Brisbane Roar skipper Matt McKay admits a host of players at the struggling A-League club are fighting for their careers.
Some of the club's biggest stars are coming off contract - including veteran midfielder McKay, who admitted none of them had a particularly good case for an extension given their current woes.
There are 19 players all up whose futures beyond this season are uncertain, with marquee Brett Holman, reigning club champion Corey Brown, imports Fahid Ben Khalfallah and Massimo Maccarone, utility Ivan Franjic and goalkeeper Jamie Young among them.
Some - like Maccarone, Holman and potentially even McKay - could retire, but others could have the decision made for them if their performances don't improve quickly.
"I had a word to everyone yesterday at training about that myself," McKay told reporters on Thursday.
"This is our job, so we want to perform at the best of our ability to continue doing our job.
"At the moment it's not happening so no-one can really walk into (football director Craig Moore's) office and demand a contract.
"We'll continually work hard and hopefully those results come and some players start to get resigned.
"But if not, then the club can change direction."
McKay and defender Avraam Papadopoulos will return from suspension for Friday night's away clash against high-flying Newcastle.
Papadopoulos has missed the last seven games for spitting at Sydney FC's Matt Simon while McKay has been out for two weeks after lashing out at Adelaide's Nikola Mileusnic following a challenge for the ball.
Asked if he was disappointed with the way he was sent off in that match, McKay said: "Not really."
"That's kind of been a part of me my whole career - I'm an aggressive player, I like to get involved and still, I disagree with a lot of things that happen.
"Things get blown up a lot in Australia and also since some of the procedural changes have come in with the VAR.
"I'm happy to be back now, I've served my time and I'm out to work hard for my team, the fans and the club."
The Roar have lost four of their last five matches, with all of those defeats coming at Suncorp Stadium.
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