Connor Scully reckons Cove Rangers have got into bad habits early in the season after their sluggish start in the Championship.
Cove have won just one of their first four games and were well-beaten against Ayr United at the weekend.
The Cove team of last season, which was tight at the back and assured on the ball, was nowhere to be seen at the Balmoral Stadium.
Scully questioned why Cove seem to be going more direct than they usually would, and that players cannot be feeling sorry for themselves.
“We can’t get into bad habits,” said Scully. “I think we’ve got into a couple of them. We’re only four games in, but we need to change it now. We can’t keep feeling sorry for ourselves after a game.
“We need to be brave and get on the ball, do the things we’re good at. Everyone knows we’re good at that. We’re just yet to do it this season.
“The Raith game is probably the only one where we’ve performed. The other two games we haven’t been near it.
“I don’t know why we’ve got into this habit of going long. It’s not what we do.
“Ayr are a good team, take nothing away from them, but we never laid a finger on them.
“It has to be better all over the park, including myself. Everyone has to be better.
“You’re only as good as you’re next game, so we can’t feel sorry for ourselves.”
Cove’s run of form has seen them drop to ninth in the table, propped up only by Arbroath at the bottom.
They head on the road on Saturday to face Queen’s Park, who have taken seven points from their opening four games.
“The next game is so important,” added Scully. “We’re now travelling away after a couple of defeats.
“Hopefully we get a couple of guys back, but it looks like we’re going to have a couple of injuries now.
“We need to stand up, win headers and tackles, pass the ball, do the things we’re good at.”
Scully echoed his manager’s thoughts regarding the Ayr performance, labelling it “terrible” as Cove escaped with only a 2-1 defeat.
“We didn’t get started, the whole 90 minutes,” said Scully. “I don’t think we had a spell in the game.
“We were terrible all over, not winning headers, second balls, not passing the ball. It’s not us, not at home – that’s for sure.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a performance like that.
“It’s gone now, we can’t do anything about it.
“It’s a terrible performance from everyone of us and not acceptable at all.”