DANIEL CLEARY insists St Johnstone do not have the time for falling short of standards – and the defender won’t shy away from telling any teammates who are failing to pull their weight.
Saints are on a horror run of form after registering their tenth successive defeat in all competitions at Kelty Hearts in the Scottish Cup on Saturday.
The result sparked toxic scenes at full-time as fans vented their frustrations towards Callum Davidson and his players.
Cleary, who moved to McDiarmid Park from Dundalk this window, admits the supporters are rightly dissatisfied, but he hopes fortunes will turn as the Perth outfit face off against Dundee.
“It is not ideal obviously the position that we are in at the moment,” he explained. “I made the decision before Christmas to sign and I was ready for the challenge no matter where we were in January.
“I obviously don’t know how the lads feel. I am looking forward to coming in and helping the team as much as I can and then climb the table.
“I believe we can do it. We have quality players here and I’ve seen that in training and games. I believe in the team here that we can come out of the situation that we are in.
“What needed to be said was said after the Kelty game and I think everyone is on the same page. We are all pulling together. I’m not the kind of player that settles for low standards around me.
“If someone isn't pulling their weight I’ll let them know. We don’t have time to have any low standards around here.
“I’ll step up and hopefully drag the lads along with me to raise the standards of the team. I don’t like losing, I hate it. I’ll be doing everything I can to keep the club up.”
Fellow countryman John Mahon also moved to Perth this week as the 22-year-old switched from Sligo Rovers for an undisclosed fee.
Cleary has come up against the tenacious defender on a number of occasions in the Irish Premiership and he reckons he will be a huge asset to the Saints camp.
He continued: “John is a very good player. I have played against John a few times when I was back home.
“I was playing for Dundalk and he was playing for Sligo Rovers. He is a good lad.
“He is strong, he is physical, he loves a battle as well. He doesn’t shy away from a good battle.”
Ahead tomorrow's Dundee test, Cleary added: “We know the situation we are in and are going for the three points against Dundee.
“Everyone can understand the fans’ frustration at the minute. We are in the same boat. But we can turn it around and we need the fans behind us.
“Hopefully against Dundee we can get a result and kick on from there.”
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