Kieran Freeman insists he will never shy away from candid analysis of his performances, emphasising the need to “get your own house in order”.
But the Dundee United defender’s full focus is now on the next eight matches after returning to the starting line-up for the first time since a nightmare outing against Livingston.
Freeman was withdrawn in the first period against Livi on March 8; already on a booking and being tormented by Joel Nouble and Cristian Montano. A dismissal appeared inevitable.
Boss Jim Goodwin replaced the academy graduate with Liam Smith and switched to a back-four.
Speaking after the 1-1 draw, Goodwin took full responsibility for the sluggish start to the match — citing the wrong tactical set-up.
But Freeman had no problem reflecting on his own showing.
And he was back in the Terrors 11 to face Rangers on Saturday.
“I would never deflect on others,” said Freeman. “You have to look at yourself and make sure your house is in order.
“The manager improved the team by making a substitution that night — I was on a yellow card and we needed as many people on the pitch as possible!
“We got a point and hopefully that could be a crucial one. I just had to respond in the right way.
“Personally, it was nice to be in the starting line-up Saturday. All I want to do is play every week.”
Defined
Although content to be back in the side, it was an ultimately unfulfilling afternoon in Govan for Freeman.
A 2-0 defeat saw United remain rooted to the foot of the Premiership. They are two points adrift of Ross County and a daunting six behind Kilmarnock, who occupy the guaranteed safety of 10th place.
However, the Tangerines’ race is far from run and, with a decent pre-split fixture list of Hibs (H), Motherwell (A) and Livingston (H), Freeman is defiant.
“We were trying to pick up points against Rangers because we know we can’t pass up any opportunity,” continued Freeman. “But our chances of staying up won’t be defined by Saturday’s game.
“There are eight games ahead of us and we know we need to pick up points. The next game against Hibs is at home — a winnable fixture — and we’re really looking forward to Sunday.”
Malik Tillman notched a double for the Gers, while Ryan Kent rattled the bar and Mark Birighitti made a couple of decent saves.
Although United were competitive in the opening 30 minutes, Freeman echoed Goodwin’s post-match disappointment with the manner of the goals conceded.
“We didn’t deserve to get anything out of the game,” he added. “We frustrated them well in the first half but are disappointed with the two goals.
“The game-plan was to keep it tight, knowing that we had pace and trickery on the bench who could make a difference — but we fell short.”
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