) is and will always be my club, but I’m doing the responsible thing by stepping aside to let the management do what is best for the team at this time, because the club comes first,” Dixon added.

The Portmore team, which lost the DPL by a single point to Tivoli Gardens last year, has scored only 14 goals while giving up 20 so far in this season.

Dixon is the second coach of the DPL to resign in the last 48 hours after Arnett’s under-fire leader Fabian Davis stepped down on Sunday.

Asked if he was pressured to resign as head coach by the management, Dixon — the former Reggae Boyz defender who replaced Lenworth Hyde in 2005 — replied: “I was not pushed out and I was not asked to step aside”.

“I want to stress that I have a good relationship with the management staff and players and I’m willing to continue serving the club in whichever capacity.” Dixon added.

The Observer understands that Dixon has been nominated by Portmore as their representative to participate in the Jamaica Football Federation’s Level Two Coaching Course set for February.

Meanwhile, Howard McIntosh — a director of Portmore United –confirmed receipt of Dixon’s resignation when contacted by the Observer yesterday.

“Yes, the club has received the resignation of one of its most loyal servants in Linval Dixon. It’s not a happy occasion at all and actually it comes with some amount of disappointment, but I think we all understand the realities of football and the responsibilities that come with coaching,” McIntosh said.

“We can assure you and the public that the club has already been discussing it and we very much intend to have Linval still as a part of the Portmore family, but as you can appreciate, that is to be determined over the next couple of days,” he added.

McIntosh also confirmed an Observer report carried last week that former captain, Grenadian Anthony Modeste, is returning to the club today.

“I can confirm that Modeste will be back with the club during the course of this week. (But) given this resignation, we’re having discussions and during the course of this week we will be making all the necessary determinations. By the end of the week and definitely over the weekend, we’ll be making the announcement as to exactly what is taking place with the coaching situation at the club,” McIntosh said.