Confidence is key says Warnock as he bids to turn struggling Aberdeen’s season around
Aberdeen manager Neil Warnock is trying to bring some positivity to a side lacking in confidence as his quest for a first cinch Premiership win takes him to Paisley today.
The Dons have not won in nine league matches, five of them since Warnock stepped in on a deal until the end of the season after Barry Robson was sacked.
A 2-0 home defeat by St Johnstone on Wednesday left Aberdeen just four points above the relegation play-off place and they now face a St Mirren side who look destined for a top-six finish and who won 3-0 at Pittodrie in December.
Quoted on Aberdeen’s website, Warnock said: “We didn't take our chances on Wednesday evening and goals do change games. They give you confidence.
“I think the biggest word for me at the minute is confidence. I think the lads are just lacking a bit of confidence because of our results.
“We had chances and they do inspire you. You get a goal and it gives everybody a lift. I always thought if we could equalise in the second half that we’d go on and win it. it was disappointing.
“We’ve had a few kicks in the teeth and we've got to get on with it now. We’re going to try and be positive and get on with it. We’ve got to be positive. There is no good in feeling sorry for ourselves. We know what’s going on. we talk about the silly mistakes, but I think we've got to be positive and that’s got to come from me. The lads have got to put the fear side away.
“We shouldn’t concede the goals (that we have), everybody knows that, but we have done and we’ve got to try and eliminate the little silly mistakes and give ourselves a chance.”
The 75-year-old has been wrestling with the dilemma of how to turn Aberdeen’s season around.
“You go to bed at night when you’re a manager, you're not winning games, and you’ re tossing and turning ,” he said.
“The next morning you’ve got to be ready for it, you’ve got to be bright, you’ve got to look at where we can be better, what we can do, how we can win games and that’s what happened. I’ve had a busy last 48 hours in my own mind and that’s what you get paid for.”