Dundee have made a bad habit of beating themselves at times this season.
And there has been no better example of that than the weekend home defeat to Ross County where defensive mistakes cost the Dark Blues dearly.
It is a habit they will have to shake if they are to avoid dropping back into the Championship.
Sitting bottom of the table with 14 matches left, that is looking more and more a possibility.
‘More aggressive’
Skipper Charlie Adam insists it is a time to remain together as Dundee look for a route out of trouble.
He said: “I think for the majority of the season, we have been beating ourselves – decisions we have made and goals we have lost.
“But that comes as a collective unit and a group, not individuals.
“It is really important that we stick together as there are plenty of games to go and we are not adrift.
“Ross County are eight points ahead of us but we have a game in hand.
“But I think we need to be more aggressive in the way we play and not just sit back thinking we are only here to pick up a point.
“We need to take the game to Hearts as well because they will give us opportunities.
“They might be a wee bit frail from the weekend but getting beaten 5-0 by Rangers can happen.
“So we’ll just have to try to keep their crowd quiet and hopefully we can go there and show we are a good team.
“Where we are in the table doesn’t look good but we have responded well before when we have had a bad defeat.”
Social media rumours
That unified outlook includes backing manager James McPake, with supporters making their anger known following the result against Ross County.
Boos were heard at Dens after the game before rumours were rife across social media of an apparent board meeting that had decided the fate of the manager.
None of that was the case and Adam admits those sorts of rumours find their way to players, too.
He said: “We pick up on the fact that the fans aren’t happy but we know that because of our performances and results.
“So it is us as a group of players who have to change that.
“There were stories circulating late Sunday night and I was getting texts.
“Some of the stories I was getting told were ridiculous.
“At the end of the day as a group of players we are in there hurting because of the performance in the second half against Ross County but we have to bounce back.
“Dundee is a village and everyone wants to know what’s going on and stories always grow arms and legs so it is important that we focus on what we can do and that’s on the pitch.
“If we can get results, then those stories will go away.”
Adam added: “He is a good young manager. In management you are going to have these situations where you have lows.
“It is our first time back up in the Premiership and it was always going to be difficult – we knew that.”
‘Not a great feeling’
The former Scotland man has experience of relegation down south, being part of the Blackpool and Stoke City sides that dropped out of the Premier League.
And he’s determined not to add a third relegation to his CV.
“It hurts but there was also the joy of what we did last season,” Adam added.
“Do we want to go back to that situation? No, we want to be in the Premiership.
“We feel like we are a Premiership club but we have to show it.
“This is the stage of the season where there are a number of games left and we have to win a lot of them to stay up.
“I want to be looking up the table as it is not enjoyable walking in here every Monday after a defeat being bottom of the league.
“It is not a great feeling so we have to change that, starting tomorrow night.”
