No one needed to tell Grant Hanley that Norwich City were the architects of their own downfall on their Carrow Road return against West Bromwich Albion.
The Canaries gave away a first-half lead, saw a poor Jordan Rhodes penalty saved and a Tim Krul goalkeeping howler all help the grateful Baggies to their first win of the Championship campaign following Premier League relegation.
'The lads are really disappointed – and really disappointed in ourselves; we can have no excuses,' said the City captain.
'We started the game well, we were dominating, we got ourselves in front – and then we allowed them back in the game.
'Every one of the goals was avoidable. I don't think one of them we could hold our hands up and say fair enough, they beat us fair and square.
'So we've got to have a look at ourselves. There are a lot of positives to take. A side like West Brom has obviously got top players and we dominated the game for large spells. We scored three goals, which isn't like us really.
'But a lot of our game last year was priding ourselves on being solid and hard to beat, and it felt at times like we weren't that. So we know we've got to do better.
'For us it's totally unacceptable to concede four goals at home, and the lads know that – especially for a game we felt comfortable in.
'But what we've got to take from this is we've got to show a bit more grit and be a bit more streetwise. If we get ourselves in front, we don't necessarily have to put the game to bed straight away – but stay in control of it and not let a side like West Brom back into the game.'
• For the latest Norwich City news and opinion follow Michael Bailey on the following channels…
Michael Bailey on Twitter @michaeljbailey
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here