Manager Jimmy Thelin spoke to the media on Tuesday morning as he previewed our Boxing Day clash with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

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Reflecting on Saturday

“We have watched the Hibs game back and as I said at the time we did some good things, we created some really good chances and we were stable in periods and then some parts we didn’t do so well. We have to keep improving. I said at the start of the season we know where we want to go and how we want to look in the future. There is a lot of work to do and we are still working on that process.

Run of Results

“Nothing has really changed, we have had a good start to the season regarding points and now we have this period with not so many points but the way we see things, how we want to grow and how we want to improve hasn’t changed. We have to push and try to be better in some areas of the pitch and be more consistent. We need to keep working and improving.

“In a team sport, you have to be really consistent in some parts of the game and clear. We have some principles inside the team of what we have to do when the opponents do this or that. We can’t drop this part even if sometimes as a player sometimes you can get stressed about a game or in some parts of a season but just do the basics again and again and again. Sometimes you have that day when sometimes the ball goes in and sometimes it doesn’t.

“If you’re stable during a season and you have a bad day, maybe you can get one point instead of zero. On a good day you win the game. We are working on trying to be more consistent. I think it’s to easy to say confidence. One day you are confident and one day you’re not, no you have to be more stable as a team. This is our identity, this is what we want to do and we have to stay with this part and do these things and then small adjustments and small improvements all of the time.

“You want everything to go quickly when you want to build a long term success. Sometimes you can get this feeling when you start so well, then you get some resistance but it’s not so bad either then you need something in between and try to be better in the future. The best way to do that is to go out today again in training and prepare for the game and try to improve.

“They are really good players and good guys. I just think maybe the last two games they were affected too much about inside the game and some situations and then we lost the rhythm unnecessarily. Everybody is involved, me, my staff and my players. We are on the same journey, we do this together and our fans are there.

Kilmarnock

“Football is about challenges. You have home and away games and different opponents, some play in certain ways but you have to go in with our belief in what we’re doing and don’t find excuses about the pitch etc. If it’s away or at home you have to give everything. That is what you can do, you can try and give everything that you have and then you can feel a better feeling after the game if you do what we want to do in that game. We have a strong belief we can get a good result there.

“It’s going to be good. We are going to travel tomorrow on Christmas Day and have a good journey together and prepare for an exciting game and give everything that we can for our supporters and each other.

Team News

“As I said before Dimi (Mitov) will train fully today. Otherwise nothing new team news wise. Everybody is ready to train and play.

Long Term Success

“Everyday I am learning about the league and about the players but it’s still football. We have a vision with how we want to look, that intensity to the team, how we want to play, it is clear for everybody, that is what we want to achieve. It’s always a step by step process, sometimes you get one step back and try to push again for two steps forward. We want to be challenging for European spots consistently and try to be that team who can do that. Everything is connected. The experience at Pittodrie, the support and everything around the club and the team. Everything has to keep progressing and that is what we’re trying to create together. That is what we want. Nothing comes free, you have to work hard for a long time and get what you’re trying to achieve and keep pushing.”