Ryan Inniss has told his Dundee team-mates to look within themselves and find the fight that will rescue boss Neil McCann from the sack.
The Dens Park boss is clinging on to his job after a seventh straight defeat against Hibernian on Saturday.
The 3-0 loss to Neil Lennon's men means the Dark Blues have yet to take a point from their six Ladbrokes Premiership fixtures so far this season.
Now next week's trip to Hamilton is looking like a make-or-break showdown for McCann's reign – so long as Dee chiefs do not decide to act before then.
With so much hanging on that clash, Crystal Palace loanee Inniss knows his side cannot lie down as meekly as they did against Hibs.
But the centre-back says it is down to his new colleagues to find the desire that will halt their slide – not their manager.
He said: "We will go again but we have got to take it personally, I mean really, really personally.
"We're talking about character here – not ability.
"For me, you find your level with ability eventually. But character – that can drop you out the game quicker than anything.
"The things the manager is teaching us from the sidelines, we can do them.
"But you can't teach us character. It's too late in life. We've got to find that ourselves. Whether it's a time in our lives when we were really down and came back from it, then we have got to replicate that.
"It's that deep, it really is.
"Fans will accept if a player isn't the best player but gives 100 per cent – but they must be coming away here having paid their hard-earned money thinking, 'They gave up again'. It's not good enough."
Former Dundee winger Martin Boyle returned to Tayside to deliver the latest blow to McCann's job prospects, laying on Florian Kamberi's 51st-minute opener before rifling home a quick-fire second soon after.
But the lightning-quick attacker, speaking after a victory that was wrapped up in stoppage time by Thomas Agyepong, admits he has sympathy for his old side.
"We knew it would be a real six-pointer and that Dundee would be up for it," he said.
"We had to ride the wave the first 10 minutes but after that we were in control.
"I feel for the guys at Dundee, 100 per cent. It's not a nice situation they are in but we had a job to do and hopefully both of us can start picking up wins now."
