He’s part of the process, so Frederic Frans knows what a massive task it’s been for Dundee United to build almost an entire new team for this season’s crack at getting promotion from the Championship.
Throw in the fact team selection’s been hit by a few early-season injuries and the experienced Belgian realises the Tangerines cannot be expected to be at their very best just yet.
For the 29-year-old, though, such facts will never be used as an excuse for a squad containing the talent of the one at Tannadice to not go out and win matches.
It’s why Frans believes it is right and proper he and his team-mates should apologise to fans for last week’s opening day home defeat to Dunfermline.
“You can’t concede three goals at home, there are no excuses for that. You have to apologise,” said the former Partick Thistle man.
He does admit it was a result he didn’t see coming. Even though the group stage of the Betfred Cup was difficult for United, the one thing he knew they’d done well was defend.
“We are very solid as a team so this result was hard to explain. We failed as a team, and we need to do better.
“I think even first half against Dunfermline, they didn’t have one shot on target, not even a chance, and we had defended strongly in the cup games as well.
“We made mistakes and they killed us for that.
“Now it’s time to show again that we are a unit because every day I see in training these boys working hard.
“I know it sounds a cliche but there is such a lot of hard work in this team.
“They are a great bunch of boys who want to do well.
“We have the quality it just has to come out in the games.”
Much as he’s loving his time at United, Frans does not pretend with 13 new players signed up in such a short space of time that it’s been easy to gel.
He reckons, though, Csaba Laszlo’s team are getting to where they need to be and, if there are issues still to overcome, they should not stop the victories coming.
That’s what he’s targeting from today’s trip to Queen of the South.
“We need to be ready for because it is a massive game but then again I think that every game in this league is massive,” Frans added.
“There is not one easy game, but there are no excuses, you have to be ready.
“You do have, I don’t know, 13 or 14 new players and it is not easy to fit everything in to a whole new group in a short time.
“We have had some very important injuries as well but again I do not want to make up excuses for what happened.
“OK, you can expect because of injuries you do not play at the best, best level but you can still win these games.
“We have a good squad and if there are injuries we have people who can step up. It is always better if you have a full squad but the people are there. There is enough quality to win our games.”
He accepts that’s no easy task in a division he believes is stronger than when he was playing one step up from it with Partick a few seasons back.
“When I was at Partick Thistle I watched a little bit of this league.
“The first year Hearts won it, second year it was Rangers and Hibs and you could see that those teams stood above the rest.
“I think now it is more like an even league, where practically everyone can win it.
“That’s a good thing, everyone can take points off each other and it is going to be the team that is most consistent that wins the division.”
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