Dundee boss John Brown has revealed a clear-the-air meeting with the players helped spark his side’s recent upturn in fortunes.
The gathering was called after a dismal defeat at Falkirk last month with a few home truths being delivered.
It seemed to have the desired effect, with a much-improved performance in defeat to Premiership side Inverness in the League Cup shortly after.
Since then, the Dark Blues have embarked on a three-game winning run in the Championship, with the latest victory coming on Saturday at Dumbarton.
And Brown believes these sessions to set things straight can be invaluable, as he discovered when he was a player himself at Dundee under then-boss Jocky Scott.
He said: “We had a good chat after the Falkirk game where I allowed the lads to have their say. They had a few words they wanted to pass on which I think is always good so that you are not solely focused on your own thoughts.
“You need to know what the players are thinking too.
He added: “I remember one time when I was playing under Jocky here that we had been on a run of games where we hadn’t been doing too well and he had a meeting with the boys in the dressing-room.
“It cleared the air and it maybe helped Jocky and Drew Jarvie at the time, as we went on to beat Celtic on the Saturday. Sometimes you need that.
“So we had the meeting after the Falkirk game but I think they already knew that they had let the club down. They have responded well with the three wins and we were also unlucky against Inverness so that’s four good performances.
“That’s the first quarter out of the way but there is still a long way to go. I always think you look at the end of the second quarter where every team has played home and away nine times.
“That gives you a bearing on where you are at. We have set the bar high as we expect to achieve things at this football club.”