Jacob Butterfield says Huddersfield Town must “man up” as they bid to kick-start their season with victory over Millwall at the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday.
Chris Powell’s men are in the bottom three of the Championship, having won just once in their first eight games.
And midfielder Butterfield warned: “I know it’s still early days but this can’t carry on.
“We’ve got to get our season ticking over or we’ll end up in trouble.”
The former Middlesbrough man is backing Powell, who has had three games at the helm, to sort things out.
But he also believes the players have to take responsibility as they aim to bounce back from their 3-0 derby defeat at Leeds.
“We let ourselves and the fans down,” he added.
“It’s a case of facing up to the performance and taking it on the chin. We can’t let it affect confidence. We’re going to have to be men about it.
“We had a lot of possession and created chances but didn’t take any.
“And we also switched off defensively when they were on the break. Our mistakes gave them chances, and they took them clinically. That was the difference.”
Butterfield added: “We’ve got to learn our lessons and shut up shop. We have to do the basics right and man up.
“The manager has been brilliant with us and I’m sure he’ll do well here.
“But he needs time and we need to start learning how to win matches.
“There’s no shortage of talent here and some of the change has to come from us.”
