Aberdeen goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov insists the fault for a dismal run of form lies with the players and not boss Jimmy Thelin – and has demanded that they stand up and be counted.
The Dons were dumped out of the Premier Sports Cup at the quarter-final stage with a home defeat to Motherwell. It continues a poor run of form for the Scottish Cup winners, who are without a league win since April.
That’s led to pressure on manager Jimmy Thelin but Mitov says the players have to ask more of each other and themselves.
“It is nowhere near good enough for the standards and demands of this football club,” Mitov said following Saturday’s 1-0 defeat. “We as players need to take responsibility – it is our fault.
“No-one else’s fault but the players.
“Fundamentally in football, you need to want it more than the other team, you need to run more, you need to tackle better, sacrifice more and encourage each other better. We didn’t do that today.
“We need to go home, look ourselves in the mirror, and think ‘How can we be better?’, ‘How can I sacrifice even more?’
“Because we have everything to be successful here. From facilities, the information before the game, everything. I mean everything.”
Mitov ssaid that there had been honest words exhanged in the dressing room, but made it clear he believed communication was vital to cut out the mistakes and build belief when things go well.
“If you lose the ball all 11 players need to run back,” he said.
“Not to think someone else is going to make up for my mistake. I need to run back and we need to demand more from each other on the pitch.
“If someone is not doing something right he needs to be told. If he does something nice, encourage him and tell him he has done something nice.
“This is how the team grows but at the moment we are not doing that. We need to be better because it is nowhere good enough for this football club.”
Fans booed the team at full time and the goalkeeper said he had no issue with that, insisting that it was the team’s job to inspire the fans.
He hopes that can be the case when the team is back in action in midweek against Dundee United.
“We have another huge game on Tuesday where we need to go there and be the best version of Aberdeen we can be,” he said.
“That is because we have top players in our team.”
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