John Sheridan says his exit from Oldham was down to results and nothing to do with a notorious night at a dog track.
The former Sheffield Wednesday midfield star was sacked on Sunday and replaced by former boss Joe Royle.
Newspaper reports suggested the players brawled and one, Lee Hughes, put the manager in a headlock.
"Lee Hughes did have me in a headlock - but in a jovial way. It was results that cost me the job," Sheridan told BBC Radio 5 Live.
The incident happened at the Belle Vue greyhound track in Manchester when players were apparently discussing Oldham's dip in form.
"Lee Hughes did nothing whatsoever," added Sheridan.
"There was no aggressive nature in Lee's actions. People have made things up. One or two of the players did have too much drink. Their behaviour was not right and I dealt with it on the night.
"I know for a fact that it was nothing to do with me losing my job. The results over probably the last 10 games were not what we wanted. We were in a good position but we have let ourselves down.
"It is always about results and the people in charge felt they were not good enough."
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