Source: Team_Talk
Jefferies not ruling out Dons
The Dons are now eight points behind the sixth-placed Jambos following their 1-0 defeat to the Tynecastle outfit.[LNB]But Jefferies insists the Dons are still in the battle to finish in the top half of the table.[LNB]"You can't rule any side out of the top six yet," the Hearts boss said.[LNB]"I have been in this league long enough to know a couple of wins can get you right back in there again. You can drop down the league just as quickly if you lose a couple of games. Winning here has given us a bit of breathing space as Aberdeen still have a game in hand.[LNB]"We have the points in the bag so that puts a bit more pressure on them but we have got to think a bit more positively now and after this result we should be looking at who is above us and see if we can catch them."[LNB]The Hearts boss praised Eggert Jonsson who scored the only goal of a dull match with a stunning overhead kick.[LNB]Jefferies said the Icelandic player's flexibility has been a useful asset during his side's recent injury problems.[LNB]He added: "I played Eggert at right-back a couple of weeks ago and I've had him in the middle of the park and centre-back also. He is a real handy man to have in your team.[LNB]"Unfortunately he is suspended for next week, which isn't great considering the injuries we already have. Ismael Bouzid should be back and hopefully the injuries to Marius Zaliukas and Dawid Kucharski aren't as bad as we first thought."[LNB]Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee says his players need to remain united if they are to end their dismal run of form.[LNB]The Dons have not won in eight matches in all competitions after slumping to a third-successive defeat.[LNB]McGhee said: "We have to stay together. After the game I said to the players that we have three groups within the squad: the guys who are under contract and will be here next year, the guys who are out of contract and may be thinking about going elsewhere and the guys who are here on loan.[LNB]"They need to demand each other to see out the season properly and professionally to make sure we are not in a relegation scrap.[LNB]"The guys who are staying here next season have to demand that of the guys that are leaving and we need to ask our loan players like Paul Marshall, Steven MacLean and Jim Paterson to give us something extra and go beyond the call of duty."[LNB]Only 8,316 fans turned out to see the Dons lose to Hearts and McGhee admits he is concerned by the decreasing crowds at Pittodrie.[LNB]He added: "That will affect the budgets in the long run. We brought in some money for Lee Miller at Christmas and that will be eaten into if we don't meet our budget targets.[LNB]"That is a concern but I think there are other factors, such as this game starting at noon, it was on television and it was a cold day.[LNB]"Of course, if we keep getting results like that then the crowds will be affected but it is the least of my concerns at the moment."[LNB][LNB][LNB]
