Manager on Thursday

19/01/12: JM - ""I think it is only human nature that the boys were despondent this morning. The bottom line is we have thrown the game away.

Jim McIntyre has talked about the increasingly important need to pick up points and January is going to prove an important month for Dunfermline. So far in 2012 Celtic and Hibs have come to East End Park and left with the points and now they face three away games to complete a busy month. Is a winning run possible?

"There is no doubt in my mind that we can go on one. We need to do it and do it soon though because we are now past the halfway stage. I did say that January would be a big big month for us and it is so important that we try and claw our way back into it, back up the table. We have a chance to do that with Kilmarnock, Motherwell then Aberdeen. These are games that we must take as many points from as we can. We know how difficult it will be. They are good sides and they have done very well this year, so it is up to us."

The Manager has been remarkably calm given the bad results and poor mistakes that have proven fatal in games.. Was the pressure of the Premier League getting to him?

"No I don't think its got anything to do with being in the Premier League, if you are in a bad spell then obviously you are under the cosh at times. At the same time I wouldn't change it for the world, this is the job you are in. I wouldn't want to do another job. It comes with the territory and we all know that.

"It's important to remember that you are never as good as your results and never as bad as your results. It's important that you keep balance and stay calm. The bottom line is you are the leader and you have to make sure that everybody remains calm and they know that one result can change things and that is what they have got to believe. If we win our game in hand then we are one point behind so that is something that we shouldn't lose sight of".

The Pars are all looking forward to Saturday's game and the gaffer is happy to be returning to his old stomping ground even though throwing a water bottle caused him to be sent to the stand last time around:-

"Very much so, its my old stomping ground and I love going back there. I watched them on Tuesday and Dundee played very well the first 25 minutes but Kilmarnock were ruthless with their goals. They were both outstanding finishes."

Back in his own camp there was a subdued atmosphere after Wednesday night's match.

"I think it is only human nature that the boys were despondent this morning. The bottom line is we have thrown the game away. There was some really good stuff, we dominated the first half and should have been two goals up at half time. But we weren't and as soon as we made the mistake you could literally see the difference in both sides and that is how crucial it is to take your chances as well.

" You could visibly see the difference in both sides and I thought Inverness dominated the next 20 minutes. It really gave them a spring in their step and it took us a while to recover. In saying that though, we still had the best chance with Thomson having another really good goalscoring opportunity.

Asked if that was the hardest part to take - banging on about it all season and shooting yourself in the foot.

"Yes it is, if you have been on a run like we have been on. We start the game well, do a lot of things right, we don't take the chances but you are a goal ahead and then you concede that type of goal then it is a hammer blow to the confidence levels.

" Credit to them, they did recover from it and made a couple of opportunities in the 90 minutes. The early goal just into extra time knocked the stuffing right out of us. To be fair I was looking to make another substitution in the midfield area but obviously with Kevin having cramp in both his calves I had to cover the back line. It would have been nice to get another midfielder on to help out in there as it was a hard shift in the game. That was a wee bit frustrating as well."

Again the Manager confessed that this is one of the toughest times that he has faced in management.

" I had a period in the First Division where we hadn't won in 5 or 6 games and that was a tough period. This is up there, but there is nothing else than hard work that will get us out of it. We have got to keep believing. I would be more worried if we were not creating chances and I would be more worried if our play was terrible, but it's not.

"I think you have seen in the last couple of games, even going as far back as the Celtic game in the first half where our performance levels were decent but we conceded two mistakes for goals. At Inverness we should have been through but shot ourselves in the foot. So performance level wise the boys have given me everything they have got.

" There is no lack of fighting spirit, I thought their energy was good in the 90 minutes. Obviously we tired in the extra time and goals do that to you as well, it knocks the stuffing out of you."

"You scrutinise everything you do, the team you pick, the substitutions, your decisions during the game. If you didn't do that you would be burying your head in the sand.

"We are not happy because we are not picking up results. There has got to be a balance there. You have got to try and pick the positives and learn from the mistakes you are making. The positives are that the performances over the last two or three weeks have been better than what we were when we were losing heavily. The positive is that we are creating chances and we need to be more ruthless when we get them.

"Another positive would be the return of Kevin Rutkiewicz. He is a key player for us, there is no doubt about that. He came in last year and did very well. Its unfortunate that he has been out for six months, but so has Nick Phinn, and Steven Bell. These are key players as well that we have missed badly.

" As well as having them back it also gives the players who have maybe made a few mistakes, know that they have competition there. Sometimes that has not been the case when mistakes have been made and the option has not been there to change it. It's healthy for everybody. It's healthy for the eleven that are picked to start that they have competition breathing down their neck because it keeps them on their toes, it helps them to make better decisions. That's an important part of it as well.

Asked what has been the bigger issue - not taking chances or individual errors causing grief?

"That's hard to answer because there has been stages in games where we have had the chance to score before we have made the individual error, so that kind of doubles the mistake. If the mistake leads to a goal then you are saying we should be sitting one nil up. The biggest quote you will get from a Manager is "goals changes games" and that is so true.

" You could be playing poorly and score a goal, then all of a sudden your tails are up, you start knocking the ball about and players want the ball more. It's a hard question to answer. The bottom line is if we don't make mistakes then we have a chance of winning games, so I would probably err on the don't make mistakes but at the same time it is important that we put the ball away as well."

Two final enquiries, injuries from Wednesday and a news from Mark Kerr on his contract offer?

"Andy Barrowman had to come off as he felt his abductor but he should be ok. Kevin had cramp in both his calves just because he has not played

"Not yet, we should have a decision today. I have made Mark Kerr an offer and he is thinking it over."