Sunday 1 March 2015 13:43, UK
Hamilton boss Martin Canning could not hide his fury with his side after they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at St Mirren.
The Accies started the season earning plenty of plaudits for the way they played under now Norwich boss Alex Neil, but their confidence has waned in recent weeks,
Although they remain comfortably in mid-table Canning read his side the riot act after their defeat on Saturday and admitted he was thinking about giving some younger players a chance to shine.
"It hurts me more than anything that a team can want it more than us," said Canning, "Because I believe that quality wise, we're capable of winning that game. So for me that's the disappointing thing.
"Albeit the game wasn't of great quality, but today was as poor as we've been both in competing and in terms of moving the ball. We didn't move the ball anywhere near enough and we gave it away far too much.
"I'll watch it back and see it, but playing within it, it seemed like probably half a dozen times or more one good touch or one pass could have created an opportunity for us to go and attack, and it ends up breaking up and with them attacking us. That quality is nowhere near the standards I expect."
Canning admits he now has some tough decisions to make in the next fortnight, with Hamilton long since out of the Scottish Cup and not in action again until March 14 when they take on Ross County.
He added: "Obviously they're fighting for their lives, but for our boys they're fighting to stay in my team, and that's the most important thing for them at the minute.
"There's a few of them out there that if they're continuing to play the way they're playing and giving me what they're giving me then it's not enough.
"I'd rather play a young kid in their place that I know is going to give me his all. I won't accept that performance, I won't accept it at all.
"It's well below the standards that I believe they're capable of and I don't think I'm asking too much of them. I know their capabilities, and if they're going to produce performances that I think are well below their capabilities, then they won't play."
