Leeds skipper Dominic Matteo insists the players should carry the can for the club's Premiership slump, not under-fire manager Peter Reid.
Leeds have shipped 10 goals and scored none in three successive Premiership defeats, the latest of which was a 4-0 mauling at Everton on Sunday.
That dismal form has plunged them into the bottom three, and defeat against Blackburn at Elland Road on Saturday would pile the pressure on Reid.
It will not be lost on the club's board that Leeds have made their worst start to a season since the relegation year of 1981-82, but Matteo insists the players are to blame for the current plight.
"The manager's done a great job. What happened at Goodison was humiliating and embarrassing, but it is the players' responsibility," he told the Yorkshire Evening Post.
"We all know our jobs. If anyone is to blame for what's happened so far this season then it's the players. We all know the manager has set us up properly.
"He took responsibility after Sunday's game, but that isn't right. It's down to the players to take the blame. "We want to bounce back for the manager and the supporters because they deserve more than we've given them."
Reid's support from his captain comes amid crisis talks set to take place this morning between the Leeds chairman Professor John McKenzie and his deputy Allan Leighton.
After less than six months in the job Reid could be facing the sack as pressure mounts on McKenzie from financial backers in the city, who have seen their investments in Leeds plummet.
Leeds are now valued at less than Stg£10m and relegation this season would almost certainly result in administration.