Nicky Devlin insists being publicly shamed by boss Jimmy Thelin must be a starting point in bringing Aberdeen’s alarming form slump to an end.
The Dons defender believes the players have got to bear responsibility for Thursday’s 4-0 hammering at Kilmarnock which saw his gaffer apologise to the support for an abysmal display. An absence of effort, failure to win duals or second balls and a lack of application were all cited by the Swede in what he claimed was the Pittodrie side’s worst performance of this campaign.
Devlin was in no mood to dispute those accusations and with a trip to face Dundee United tomorrow, he is adamant a dramatic improvement is required. He said: “We know how important those things are. If you are going to get results you have to get the better of those kind of things. The manger said we were second best on every one of them against Kilmarnock and from the first minute to the last it just wasn’t to be for us at all.”
As Aberdeen were dismantled at Rugby Park, the heady days of 10 wins and a draw from their opening 11 Premiership games were a distant memory as they suffered a seventh winless game. Devlin admits he’s struggling to get to the root of the Dons’ problems. He said: “I’m not sure you can put your finger on one thing that has changed. It seems like a lot.
“We went from a team that was comfortable in a lot of games to a team that is in bad form and struggling. We are conceding far too many goals as a starting point. It is down to us to change that.
“It is frustrating if it is only working hard that we have to do more. That should be a given, it is not something you need ability to do. It is just about individuals and as a team demanding that from each other.
“Just because we went on a good run at the start of the season does not mean we can turn up for games and win. We have to work harder than everyone we are playing against. Then you hope the quality we have can come through. It is down to us to fix it.”
The mask of Thelin’s mild mannered demeanour slipped inside the Killie press room as he laid into the failings of his players. But Devlin is adamant his boss doesn’t need to rant and rave about his displeasure over recent weeks.
He said: “The way the manager speaks you know when he is happy and when he is not. You know when he is disappointed and you know when he is angry. He makes that point very clear. It doesn’t have to be done by screaming in someone’s face.
“We do a lot of work on video where he points out a lot of stuff we are not doing right. The way he comes across he lets you know when he is not happy.
“He has coaching staff as well who can contribute to the way we are playing and to the team talks. As players we are under no illusions it is not good enough.”
A drastic improvement of the basics will be required if the Dons are to put the brakes on their Premiership freefall against an in-form Dundee United. And Devlin insists the elder statesmen in the Pittodrie dressing room need to step up to the plate.
He said: “As experienced players this is when you are called upon more than ever. When everything is going well everyone is full of confidence, playing with belief and everything is rosy.
“It is up to the full team to change it but as experienced players and boys who have been in the league for a long time and played a lot of games in Scotland we have got to take responsibility.”