Dundee United’s Billy Mckay has revealed that the club’s players held a lengthy and intense clear-the-air-meeting among themselves earlier this week followed by another hour getting things off their chests with boss Mixu Paatelainen.
With the Tangerines rooted to the foot of the Premiership table and facing a must-win game at Tannadice this afternoon against second bottom Kilmarnock, the Northern Ireland striker insists the time had come for everyone to have their say.
Strong words were spoken but Mckay, who is on loan from Wigan, believes the frank exchange had the desired effect and has translated itself into some feisty training sessions this week.
And the front man is hoping United will reap the rewards in the crunch Killie clash.
Mckay said: “Sean Dillon put a message on our group chat that we should have a meeting and do it face to face rather than on there.
“A lot of good things came out of it, we got a lot of things off our chests and even got the gaffer involved in it.
“We had a good hour ourselves, it was intense, and then we went outside and probably had another hour with the manager.
“He wasn’t there for the start of it but it carried on.
“Everyone got a lot of things off our chests the lads demanded more from each other.
Mckay added: “There were a few things said it didn’t get aggressive and there was nothing personal but people said what they had to say.
“We talked, listened and everyone has moved on from it now.
“I have had similar meetings at other clubs but not as intense as that.
“I have not been in a situation where it’s quite like this before but I felt it was good, everyone said what they were thinking.
“I got involved in the meeting and said what I had to say, a lot of the lads did.
“Even though I’m here on loan, I didn’t feel any different because I’m in it with everyone else.
“I am here until the end of the season and I don’t want relegation on my CV.
“I went down with Wigan last season but was only there for a few months and didn’t really play much of a part.
“But I can play a part here and I want to do my bit to save this club.
“It (the meeting) could have been done before now, but it has got to the point where something had to be said and done.
“As a team we will come out of it better. Boys are right up for it and getting stuck in.
“Training this week has been very feisty and we just can’t wait for the game now.”
Having experienced the pain of relegation with the Latics, Mckay is only too aware that the players are not just fighting for their own livelihoods.
The 27-year-old said: “It’s not only our jobs which are on the line, there are other people around the club as well.
“I saw it at Wigan last season, someone who had been there for 30 to 40 years wasn’t at the club any more after we went down.
“You come in for pre-season and there’s a face you’re used to seeing and they’re not there any more.
“That hurts, people’s jobs are bigger than football.
“So we’re not just fighting for ourselves on the pitch, we’re fighting for the whole club.
“We have a responsibility, we feel that and that’s why we had the meeting.
“I believe we can still survive but we have to take it one game at a time.
“The next three or four matches are against the teams around us so we need to get as many points as we can.
“If we are within touching distance at the split, then I believe we’ll get out of it.
“But we need to start picking up as many points as we can.”