The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Mulgrew says side must reflect on heavy defeats
Charlie Mulgrew has told Dundee United stars to look at themselves in the mirror following two dismal defeats.
The experienced defender insists he will embark on a period of introspection after the Tangerines were battered 7-0 by AZ Alkmaar and 4-1 at Hearts in the space of four dispiriting days.
And he believes the entire group must do the same thing as they seek to respond against St Mirren next weekend.
“I think we all have to self-reflect,” said Mulgrew. “We wanted to bounce back after midweek (AZ defeat) and we didn’t do it.
“You look at yourself, firstly, and be honest. Ask yourself if you’ve done enough.
“That’s what I’ll be doing, definitely. The answer will probably be ‘no I haven’t’.
“I definitely think we’ve got the characters to do that. There’s a lot of honest boys in there (dressing room) who will look at themselves and realise that what we produced in the last two games wasn’t good enough.
“Football can turn quickly. Between now and Saturday, we’ve got a lot to do. But we’ve got to look at that, get our heads together and really show a lot of character for our next game. That’s the main thing.”
Mulgrew added: “I’ve been here a good few times as a football player and it’s part and parcel of the game. It’s sore and painful. There are lows in football – but you need to move on quickly.”
Seeking to showcase resilience and personality after a chastening night at the AFAS Stadion, United contrived to concede a woefully lax goal to Lawrence Shankland after 41 seconds at Tynecastle.
Asked whether there was any hangover from their mauling in the Netherlands on Thursday night, either physically or mentally, Mulgrew continued: “I’m not gong to make excuses.
“We’re all athletes; all professional football players. We’ve had a preseason and done enough to get to a level where we are fit enough to play two games in a week.
“It was galling to fall behind in the first minute. It was the last thing we needed. We seemed to take five to 10 minutes after that to get going. We ended the first half decent enough, then lost another goal early in the second. That took the wind from our sails again. We’re all just hurting.”
Given last season was far from unbroken success – six successive league defeats, scoring just two goals, between November and January stands out – Mulgrew believes United have showcased their ability to rally.
Sounding a note of positivity, the former Scotland stopper added: “We’re just three league games into the season. There’s still a lot of belief in there.
“There were some lows last year, at various stages in the season. But we always picked ourselves up. It’s time to do that again and really give these fans something to cheer about in our next game.”