Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin is set to hold discussions with his struggling players this week in a bid to get them to rediscover form.
Thelin is battling to get the Reds’ league campaign back on track after a Premiership winless drought stretching to 14 games.
A 2-0 loss at Hibs was the latest league setback for a Dons side that has taken only four points from the last possible 42.
Following the loss at Easter Road, Thelin demanded his players stop “hiding on the pitch” and take more responsibility.
Now, in an attempt to reignite the season Thelin will hold discussions with players in an attempt to haul them back to winning form.
Thelin signed six players in the January transfer window.
And he still has faith in the players who have been at Pittodrie all season and are culpable for the form nosedive.
He said: “I’m going to talk with the players this week and try to make them grow and be better.
“I’m not going to sit here and point at an individual player.
“But they know and we know that we can’t keep doing what we’re doing right now on the pitch.
“We just need to find a way to get out of this.
“You have to believe in the players you have.
“And focus on the right things to try to make them go and feel safe and perform.
“We also have to push them.”
Earlier this season Aberdeen were the only team in the top-50 European leagues ranked by governing body Uefa to have a 100% record in all competitions this season.
Aberdeen raced to a 16-game unbeaten start in all competitions, with 15 wins.
In the Premiership the Reds were unbeaten in the opening 11 matches, with 10 wins, to sit level on points with league leaders Celtic.
Worst league form in Britain
Now Aberdeen have the worst league form of any senior team in Britain.
Across the 10 senior divisions and 138 clubs in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland the Dons have the longest winless run.
The closest is Newtown who are second bottom of the Welsh Premier League and 12 league matches without a win.
Following close behind is Loughgall who sit bottom of the Northern Ireland Premiership and are 11 league games without victory.
Aberdeen did have the joint worst run in Britain along with Premier League bottom club Southampton.
However Southampton ended a 13-game winless league streak when winning 2-1 against Ipswich Town at the weekend.
Thelin accepts the heat is on to end the crash in form and is supporting his players in the bid to turnaround the season.
On the pressure potentially affecting players, Thelin said: “Everyone is different.
“And that’s why we have to have these relations and support for each other everywhere.
“There can also be that outside football sometimes.
“It’s humans. It can be from outside.
“There can be something that can change the mood in a person.
“When something happens outside the job or whatever.
“It is just about being supportive and listening to people.
“To try to help them as much as we can.”
Aberdeen have some respite from the pressures of the Premiership.
They face Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Cup fifth round at Pittodrie on Sunday.
Dunfermline are eighth in the Championship.
Thelin said: “We know we have to get results.
“It can be about being more intense in training and games.
“It can be about how we grow the competition in the squad.
“All these kind of things are connected in the long term and also if we are to be consistent with results.”
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