Gerard Lyttle insists under-fire Larne manager Tiernan Lynch shouldn't be made the fall guy for the Inver Park club's disappointing season.
Despite winning the County Antrim Shield back in January, Larne have struggled to find any consistency in the Premiership and were knocked out of the Irish Cup last weekend.
They currently sit 10 points outside the top three, leaving embattled boss Lynch to target Europe through this season's play-offs.
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Larne owner Kenny Bruce has promised a full end-of-season review in the wake of Saturday’s Irish Cup exit at the hands of Ballymena United.
However, he insists he won’t be resorting to emotional or knee-jerk reactions despite a section of supporters airing their frustration at recent results - including Tuesday night's 1-1 draw with Glenavon.
And while the pressure appears to be mounting on manager Lynch, Northern Ireland Under 17 and 19 boss Lyttle says Larne's under-performing players need to accept their share of responsibility.
"Honestly, I think the review will be on the players," Lyttle told Belfast Live's That's What I Call Football podcast.
"I think they have let Tiernan and Seamus (Lynch) down of lately. That may sound harsh, but I am sick of managers getting the blame all the time. It is always the manager who gets it.
"Obviously the manager picks the team and he is in charge of recruitment and all the rest of it.
"But I have seen and watched Larne over the past few weeks. There are players in and out of the team, and then the next week there are more players in and out. And they're not doing it.
"And they keep conceding late goals.
"Obviously Tomas Cosgrove is a big loss for them. He is potentially the best right-back in the league and he is a big part of their style and how they play.
"They are playing Kofi Balmer at right-back who is doing a job. But he is not a right-back, he is a centre-back and a good one at that. So that is one of the issues.
"Scoring goals is another issue for them. They brought Lee Bonis in who has answered critics and is scoring, but to be knocking on the door of winning leagues and cups, you need one or more centre forward scoring goals.
"Davy McDaid has been in and out of the team and hasn't been consistent in terms of starting. Maybe Tiernan is chopping and changing too much and is maybe too loyal to one or two players.
"There are a host of things you could probably look at, and it is very easy to look from the outside in and say 'this is the problem'. It isn't easy running a changing room and keep morale high and keep everyone happy. You will never do that.
"You just need to find a team you trust and a team that will win for you, and one that will die on that pitch for you. And if you find that you have a better chance.
"But at the minute I don't see that fight in Larne, and that will be worrying for Tiernan at the minute."
Reacting to one supporter who tweeted “manager out now” following last Saturday's Irish Cup exit, Larne owner Bruce replied: “We need and want your support but nothing will be reviewed until the end of season as we stated previously.
“I know this frustrates supporters but we have to be principled and not emotional. I assure you a full review of our season will happen.”
Larne have enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent seasons, getting promoted from the Championship to winning back-to-back Co Antrim Shields and qualifying for Europe.
With that growth and investment comes expectation -and criticism - but Lyttle believes Bruce will take a measured approach to any post-season review.
"I would say Kenny, the board and Tiernan will review everything, and not just look at where Tiernan is as a manager," Lyttle said.
"I imagine it will be the coaching staff the players, how they play, whether they have a Plan B etc. All that will be reviewed.
"And I think a lot of people read too much into the review just being on the manager. I would be very surprised if it is just on the manager, to be honest with you."
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