Ryan Dow insists the players should take the blame for Dundee United’s latest loss and not manager Jackie McNamara.
The Tangerines host Inverness Caley Thistle at Tannadice today and need to ease the pressure on boss McNamara by beating the Highlanders.
That will be easier said than done for a side that has recorded only one win out of seven in the league this season.
Dow, who squandered a golden chance as United fell to that defeat from Kilmarnock last Saturday when his point-blank shot was saved by keeper Jamie MacDonald, is confident the tide is about to turn.
As the fans wait for that to happen, Dow argues that it is the guys on the park who need to up their game not those in the dugout.
“It wasn’t the gaffer who was missing the chances,” said Dow.
“He takes the brunt of it from the fans and he is under pressure but we take the responsibility for not putting the ball in the net.
“If we had taken our chances we would have won the Killie game 4-1 or 5-1 and everything would be rosy again.
“It always goes back to the manager but it was more to do with the players last weekend.
“There is luck sometimes involved but you have to look at yourself too.
“I should have scored, I know that.
“There are also a few other boys in the dressing room who think they should have scored against Kilmarnock too.
“I have played it over in my head.
“It is just disbelief that I haven’t put it away.
“I watched the video analysis but nobody needed to tell me I shouldn’t have scored.
“Indeed, 99 times out of 100 I would have put that in the net and we would probably have gone on to win the game.
“It’s not happening for us just now but it will come and hopefully it happens this weekend against Inverness.
“So it’s not down to luck – it’s about being more clinical.”
Dow was asked if the heads have been down since that defeat, a result that sent United down into second-bottom spot in the Premiership table.
He replied: “The mood has been the same as ever.
“Everyone has been in good spirits, although we were all disappointed by the result.
“We don’t know how we lost the game.
“We would be more concerned if we weren’t creating chances.
“It wasn’t just that we created chances, it was that we played really well.
“We dominated the game in the second half and it seemed a matter of time before we got the winner.
“The way we were playing, last year or the year before it would have ended well and we would have won by four goals.
“We didn’t play any different against Kilmarnock.
“We opened them up like we used to do. We just couldn’t score. But if we play the same I’m sure we will put the chances away.
“I think if we can get that win under our belt we could go on a run. It should have happened on Saturday but we are confident that it will come.”
United will be without injured duo Paul Dixon and Chris Erskine but former ICT man Billy Mckay is expected to recover form his ankle problem.