KRIS Doolan has backed Gary Caldwell after the Partick Thistle manager told his squad that each and every one of them should be worried about their Firhill futures.

The 2-1 defeat to Morton on Saturday left Thistle five points adrift of part-time club Alloa, with only Falkirk below them in the Championship table.

That provoked a furious response from manager Caldwell, who laid out in no uncertain terms that he will be making sweeping changes to his playing squad in the January window.

Public threats towards players can provoke a mixed reaction, and often mixed results, but Doolan believes that his manager shouldn’t have had to spell it out to the players that their careers at the club are on the shakiest of pegs.

“If that’s what it takes for the penny to drop with us a squad, then it may be harsh, but it also may be what is needed,” Doolan said.

“Ultimately, whatever can get a reaction out of us as players to make sure we pick up points is worth it. Hopefully it works.

“I’m sure everybody knows what is at stake. We know what is at stake in every single game.

“I don’t think the manager is trying to put fear into us, but anything that can get a reaction from players to get us a result is what the manager is trying to do.

“We’d do anything to get that win to get us back on track. Hopefully the penny drops somewhere and we start picking up some points.

“We’ve got to stop the rot. It can’t just keep going on and on. Teams are just sitting in and then look to hit us with a bit of a sucker punch. We’ve got to be a bit more streetwise when we are going forward.

“Everybody in the team has a role to play when we don’t have the ball, and we need to smarten up.”

Thistle take on Dundee United on Saturday, and Doolan expects another tough afternoon.

“Tannadice is always a difficult place to go, but it’s about us going up there and proving that we want it more than them.”