Tom Hateley has insisted under-pressure Dundee manager Paul Hartley has the full support of his players.
The Dark Blues boss was left deflated and frustrated by yet another Premiership defeat on Wednesday night, with fellow strugglers Partick Thistle leaving Dens Park with a comfortable 2-0 win.
It was the club’s sixth straight loss and a clear sign that this season will be a struggle for survival.
The spotlight is now firmly on Hartley and what he can do to turn things around, with managing director John Nelms saying: “We all need to pull together and stick together, and that’s from top to bottom.”
As the manager tries to rectify the situation, Hateley stressed that he has the confidence of the dressing room as well as the boardroom.
Hateley said: “The players are 100% behind the gaffer and the coaching staff.
“There are no cliques here, with people in little groups having chats amongst themselves.
“We are all behind him and confident that with him we can get out of this.
“We are in a bad situation and we have put ourselves there.
“But along with the gaffer we will find a way out of it.”
The heads appeared to go down after Ade Azeez gave the Jags the lead in midweek and another concern was that there was never really a period of sustained pressure from the home team in a bid to get back into the game.
Indeed, the visitors appeared fitter, stronger and hungrier throughout.
Hateley, though, rejected a suggestion that the Thistle players were just more up for it than the Dundee ones.
He said: “We were 100% up for the Partick game and we wanted to win it.
“We fully understand the situation we have put ourselves in and it is up to us to get out of it.
“We set up 4-4-2 and knew we would have to win battles but we lost a couple of poor goals and didn’t create enough chances.
“I disagree with people saying we were not up for it.
“We’re not going to come into a game and not try to win it.”
Hateley then delivered a call to arms to the players as they prepare for Saturday’s trip to Hamilton Accies, looking to avoid a seventh straight defeat.
The former Motherwell and Slask Wroclaw man said: “There is no point moaning or sulking about where we are.
“We have to go out and do something about it.
“We have to stand up and be men.
“We have to be bold and confident on the ball because we have put ourselves in a difficult situation.
“It is only us, the players, who can get out of it.
“The manager can give us tactics and tell us how to play but we have to be the ones to do it.
“We have to be more difficult to beat and need to shut up shop.
“Over the next few days we will work hard and do everything we can to get out of this.
“The last thing we want to do is start drifting away at the bottom of the league.
“We believe we have more quality than that.
“It’s time to stand up and be counted.
“The situation is horrible and for the sake of everyone at the club we need to get a result on Saturday against Hamilton.”
Hateley revealed that there has been plenty of blunt talking among the players and that there will be more until the tide, hopefully, turns.
He said: “It’s not a silent dressing-room.
“We are honest with each other, the door gets shut and we have a good chat.
“That’s the way it has to be.
“If harsh words need to be spoken for the sake of the team they have to be spoken.
“Sometimes harsh things need to be said and that’s definitely the situation we are in.
“We do all the video analysis and everything else we can to look at ourselves.
“But it’s a waste of time talking about it unless you do something about it.
“You can’t sit around and sulk, you have just got to go again.
“The slump we are in is all down to us so it is up to us to get out of it.
“I have been in football long enough to know if we have players to get us out of it and I believe we have.
“We are not that far adrift.
“We are a few results from being back in the mix.”
