Joe Edwards believes Millwall failed to get the basics right in their 3-0 home loss to Coventry in the Sky Bet Championship.
Matt Godden’s close-range header gave the Sky Blues the advantage midway through a closely fought first half at The Den.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto doubled the visitors’ lead in the 67th minute before Ben Sheaf made sure of things with two minutes remaining.
The result was Edwards’ first defeat as Millwall manager and leaves his team 18th in the table.
He said: “Overall, I would still say that we should be pretty disappointed with the performance because I think there were a lot of the basics, basics that this team are usually good at.
“There were a lot of duels in the middle of the pitch, second balls and players running off us in transition.
“It is just basic work ethic and basics of the game regardless of what kind of style of play you deploy as a team.
“We did not do well enough and they looked sharper than us, so I am still disappointed.
“3-0 was probably a harsh scoreline, but we were on the other end of that ourselves in our last game, we were clinical and won 4-0 so that is how it can go.
“There are definitely positives to take, we have spoken about being on the front foot and being aggressive here at The Den.
“The big thing for me today was us with the ball, we had a lot more of the ball than a Millwall team would typically have, and at times we looked composed and like we had a clear idea of how we wanted to build up.
“But in the opponent’s half and particularly in the final third we did not ask nearly as many questions as you need to ask of an opponent’s back four here at The Den, that was the disappointment.”
The result was Coventry’s first win since the start of October, only their second away triumph of the season, and leaves them 20th in the table.
However, manager Mark Robins felt it was well earned after some unfortunate results on the road.
“We have been in every game this season, we went to Leicester away on the first day of the season and could have won that,” he said.
“We have got good players but it does dent confidence a little bit, that’s just been it.
“They have trained really well in the last nine days, and you could see that they had the bit between their teeth, they were really courageous with the ball.
“The fact that we have kept two clean sheets on the bounce is another positive, we have got a tough run of games before the run into Christmas which is really heavy.
“Everybody has got to be ready, we have got a decent squad there that are all fit, that is a positive and the performance and the result today were also positives.
“I felt we were really good today, it is a difficult place to come at the best of times and on the back of not too many wins.
“When you have got the bit between your teeth, the players are all on the front foot, you could see that they were confident today.
“There was no lack of confidence, they’re good players, they’re positive and when they’re positive and have that courage they can hurt teams at this level.”
Howe taking plenty of positives despite frustrating Newcastle campaign
Eddie Howe was keen to look at the positives after Newcastle United secured seventh place in the Premier League on Sunday.
Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes were among the goalscorers as Newcastle won 4-2 at Brentford to finish their Premier League campaign.
The victory ensured a seventh-place finish, and a Manchester City victory over Manchester United in next Saturday's FA Cup final will confirm Newcastle's place in next season's Europa Conference League.
While this season did not quite live up to the heroics of last term, which saw the Magpies finish in the Champions League spots, Howe still feels it has been a successful campaign.
"It summed up our season," Howe told BBC Sport. "We weren't totally secure at the back, but great credit to the players. They've done their job - now we wait and see.
"We anticipated after losing against Manchester United that our control of the [European] situation had gone. It's never a nice situation, but whatever happens, happens.
"We have issues to solve defensively. If we can do that, next season could be another season of really strong performances. This was a season that could have been better, but a good season overall.
"We're a really united club. I think we're still moving forward, so there's a lot to be positive about."
Postecoglou will not settle until Tottenham hit his 'lofty ambitions'
Ange Postecoglou warned Tottenham he will not settle until the club hits the "lofty ambitions" targeted in his mind.
Spurs were 3-0 victors over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday, ending their Premier League season with a convincing win to finish fifth in the table.
Postecoglou voiced his frustrations after Tuesday's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City ended their hopes of Champions League football next term.
The Spurs head coach was far more relaxed after his side performed well in Sheffield, with Dejan Kulusevski twice on target, along with a goal for Pedro Porro against the relegated Blades.
Yet Postecoglou insisted his ambitions remain high as the Australian attempts to take Tottenham to the next level.
"Contrary to my general demeanour, I have loved every minute of it," former Celtic boss Postecoglou said of his first season in charge of Tottenham.
"It is a great challenge in the Premier League and taking over a big club that didn't have a great year last year. You understand it is not going to run smoothly, but I have enjoyed the whole season.
"I have got some lofty ambitions for the football club and until we reach that point I am not going to be smiling too much.
"As I said, all any manager wants is maximum effort and I have got that from everyone involved. I have enjoyed it and looking forward to pushing on from here."
Asked to summarise his first campaign in England's top league, Postecoglou continued: "It's been good, it's been eventful, it's had a bit of everything.
"I am obviously not delighted with the way we finished the season but in fairness to the players and staff we have been in the top five all season, in a year where there was a fair bit of upheaval.
"We finished eighth last year, player turnover, different football, different way of training, it is not easy to maintain a level when you are trying to do that.
"Even in our tough periods this year we have still been competitive for the most part."
Kulusevski scored his seventh and eighth Premier League goals of the season (36 outings), more than he managed in his first two league campaigns with Tottenham combined (seven across 48 games).
Only in the 2019-20 season with Parma has the Sweden winger scored more times in a league season (10 in Serie A), and Postecoglou hailed Kulusevski's returns.
He added: "I thought Deki was good. He's worked awfully hard this year without a lot of reward in the front third.
"We thought playing him through middle today would help us with his mobility and ability to run in behind. He did well.
"He always works hard but it's that sort of final third where we need him to get rewards and he got them today so he did well."
Southampton 3-1 West Brom (3-1 agg): Saints set up play-off final with Leeds United
Southampton saw off West Brom 3-1 at St Mary's on Friday to set up a Championship play-off final showdown with Leeds United.
Leeds thumped Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road 24 hours earlier to book their place at Wembley, where Southampton now await on May 26.
The first leg between the Saints and West Brom finished goalless - just like the other semi-final - but the home side's quality told in the end.
Russell Martin's side dominated the first-half possession, with David Brooks going closest to scoring with a shot that hit the outside of the post.
Southampton made the breakthrough via a powerful Will Smallbone finish four minutes into the second half after Gray Diangana lost possession.
Darnell Furlong had a shot helped over by Alex McCarthy, while David Brooks - who assisted the opener - had a strong penalty appeal rejected.
Southampton remained in control, though, and Adam Armstrong scored a second with a shot through Furlong's legs and past Alex Palmer.
Armstrong's second goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 86th minute after Tom Fellows fouled Ryan Manning in the box, rendering Cedric Kipre's late header a mere consolation.
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