Only way is up as Doolan backs Caldwell ultimatum...
KRIS Doolan has backed Gary Caldwell after the Partick Thistle manager told his squad that each and every one of them should be worried about their Firhill futures.
The 2-1 defeat to Morton on Saturday left Thistle five points adrift of part-time Alloa, with only Falkirk below them in the Championship table.
That provoked a furious response from boss Caldwell, who laid out in no uncertain terms that he will be making sweeping changes to his squad in the January window.
Public threats towards players can provoke a mixed reaction, and often mixed results, but Doolan believes that his manager shouldn’t have had to spell it out to the players that their careers at the club are on the shakiest of pegs.
“If that’s what it takes for the penny to drop with us a squad, then it may be harsh, but it also may be what is needed,” Doolan said.
“Ultimately, whatever can get a reaction out of us as players to make sure we pick up points is worth it. Hopefully it works.
“I’m sure everybody knows what is at stake. We know what is at stake in every single game.
“I don’t think the manager is trying to put fear into us, but anything that can get a reaction from players to get us a result is what the manager is trying to do.
“We’d do anything to get that win to get us back on track. Hopefully the penny drops somewhere and we start picking up some points.
“We’ve got to stop the rot. It can’t just keep going on and on. Teams are just sitting in and then look to hit us with a bit of a sucker punch. We’ve got to be a bit more streetwise when we are going forward.
“Everybody in the team has a role to play when we don’t have the ball, and we need to smarten up.”
Doolan was devastated by the defeat to Morton, particularly as he had a goal ruled out for offside when the ball may have just been sneaking inside the post from Miles Storey’s effort before his touch saw the assistant referee’s flag go up.
“It was a tough one because that could have got us back in the lead, and then we lose a goal,” he said.
“It’s one of those things that seem to go against you when you are at the bottom.
“It’s tough for us just now, everything seems to be going against us.”
Thistle take on Dundee United on Saturday, and Doolan expects another tough afternoon on their travels.
“It will definitely be tough, especially away from home again,” said Doolan.
“It’s always a tough game against them, and we have to go there and show that we want it more than them.
“We went up to Ross County who are top of the league and played very well, but the bottom line is that we lost the game.
“We somehow need to find a way of picking up points while putting on a good performance.
“Alloa showed at the weekend that they can be beaten, and that’s what the Championship is all about.
“On the day, anybody can take points off anybody, so there’s no reason to think that we can’t go there and get a result.”