Coming off a 1-0 win against Perth Glory in Auckland, Phoenix travelled to Gosford with some measure of confidence but after conceding four second-half goals Herbert labelled the result 'embarrassing.'

With only five wins in 20 matches, Phoenix could drop back to last on the ladder should Perth defeat Heart in Melbourne on Saturday.

Herbert was blunt in his assessment of the five-goal drubbing which nearly matched the 7-1 hammering Sydney FC handed them in round 17.

"No excuses at all," Herbert said. "I thought we were dreadful. It's an embarrassing result for the club."

When asked why his side could not back up the result in Auckland, Herbert questioned the gulf in class between the top and bottom sides in the A-League.

"Was it (a good win)?" Herbert said.  "Perth were ninth, we were 10th. I think at the bottom end of the table everyone can knock everybody off.

"If you don't perform against the top sides then that (a result like tonight) happens."

The New Zealand coach was not totally despondent about the result against the leaders.

"At half-time it was probably a relatively even game, these are the places you have to be resilient and go away with points," he said.

"We were certainly at the other end of the scale tonight."

Wellington do get some respite given their away fixture against reigning champions Brisbane Roar is not until February 17 and in that time Herbert is clear about what is needed to turn the performances around.

"It's all about pride. For me it's self-centred - as a player you have an incredible responsibility to deliver," he said.

"We are a no excuse club and tonight is not acceptable.

"You can look at players who aren't here (Leo Bertos and Ben Sigmund were absent), but everybody has that throughout the season.

"Players that step out with the club colours tonight certainly let us down."