Willo Flood accepts Dundee United’s performances since the turn of the year have been nowhere near good enough.
But the club captain still insists, if the Tangerines hit form, no one in the Championship can touch them.
And, starting with today’s trip to Brechin, the Irishman is aiming to be proved right.
“Since Brechin at home at the start of the year we haven’t been good enough, it’s as simple as that,” said Flood.
“We take it on board that we’ve not been good enough, we’ve let people down within the club.
“Now it’s up to us to put that right, no one else, and get the feel-good factor back. And, if we are playing well and feeling confident, we will beat any team in this division, that’s fact.
“People will say we aren’t good enough and I know we haven’t been good enough but, when Dundee United turn up and play well and any other team in the league play well, we beat them hands down.”
Flood knows, however, getting back to pre-Christmas standard, when United were riding high at the top of the table, is going to take hard work.
Since that early January win over this weekend’s opponents, the only success in six matches has been a Scottish Cup win at League One Alloa.
Flood has seen some signs of recovery in the last couple of performances but knows good spells in games must become winning performances.
“The lads are feeling a bit low on confidence after the last few results. We’ve done OK for a half in each of the last two games but that’s not enough. We need to do well for 90 minutes and get a result, that has to be the aim.
“The stop-start situation because of the weather doesn’t help but the good thing is we’re going to have a run of games now and, if we do start winning, we can build on that.
“If we get a few back-to-back wins, we can have a real push.”
If he was looking for excuses, the skipper could cite the recent boardroom turmoil that’s seen Stephen Thompson bring forward his departure as chairman and director.
Flood, though, is having none of that.
He added: “The situation with the chairman obviously has an effect on supporters and people in other areas but, for us as players, it has no effect at all.
“I’m not getting involved in that situation but as a player the old chairman never interfered with us. Whether we had good games or bad games he didn’t get involved on our side of things.
“The people who influence us as players are ourselves and the coaching staff. Anything in the boardroom is not for us to worry about.
“When I was at Cardiff, Sam Hammam was the chairman and he used to be in the changing-room at half-time every game.
“It was a bit odd for me because I’ve never seen it before or since in football.
“Stewart Milne, when I was up at Aberdeen, I probably saw him twice a year. Every chairman is different but I preferred it that way.
“And if we, as players, are doing the business on a Saturday, it doesn’t really matter who the chairman is.”
And Flood knows wins are now all that matters. He hasn’t given up hope of automatic promotion yet but, realistically, knows another involvement in the end-of-season play-offs is looming.
“It’s going to be a tough ask to catch St Mirren now but we’ve only ourselves to blame for that,” he went on.
“What we have to do is get winning games. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing from now on, all we have to think about is winning.
“If we do that we can see where it takes us but, if nothing else, it can get us a bit of momentum.
“And, if we are playing well, we’re a team no one wants to be playing.”
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