John Rankin locked his Hamilton players in the dressing room for over an hour after Saturday’s defeat to Raith Rovers put them back in the relegation play-off spot.
And the Accies boss insists his side must be more of a threat after failing to muster an attempt on goal over the 90 minutes.
A Dylan Easton penalty in the first half and a Finlay Pollok strike after the break consigned Accies to their 15th defeat in 25 games this term, leaving them ninth and level on points with eighth-place Dunfermline who they face tomorrow night. Both sides are 10 points clear of bottom side Airdrie.
While Accies had 75 per cent of possession in Kirkcaldy, they did nothing with it and Rankin read the riot act in the dressing room at Stark’s Park as he fights for Hamilton’s survival and his job.
Rankin said: “We were in the dressing room for over an hour and I think it is important to address this [performance] after the game rather than the next day.
“There were a lot of voices and a lot of feelings. Everybody agrees it is not good enough and there’s a lot who feel they are doing their own job rather than concentrating on others.
“For instance, a striker is only wanting to score goals or a defender is only wanting to defend. A defender needs to be part of the build-up for us to score a goal and, likewise, a striker has got to be the first line of defence.
“We had over 70 per cent possession but it doesn’t count for anything when it is in your own half. We had to get more attempts on their goal.
“It is bitterly disappointing, especially after the way we played last week [in a 2-1 win over Queen’s Park].
“Those words hurt players at times, but talk is cheap and we can only see a response on Tuesday.
“The important thing is we air everything now and focus on the Dunfermline game on Tuesday night because it is a huge game.”
Over the last two games, Accies have managed just two shots on target and scored just twice in their last seven games, despite having the second-top goalscorer in the league in Oli Shaw.
Asked about that statistic, Rankin added: “Having two attempts on goal over that period is not good enough.
“We huff and we puff in the wrong areas.
“There is no point having a striker like Oli Shaw – the second-top scorer in the league – through the middle if we are not creating enough chances for him.
“We need to encourage one another and dig each other out.”