PETER Gentle labelled Hull FC's execution as disgraceful as the coach admitted his concerns after a third successive Super league defeat.
The Hull coach says his side have lost confidence after another poor display saw the Black and Whites beaten 27-26 by Wakefield Wildcats at the KC Stadium.
The result leaves Hull seventh place in the table and with their top-four aspirations seemingly in tatters.
Gentle says there was no lack of effort from his players in defeat, but the Aussie was left questioning his team's execution in a poor game.
"I believe the effort is there, the execution is nowhere near good enough," said Gentle.
"What we are doing is, our execution is disgraceful and we are backing it up with penalties on the back of that and compounding the problem. We are playing out of our end and trying to play off slow play- the-balls.
"It is extremely disappointing at the moment.
"The effort was there but we have lost confidence too."
Hull had twice led in the game, which saw Ben Crooks follow his four-try haul at Castleford last week with a hat-trick to take his individual tally to 20 tries for the season.
Wing partner Tom Lineham joined Crooks on the score sheet, but a catalogue of errors handed Wakefield the game as Hull struggled in possession, defensively and with their discipline.
The matter was compounded in the dying minutes when Shannon McDonnell spilled the ball on the first tackle in front of his posts to give Lee Smith the opportunity to win the game with a drop-goal.
"All the things we have spoken about we didn't do," added Gentle. "We are all frustrated by it but you only change it through hard work and more time on the training field.
"We put a heap of work into them last week and we'll put a heap more into them this week.
"The players didn't look jaded because it was a long time coming around this game.
"You can only defend so many sets and it is taking a while for the penny to drop.
"If you hold the ball and get down their end of the field you will do a lot less tackling and the opposition will be a lot less threatening.
"It is frustrating that it is taking a while for the penny to drop.
"We've put a rocket up them last week and at half-time too.
"It is not happening at the moment but we have to make it happen."
Hull's defeat was even more costly as stand-off Daniel Holdsworth limped off in the second half with a calf strain.
Holdsworth will go for scans today, with Hull fearing the injury will not be a short-term problem.
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