Jimmy Thelin issues Aberdeen rallying cry as defiant boss tells his struggling stars 'don't feel sorry for yourself'
Jimmy Thelin has challenged his Aberdeen squad not feel sorry for themselves amid the side's disastrous run of form and is confident things will soon start to turn for the better.
The Swede takes his side up to League Two minnows Elgin City in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup on Saturday off the back of Wednesday's 3-0 loss to Rangers that has left the Dons without a win in 12 Premiership games. Confidence is in short supply at Pittodrie at the moment but Thelin knows the onus is on the players and staff to find a way out of the rut.
He said: "You have to keep pushing to get out of a bad run and get better which is down to the players standards. You can't sit down and cry and feel sorry for yourself as it's not going to help.
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"Of course you feel some stress some times and it's me job to calm those down to keep moving in the right direction. You have to be strong, be brave and go out to try again because you can't get stuck in emotional things."
Thelin has confirmed that top scorer Papib Habib Gueye will be in the squad for the trip to Borough Briggs and could make his first appearance since suffering a quad muscle tear in September. Jimmy McGarry is fit after going off with cramp at Ibrox but Jack Mackenzie and Jamie McGrath are not yet ready to return.
Thelin added: "I like the spirit of players who want to be in the squad. He's (Gueye) shown on the training pitch that he has a real hunger to play.
"The positive thing is he is different from some of our other players with his power inside the box. His impact on set plays is also important so he can add some abilities to make the team stronger."
