Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie says the players have “100 percent” let manager Jimmy Thelin down during a “testing” start to the season.
The Dons are bottom of the Premiership with one point from their six outings and have yet to score. Attention now turns to Thursday’s Conference League opener at home to Shakhtar Donetsk.
“It’s us that step out on the pitch,” said Shinnie. “The manager and staff give us all the tools. We have got everything we need and at times it has just been small moments that have turned games around.
“It is testing and I think in football you have got to stay in the middle ground, you can’t get too high when it is going well and you don’t want to get too low when it is going low.
“The manager is a prime example of that. He is very good at keeping everyone level headed in the dressing room and his character is key to keep the boys going forward and trying to keep the positivity there.
“I try and back that up as well. I have been through a lot of tough moments in my career. You can’t do anything about the past, the only thing you can deal with is the here and now so you look to the next game, you look to put in the best performance and try and turn things around.
“We are all in it as one, we are all fighting together.”
The Ukrainian league leaders are unbeaten over 90 minutes in their 15 matches this season and have a wealth of European experience.
“It’s a game that we are looking forward to,” added Shinnie. “Not many people will have us favourites, that’s fine. I have been used to that throughout my career.
“We are at home, we have got the backing of the crowd so we need to use that and try to make Pittodrie a fortress.
“There’s evidence before of beating big clubs, we beat Eintracht Frankfurt the last time we were in it so we will take confidence from that.
“The belief is there inside the dressing room and that is the most important thing and then we also need to feed off the crowd and try and give them something to cheer and be one as a whole and try and do it together.”
