Manager on Thursday

27/03/14: JJ - ""I let them sweat a wee bit on Monday and then they watched the game back on the video, and then on Tuesday they sweated even more!

Jim Jefferies has been working his players hard this week because he felt they hadn't done that on Saturday against East Fife:-

"They weren't better than us, they just wanted it more. They've been well warned. It's not been often I've had to do that but when it was as bad as it was on Saturday. For me, there were far too many passengers. There were about four guys who deserved not to be as bad as the rest, because the other seven in the team were on a par with each other. It just wasn't good enough.

"You will never win a football match, no matter how good players you are, if you do not have a will and determination. The ability didn't change from the previous Saturday at Ibrox to the game against East Fife. What changed was the application, and that's not acceptable.

"I let them sweat a wee bit on Monday and then they watched the game back on the video, and then on Tuesday they sweated even more!

"At this stage of the season, to be worked so hard teaches them a lesson. If it doesn't, they'll be in here on Sunday morning doing the same thing. They have not got the hard session on Tuesday to blame because Wednesday we gave them a day swimming to let the muscles tone up. They weren't hammered every day but they certainly don't too many like Tuesday.

"It's not about the result. If you do work hard and it's not your day, then you can accept it. What the supporters and myself will not accept is that level of application. All you can do is hope for a reaction. They've had a good week, they've had a good warning about what's expected of them, and we'll see what happens."

JJ would like to see some of the sheer grit and determination, and will to win a football match, that the younger boys set up as a great example on Monday night in the SPFL U20 league. The Manager continued:-

"I watched our under-20s team against Celtic and they were out-powered, in terms of physical strength and everything, and Celtic had a lot of good players. That's what you have to do sometimes. You don't have to always play well, but we should have ground out the game against East Fife."

Paul Joseph Crossan v Celtic U20s

The defeat meant that East Fife retained their good away league record against the Pars:-

"I know that we have not played them every season but it is ridiculous that we haven't beaten them at home for 35 years. That is a wee statistic that helps to motivate them as well; it should have motivated us to sort that out."

Nobody would blame JJ for making wholesale changes for the visit of Brechin City this Saturday but due to a disciplinary situation earlier this season, Danny Grainger is still suspended and there are still doubts over the fitness of Ryan Wallace.