Sabri Lamouchi bemoaned Cardiff City's sloppy play which gifted Middlesbrough two goals in the 3-1 home defeat.
It's now 14 games in all competitions without a victory as Lamouchi's home debut in the dugout ultimately ended in a two-goal loss, placing Cardiff just one place above the relegation zone. The bottom four clubs are all separated by one point.
And, in typical Lamouchi fashion, he was straight-talking and blunt in his assessment of the match.
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“Obviously, for my first home game I was expecting a different result but Middlesbrough are a good team fighting for promotion and they have good quality," Lamouchi said after the match.
“We gave them the first goal and after we equalised exactly the same, we gave them a goal. In the second half we competed more and did everything to come back into the game, but unfortunately it was not enough.
“The opponent was better than us, they played with more confidence and more quality. They probably deserved the three points.
"I was tough on them in the break. But in the end, I was positive. I don't want to lie to my players.
"Some moments in the game, we competed, but they don't need to receive a gift from our part to make the difference. So, first of all, it's about starting to play, focussing on playing very aggressive in the defensive part and to try to play from our quality."
Cardiff did show glimpses of positivity in the second half, piling more pressure on to Boro, but never truly looked like creating enough clear-cut chances to win the game. The story of the season, really.
Michael Carrick's side are like a juggernaut at the moment, though, and Lamouchi acknowledges that. He hopes the club can build on the positives, which in turn can help them climb out of this mess, starting with the clash against Birmingham City on Tuesday.
“The fight we showed in the second half gives me maximum optimism," he added. “We need to work not to give away goals so easily. But running and fighting we are doing.
“On Tuesday we have another game (against Birmingham City), absolutely different to today. Middlesbrough played with good quality and it showed the difference.
“We don’t need too much to lift us. If you want to win some games you can’t give the ball away easily. Birmingham will be a different type of game, more duals and long balls, more direct. They have quality too, though."
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