Harry Kewell says Notts were poor for the entirety of the 4-0 defeat to Bury on Saturday.
The hosts scored twice in each half as an abject performance saw the Magpies’ unbeaten run come to an abrupt end.
And the manager was unhappy that his game plan was not implemented properly.
“We were poor throughout the whole match,” said Kewell. “We knew what Bury were good at and had a process in place to counteract their style but we didn’t do it.
“We looked good in training all week but what we did at Gigg Lane did not reflect the work we had done to prepare.
“We were very, very poor. The boys have to take responsibility and hopefully it was just an off day.”
Kewell was particularly disappointed with the lack of pressure on the ball when Bury were in possession.
“What we did out there was a poor excuse for defending,” he admitted. “We sat off them and gave them an open path through to our goal.
“The idea was for a man to sit in the middle of the park and cut their attacks off but it never happened.
“We were slow, sluggish and didn’t pick up any second balls and Ross Fitzsimons was probably the only player who did what was expected of him today.”
The Australian says he will be considering changes for the visit to MK Dons on Tuesday night.
“I give my players opportunities but they weren’t at the races today,” he explained. “I’ll be re-watching this horrific performance and looking at where we need to make amendments.
“I think David Vaughan did well coming off the bench, and Kristian Dennis put himself about when he was introduced.
“Thankfully we have another game coming up in a couple of days where we can put this right.”