Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin has warned his players to have no “regrets” by giving their all to salvage the season.
The Swede made an immediate impact with a 1- game unbeaten start to his Aberdeen career in all competitions – with 15 wins.
However, the Reds have suffered a Premiership form collapse and are now 14 games winless in the league with a dismal return of four points from the last possible 42.
After their sensational start, the Dons’ season is in danger of fizzling out.
Thelin has urged his squad not to let it happen, as a third-placed Premiership finish is still within their reach.
The Reds boss also wants to deliver a successful Scottish Cup run with the Dons facing Dunfermline Athletic in the fifth-round at Pittodrie on Sunday.
Thelin has seen enough in training to be confident, the Dons will emerge from the slump soon to start hitting winning form.
He said: “When you are a player and a coach the goal is to give absolutely everything you can.
“To try, try, try with the best effort you can to achieve something.
“That is the message.
“You can’t promise things in football, but you can promise 100% effort and performance.
“That is what we have to focus on right now to get the results.
“If we do that, we’re not going to have any regrets.
“But if you feel like you’re going 90% of 100%, then the regrets will come.
“What you must promise is that when you put on the Aberdeen shirt the fans feel you are giving 100% effort.
“That is what gives us the opportunity to get good results and why we have to go back to basics.”
Thelin’s talks with Aberdeen players after loss to Hibs
Aberdeen are now two months without a league win and have not scored in the last five Premiership matches.
The 2-0 loss to Hibs at Easter Road prompted Thelin to call out his players for the first time, saying they were “hiding on the pitch”.
Thelin also held talks with players this week in a bid to find a route out of the form nosedive.
He said: “We have a good relationship.
“It is the basic for everyone to know when you have been strong in a match or not – as a human being, you know when you don’t do the right things.
“Sometimes I don’t need to say it because they know themselves.
“We have meetings every week, nothing has changed about that. We go through the game, but maybe we highlighted some different things this time – like more about how competitive we are.”
Aberdeen set up to the fifth-round Scottish Cup clash with a 3-0 win against Elgin City.
Those goals against the League Two side broke up a scoring drought which has damaged the Reds’ Premiership campaign.
Light at the end of the tunnel for Thelin
Aberdeen have failed to score in the previous five league matches, conceding 10.
Despite the dismal stats, Thelin is confident he has seen enough in training and games to indicate Aberdeen will soon rediscover their winning form.
He said: “I think we’re really close to going out strong on the other side right now.
“That’s my feeling when I see the team performing in training sessions and also in parts of the games.
“The thing we have to focus on right now is how we compete on the pitch.”
Thelin has had only two transfer windows to rebuild a squad who were faced with the threat of being dragged into a relegation battle last season.
Need for wins, despite rebuild
Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack and the club’s board backed Thelin’s bid to rebuild during the January transfer window.
The deadline day addition of striker Oday Dabbagh and centre-back Mats Knoester took the winter transfer window additions to six.
Aberdeen splashed out more than £1million to strengthen the defence, with £600,000 paid for centre-back Kristers Tobers and £545,000 for full-back Alexander Jensen.
Loan deals until the end of the season were also completed for winger Jeppe Okkels (Preston North End) and centre-back Alfie Dorrington (Tottenham).
Thelin said: “Of course we know the results have to come.
“However. we are still we’re trying to build and change parts.
“When you do that it can be a little bit up and down in the performance.
“It has been a long time without victories.
“In the next games we have to show everybody that we can deliver results.
“We have to deliver results now for our fans, the club… and ourselves.”
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