"Our defending was abysmal and we made individual errors all the time. I can see why they conceded five goals against Watford in the cup the other week.
"There is an awful lot of work to do here. I always knew it would be tough, but this is going to be a real struggle. It is whether we have the character to stay up.
"I will try and pull a few rabbits out of the bag in January. We need to strengthen the squad.
"Defoe, Kanoute and Carrick are all quality players. Jermain is a terrific player and was a bargain for the money they paid for him.
"This was a bad defeat, but it's still better than sitting at home watching Sky. I still think I can keep them up.
"Jim Smith was watching the game from the stands and he will look at this performance and might not bother coming here now."