Steve Burr said his Chester FC side are struggling for form and confidence after watching them fall to a limp 2-0 defeat at home to Altrincham on Boxing Day.
Goals in either half from Tom Marshall and Gianluca Havern made it six games without a win for the Blues, who have dropped to 16th in the Conference Premier table.
Both of the Robins goals came from defensive mistakes at set pieces but of more concern to the manager will be the lack of chances his side, who have not won in six games, created.
Burr said afterwards: "It was disappointing, very disappointing
"We were poor and there are several lads that have just dipped in a bit of confidence and a bit of form, hence leading to the fact that we haven't come out with the win.
"I thought the first one had gone straight in from the free kick but apparently Marshall got a touch to it, but again that's something we should deal with.
"We came out with a quite bright start to the second half and the first time they got in out box they got a corner and they scored and again we give people jobs to do at corners to mark and that wasn't being carried out, and that's disappointing."
Losing Matty Hughes and Rhys Oates, whose arrivals on loan coincided with an upturn in form, has left the Blues worryingly short of pace in forward areas.
Altrincham keeper Stuart Coburn was rarely troubled and the manager recognises the need for improvement.
"That's something that's been said afterwards and at half time," said Burr.
"From a side that looked like we were going to score a lot of goals and creating a lot of chances, it's like somebody has switched the tap off and we've not do enough at all to work Stuart in the Altrincham goal and that's disappointing
"It's difficult because we know what the lads are capable of but it's just over that period of time and the consistency levels that you need in this league, and maybe one or two have just lost a bit of form and a bit of confidence but we can't put confidence into them and they've got to find that themselves
"At the minute we've just gone off the boil compared to what we were, which is disappointing."
Chester are back in action on Sunday with a trip to FC Halifax Town (3pm) and Burr suggested he will consider changing both personnel and tactics.
He said: "It will be another late night for me and Jon because like it was after the Telford game I don't think we left here until about 1am racking our brains on the best way to go about things but we'll do it again.
"You've got to change things around if things are working and with the squad that we've got there'll obviously be lads who'll get another opportunity but we've got to see a lot better consistency levels and get these lads back at it
"We've got to get back at it, get these boys going and get them ready for Sunday again."
