Glenn Roeder admits West Ham's current situation is
"frustrating" - and that he had "no warning"
about how poorly his team were going to play at Middlesbrough.
In a starkly honest assessment of the defeat on Saturday which leaves his team as the only one in the Premiership without a win, he says:
"We have to bounce back; it was a very poor first 45 minutes for us and I had no warning that was coming.
"In those first 45 minutes we conceded two dreadful goals.
"We picked it up in the second half, but unfortunately at this level when you give two goals away like that it is very hard to come back."
He admits the lack of goals is a major concern and adds candidly:
"It is very frustrating and a worry; we are creating three or four half chances but not even those are looking like going in.
"We have got to get back on the training ground and work hard on our finishing - and what is key is to get Fredi Kanoute and Paolo Di Canio fit and back in the team.
"I would like to think that by the end of the week they will have both improved their fitness so they can play against Newcastle."
He admits that Don Hutchison and Trevor Sinclair did not work as a partnership up front on the day, and, explaining his half time decision to bring Jermain Defoe on, he adds:
"We had to try to get the two goals back and I decided to be as attack minded as we could at the start of the second half.
"We nearly pulled a goal back at the start of the second half with Don Hutchison, and had that chance gone in it might have given us a real chance to get something out of the game - but it wasn't to be."
He stresses that he thinks Tomas Repka's sending off was harsh and that it does not colour his judgement of his debut.
"I thought Tomas did well when he was on and am sure he is going to be a good defender for us," he says.
"He is disappointed to have got sent off but in the long term I'm sure he will do very well for us."
As for being bottom, he says:
"Psychologically it is disappointing to be bottom, but we have to be bigger than that.
"If we keep working on the training ground I am sure things will come right."
In a starkly honest assessment of the defeat on Saturday which leaves his team as the only one in the Premiership without a win, he says:
"We have to bounce back; it was a very poor first 45 minutes for us and I had no warning that was coming.
"In those first 45 minutes we conceded two dreadful goals.
"We picked it up in the second half, but unfortunately at this level when you give two goals away like that it is very hard to come back."
He admits the lack of goals is a major concern and adds candidly:
"It is very frustrating and a worry; we are creating three or four half chances but not even those are looking like going in.
"We have got to get back on the training ground and work hard on our finishing - and what is key is to get Fredi Kanoute and Paolo Di Canio fit and back in the team.
"I would like to think that by the end of the week they will have both improved their fitness so they can play against Newcastle."
He admits that Don Hutchison and Trevor Sinclair did not work as a partnership up front on the day, and, explaining his half time decision to bring Jermain Defoe on, he adds:
"We had to try to get the two goals back and I decided to be as attack minded as we could at the start of the second half.
"We nearly pulled a goal back at the start of the second half with Don Hutchison, and had that chance gone in it might have given us a real chance to get something out of the game - but it wasn't to be."
He stresses that he thinks Tomas Repka's sending off was harsh and that it does not colour his judgement of his debut.
"I thought Tomas did well when he was on and am sure he is going to be a good defender for us," he says.
"He is disappointed to have got sent off but in the long term I'm sure he will do very well for us."
As for being bottom, he says:
"Psychologically it is disappointing to be bottom, but we have to be bigger than that.
"If we keep working on the training ground I am sure things will come right."