Callum Davidson’s thoughts have been going at “100 miles an hour” as he looks for a way to get St Johnstone back on track against Ross County on Saturday.
The Saints boss was less than impressed with the efforts of his side in the 1-0 defeat away to Dundee on Wednesday night.
It was a third defeat in a row for the Perth men who have won just once in their last eight games, slipping to 10th in the cinch Premiership, three points ahead of bottom side County.
Ahead of the visit of the Staggies to McDiarmid Park, Davidson spoke about finding solutions to the particular disappointment of Dens Park.
“It is more about mental attitude which is something we pride ourselves on,” said the St Johnstone manager, who will have midfielder Craig Bryson back from suspension.
“If you look at our defensive record this season, it (mental attitude) is probably our strength and it is why it was our strength last season as well.
“For me it wasn’t good enough, that first contact, that second contact.
“How do you rectify it? I think it is probably a lot to do with personnel in the team as well, who is playing, what you can do to adjust and solve it.
“Don’t worry, my brain has been going at 100 miles an hour in the last couple of days just to try to find an answer and make sure that when we play on Saturday, that fight will be there. That’s what I demand from the players.
“Sometimes you can have a bad game, you can be poor on the ball, but you have to have that fight and desire to win the game.
“All I want from them on Saturday is an attitude, a desire and enthusiasm to go and win the game.
“If I get that and they play poorly I will accept it, but those are two or three characteristics that I want from them and I have got from them in the majority of games I have been here.
“We had a wee blip on Wednesday night but we will get back to it on Saturday.”
County are bottom but are in decent form with just one defeat in their last five matches, and they have moved up to within two points of Livingston.
Davidson said: “I’ve said all along, the league is really tight. There is not a lot of difference between a lot of the teams.
“You have seen some results this year where teams at the bottom are beating teams at the top so I think it is going to be a really tight league.
“It doesn’t matter who you play against, you have to turn up on the day. That’s the message I will be getting across to the players.
“You have got to turn up, you have got to earn the three points. They don’t get given to you in this league.”
