Defender Nicky Devlin has warned that ALL Aberdeen players are now fighting for their long stay at Pittodrie, regardless of the length of the contract.
The full-back believes the Dons’ precarious position in the Premiership has put all the players at risk of being sacked this summer.
Struggling Aberdeen sit 10th in the table, just three points off the relegation play-off spot.
Pittodrie’s hierarchy is for a new permanent manager and he conducted interviews this week.
Aberdeen aims to appoint a new boss in the next foreign break.
Devlin believes the new manager will keep an eye on the performances of a Dons side that have failed to win in 11 Premiership games.
And full-back Devlin has warned that even players on long-term contracts could be sacked if they fail to improve their form in the league NOW.
And he also says players who leave this summer after their contracts expire will struggle to find a club if they have dragged the Dons into a relegation battle.
Aberdeen, with interim manager Peter Leven on the bench, will end their winless run in the Premiership against Motherwell on Saturday.
Devlin, 30, said: “No matter who you are in that locker room, now you’re playing for your future.
“It comes from the position we’re in.
“Whether it’s the guys who need to move on, or if you find yourself in a dogfight and a relegation war for Aberdeen, the groups are going to watch, that’s the harsh reality.
“It doesn’t matter if you have a contract for next year, if you’re not generating for the club now, what if the new manager probably won’t accept you doing it next season?
“We don’t know who the new coach will be or anything like that.
“But I’m sure I’ll be watching.
“So the guys are under pressure for the next few games, to show how smart they can be and how smart they are, to potentially show the new manager what they can do for the club. “
The Donations were supervised through 3 managers in less than two months.
Aberdeen’s board of directors brandished the punch against Barry Robson in early February with Peter Leven as interim manager during a game.
Subsequently, veteran Neil Warnock was named acting chief, but resigned after just 33 days.
The stick returned to Leven after Warnock was released.
Devlin openly insists that recent managerial turmoil is to blame for Aberdeen’s dismal Premiership situation.
He says the players are to blame and it’s up to them to fix this and “get us out of this mess. “
Captain Graeme Shinnie met with the team on Thursday in an attempt to bring about a change in the shape of the league.
It’s an open discussion where players would “get rid of” things if necessary.
He said: “If you come with Pete (Leven), I had 3 other coaches this season.
“So it’s time for the players to take responsibility.
“We’re consistent in what happened and we’re in that position ourselves.
“Now we have to get out of this mess.
“We get the most productive out of everyone at the club, but we haven’t done enough.
“Shinnie talked to us, but he wasn’t the one who told us this would happen – it was an open discussion.
“Anyone who felt they should get rid of him did.
“Now I hope it will be very useful for us to get the positive effects of the four games leading up to the split. “
If Aberdeen fail to secure three problems at Motherwell, it will amount to an unwanted club record of 12 league games without a win.
The Dons won a dozen games in the league 25 years ago.
Under Paul Hegarty, the Reds lost the last three games of the 1998/99 season.
This winless run continued in the first nine games of the 1999/00 season under Ebbe Skovdahl.
The Dons are struggling to survive in the face of the misfortune of relegation for the first time in the club’s 121-year history.
Devlin said: “Now we have to show that we have enough character and ability to start winning games.
“We’ve shown in cup competitions and in Europe that we can play well and get results.
“We went to Ibrox and won, drew with Celtic and beat Hearts, so we can compete with the best.
“But our effects in the league just haven’t been smart enough and that’s our bread and butter.
“We’ve played 29 games and we’ve only won six and that’s clearly not enough for a club like Aberdeen.
“It’s what I imagined when I arrived in Aberdeen, but I have no illusions about being part of it.
“Luckily for us, there are still 27 issues to play for and the goal is to score as many as possible. “
An expert lifts the veil on Jimmy Thelin, linked to Aberdeen (pressandjournal. co. uk)
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