Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish has warned his error-prone players they must cut out the mistakes or pay for them with their places.
After a positive start in his first game, which Blues won 3-2 at Tottenham Hotspur, the Scot has become increasingly exasperated at the number of gaffes his team have made and the fact they have cost them vital Premier League points.
Sebastian Larsson's failure to pick up Habib Beye in the last minute at Newcastle United saw Birmingham lose 2-1 and they followed that up a week later when Mat Sadler's short back pass resulted in the concession of a decisive penalty - and a 1-1 draw, at home to Reading.
But at Bolton Wanderers on Saturday Blues reached an altogether different stratosphere with the magnitude and frequency of their blunders.
With the game tied 0-0 and just 18 minutes remaining, City were on course for a hard earned point only for the hitherto immaculate Stephen Kelly to completely miss Nicolas Anelka's clearance and allow it to be turned in by El Hadji Diouf.
Six minutes later, in a scene reminiscent of Enkelman's Derby, Johan Djourou tried to throw the ball back to Maik Taylor only to see Anelka intercept and skip round the goalkeeper.
To add insult in injury time Cameron Jerome gifted possession to Kevin Nolan who then threaded through for Anelka to finish off a thoroughly miserable 3-0 rout.
It was too much for McLeish to bear: "I have managed at clubs before where we have had to fight and scrap, I have got experience of that. It is a case of using that experience" McLeish said.
"But the guys have got to eradicate the mistakes because there is nothing I or any other manager could do except leave the players out.
"There is more quality than some are showing. Some have got to have a couple of per cent more belief.
"We can see some players really being a part of Birmingham in the Premier League but I think everybody knows we still need three or four quality players to add to the squad. I can't leave every player out but certainly we have got to stop making errors."
Blues must pick themselves up in time for the Boxing Day visit of Middlesbrough and the arrival of beleaguered Fulham this weekend.
McLeish will at least be able to recall skipper Liam Ridgewell who sat out at Reebok Stadium through suspension.
With Blues just one point and two places above the relegation zone - having taken just one from their last two outings, they must win at least once.
"We know the importance of them, I don't think anyone can attempt to deflect these are very important games," McLeish continued.
"We have got to bounce back and we have got to pick people up very quickly but they have also got to pick themselves up.
"They have to realise in this business you need that gustiness and determination to fight back."
