Jimmy Thelin holds Aberdeen clear the air talks with struggling stars as 'message' sent ahead of Dunfermline clash

Jimmy Thelin hopes the Scottish Cup tie with Dunfermline can be the turning point and will see Aberdeen finally break this current losing cycle.

The Dons haven’t won in 14 games in the Premiership but they will be looking to continue their cup adventure when the Pars travel to Pittodrie on Sunday. Thelin’s side are out of form and since November their only win came in the last round of the Scottish Cup at Elgin City.

The Swede dug some of his players out for hiding at Hibs last week and he expects an immediate response. He said: "The discussions we had this week and the clear message is that there can't be any misunderstanding. Sometimes when you're on a specific run it can be difficult to get out of this, but I think the energy was here now from Tuesday, yesterday and today. It's really strong and everybody is looking forward to it.

“We're still in the cup, we have an important game now in the weekend and we still can catch the third place. That should be our focus and give us this opportunity, take this opportunity and push for that instead of looking back now and going around the mistakes. That's what we have to do now to catch that third place.

“That's why I like when you're in a difficult time, it's time to move on and break the circle. That's what we're trying to focus on now.

“There's no trophy for third place, but there is for the Scottish Cup showpiece final, the biggest game of the season here in Scotland at the end of the year.”

Thelin has held clear the air talks with his players and expects a response from everyone. He explained: “I also belong to the group. I'm the manager and my staff are the players. It's not about them or me.

“We have an identity, what we want to show to our supporters and ourselves,