Last week after the club's loss to the Crows, Pagan praised the courage of his players and said their spirit was 'terrific'. On Wednesday, he said Carlton's current situation was one they all had to work through and that he admired the way the group was going about it.
"It's a process we've got to go through. We know the situation, the facts, the realities and all the issues the club's got, and I hate talking about it because it sounds as if I'm making excuses," Pagan said before training.
"But I really admire this group of players. Some of them have been to hell and back and there hasn't been a lot of joy."
Pagan also commended the way his players welcome constructive criticism as well as their tendency to try and improve the side's downfalls from week to week.
"They're disappointed when they come in and know they can identify the things that they've done wrong in the review meeting," he said.
"We look for room for improvements, we talk to our guys about it, they accept it, they try as hard they possibly can to get back over the hump.
"You watch training tonight. They'll be spirited. They try as hard as they can and it's one thing I really admire about our boys."
While the bitter truth remains that the Blues are 15th on the ladder with only two wins for the season, Pagan said there were no members of the side 'playing for their careers' at this stage of the season.
"I don't think we would say that," Pagan said.
"We haven't even thought about that at this stage."
The Blues have their sights firmly set on their next task of Port Adelaide and Pagan said it would be a combination of winning the ball and making the right decisions that would give his side a good chance on Sunday.
"The most important principle in football is to get your hands on the ball first and everything else will stem from that," Pagan said.
"If we do that and we're consistent with our efforts, we're going to put up a better showing."
