Tam O’Brien believes Friday night’s dismal defeat to Dunfermline was the worst he’s ever been involved in at Arbroath.
The Angus side lost 5-1 at Gayfield to Dunfermline – their largest home defeat during Dick Campbell’s seven seasons in charge – to crash out of the SPFL Trust Trophy.
Campbell sent a warning to his squad after the game that there will be changes in the January transfer window.
And skipper O’Brien, who has been with Lichties for almost six years, insists the players must shoulder the blame for that loss.
“We all have to look at ourselves and think about what we could have done better,” said O’Brien, who netted a late consolation strike.
“If you don’t do the basics in football then you will never win games.
“We weren’t tight enough as a team and didn’t win individual battles – I include myself in that.
“The only people who can make things happen in 90 minutes are the players on the park. You can’t blame anyone else.
“The gaffer puts us out there to win the park and I feel like we have let him, the management team and the fans down.
“He can’t make us run ten extra yards to win the ball back. You need to win your battles and none of us did.
“That’s probably one of the poorest, if not the worst, performances we’ve had during my time at the club.
“Don’t take anything away from Dunfermline because they played well.
“But we didn’t put in a single tackle and made it far too easy for them.”
Tam O’Brien: Arbroath will show ‘togetherness’
O’Brien may be hurting at the way his side lost on Friday but he’s determined to bounce back with a victory at Raith Rovers this week.
O’Brien has enjoyed almost unspoiled success in his time at Arbroath, winning two titles and skippering them to the brink of the Scottish Premiership last term.
But he’s ready to scrap as the club lives up to the ‘togetherness’ motto on the Gayfield tunnel.
“We have really strong foundations at this club,” added O’Brien.
“We have come through everything by battling as a team and, right now, we need to stick together.
Can miracles happen?
Tonight, part-time Arbroath face Kilmarnock in a match which will ultimately decide the Championship title.
Earlier this year, we visited the club to discuss their historic season for BBC One’s Football Focus.
Watch the full film: https://t.co/y5AlyglzFd pic.twitter.com/BUgGT1dzfP
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“You have bad patches in football. I’ve been relegated before with clubs like Cowdenbeath and it’s awful.
“If you don’t stick together then you can do down.
“The fans, management and team all have to stick together and we will.
“That’s what Arbroath is all about. We are a family club and families get behind each other during the tough times.
“This wasn’t a great performance. I’m sure there will be changes as the gaffer can’t accept that from any of us but we’ll get there.”
