Dundee frontman Craig Curran admits the players have let the fans, manager Jim McIntyre and themselves down.
Curran and his colleagues left the Dens Park pitch with jeers ringing in their ears after losing their 10th successive league game – 1-0 to Hamilton Accies – to ensure relegation to the Championship.
The Englishman feels the criticism is fully justified and didn’t hide.
He said: “We can understand why the fans are so angry – they have every right to be.
“They have turned out in their numbers all season and we have let them down.
“We have to look at ourselves as players and take responsibility.
“There are games this season we should have won but we didn’t do it and that’s not down to anyone off the pitch.
“Every one of us on the park has to take it on the chin,” added Curran.
“We are the ones who have not been good enough.
“We have let a lot of people down and it’s not a nice feeling.
“We have fallen far short of the standards expected so we have to take the flak that goes with it.
“The players have to hold their hands up and take whatever is coming to us.
“There is nobody to blame but ourselves and the table doesn’t lie.”
Curran feels the one person who has suffered more than most because of the team’s shortcomings is McIntyre.
He declared: “We have let the gaffer down.
“He brought most of us here and he and the coaching staff have put so much effort in.
“But in the end we haven’t been good enough for them and haven’t been able to do the things they’ve asked of us.
“It’s not fair to launch it all on the manager. We are the ones who have let the club down.
“We have worked a lot on things, getting into areas to take chances and stopping balls getting into the box.
“But as a team we have let him down as well.”
Dundee still, of course, have a couple of fixtures to play – away to Livingston on Saturday and then home to St Mirren a week later – before time is finally called on this calamitous campaign.
Curran said: “We still have a couple of weeks left so we have to go about our business professionally.
“But it will be tough because everyone has been devastated by what’s happened.”
