Herbert also refused to use Shane Smeltz’s absence as an excuse for defeat.

Illness ruled the club’s hot shot out of Saturday night’s 3-0 reverse and how Phoenix missed him.

Herbert’s men made it three games without a win and they have now shipped seven goals in their last two outings.

Herbert said: “We just haven’t looked good enough the last two weeks. We just weren’t competitive at all tonight.

“Shane (Smeltz) travelled with the team but he’s been pretty dodgy for the last couple of days. It would have been a miracle if we’d got him over the line to start. But there’s 21 other players.

“Shane is a decent player isn’t he? He’s in the news every day, everyone wants to sign him, let’s be honest about that.

“But we’ve got to be better than that. There were opportunities for players tonight who quite frankly didn’t take them.”

When asked if he could take any positives from the performance, Herbert’s two-word reply spoke volumes: “Not really,” he said.

With a large chunk of his squad now on international duty, the coach hoped it would be a chance for players to have a good hard think and return to the training pitch with a ‘different mood.'