Jimmy Thelin reading Aberdeen riot act was needed as Nicky Devlin reveals what must happen now

Nicky Devlin insists being publicly shamed by boss Jimmy Thelin must be a starting point in bringing Aberdeen’s alarming form slump to an end.

The Dons defender believes the players have got to bear responsibility for Thursday’s 4-0 hammering at Kilmarnock which saw his gaffer apologise to the support for an abysmal display. An absence of effort, failure to win duals or second balls and a lack of application were all cited by the Swede in what he claimed was the Pittodrie side’s worst performance of this campaign.

Devlin was in no mood to dispute those accusations and with a trip to face Dundee United tomorrow, he is adamant a dramatic improvement is required. He said: “We know how important those things are. If you are going to get results you have to get the better of those kind of things. The manger said we were second best on every one of them against Kilmarnock and from the first minute to the last it just wasn’t to be for us at all.”

As Aberdeen were dismantled at Rugby Park, the heady days of 10 wins and a draw from their opening 11 Premiership games were a distant memory as they suffered a seventh winless game. Devlin admits he’s struggling to get to the root of the Dons’ problems. He said: “I’m not sure you can put your finger on one thing that has changed. It seems like a lot.

“We went from a team that was comfortable in a lot of games to a team that is in bad form and struggling. We are conceding far too many goals as a starting point. It is down to us to change that.

“It is frustrating if it is only working hard that we have to do more. That should be a given, it is not something you need ability to do. It is just about individuals and as a team demanding that from each other.

“Just because we went on