Airdrie boss Rhys McCabe insists he doesn’t feel under pressure for a poor start to their season, but admits they are going through a period of adversity.
The Diamonds have won just one league game all season, a 1-0 win over Raith Rovers in their Championship opener on August 3, and their 1-0 Scottish Cup third round win at Dundee North End last Sunday was their first in any competition since September 7.
That leaves Airdrie rooted to the foot of the Championship, 10 points behind Morton, following Saturday’s 2-0 defeat against Queen’s Park at Hampden.
McCabe is focusing on three key home games coming up against Morton on Saturday, Livingston the following Tuesday and Partick Thistle on December 21, and says they have to get it right.
He said: “I never felt pressure as a player. Everybody can judge you when you’re doing well, but that’s never how I judge myself.
“I always want to look at things from a neutral standpoint, and what is going to make me better as a coach, as a manager, as a person, is how you come through a bit of adversity.
“There’s no doubt about it, we’re going through a spell like that just now, and how we come out the other end of it will determine how I am.
“It’s an unforgiving, competitive league and you often get a shock result, but we have to focus on ourselves, and not give ourselves a mountain to climb, starting the game from a position where you’re almost gifting teams a 45-minute start, an early goal, or whatever it may be.
“We have players coming back that will add huge quality and confidence to the boys, but to win a game you need basics and good habits.”
McCabe hopes a solid backing at New Broomfield can make a difference in the run-up to Christmas.
He said: “It helps having all three at home but it doesn’t matter where we are at the moment. I never really look at a game and think ‘brilliant, we have home advantage’ or we’re away – I approach the games in the same way.
“We didn’t go to Hampden on Saturday and sit behind the ball, and look to counter-attack or anything like that. I’ve never been that way and I don’t think I ever will be, especially in this league.
“I don’t think that there’s anyone that’s a real stand-out gulf in quality that’s too good for you.
“I think everyone on their day can beat anyone in this league, and that’s probably why it’s so competitive and enjoyable.
“But it’s about trying to find the level of consistency, and to do that we’ve got to make sure we’re doing better than in the first 45 minutes on Saturday.”
Ten points of a gap is huge at this stage of the season and McCabe is looking to get back on track against Morton.
He said: “You don’t want that margin growing, but you’ve got to put demands on yourselves as a player, as a manager, you’ve got to make sure that, regardless of whether it’s a cup final, a league game or the next round of the cup, that you go in with the mind-set that you’re going to be hard to play against, full of enthusiasm and bring the game to them.
“You need to bring those good habits, which are hard work, work ethic, running, fighting and scrapping, and adding little bits of quality is probably what gives you a fighting chance.”
Meanwhile, McCabe says he has made changes to the medical team at Airdrie after defender Mason Hancock suffered yet another set-back, having just made his comeback in the Scottish Cup tie at Dundee North End on December 1.
McCabe says too many players have been breaking down just as they’re on the verge of a comeback and wants it to stop.
He said: “It’s another set-back [for Mason]. It’s not something I’m happy with. Far too often this season it’s happened in the medical team, so we’ve made changes.
“The game-plan was always to give Mason some minutes in the cup last week, I think he got 50-something, came off, was fine leading up to the game, and at the start of the week he pulled up in the warm-up at training, which tells you something is not right and needs to be addressed.”