Angry Leeds United manager Simon Grayson suspects some of his players have grown big-headed after their FA Cup heroics at Manchester United and Tottenham.

The 3-0 league defeat at Swindon on Tuesday night was Leeds’ heaviest since Grayson took charge 13 months ago and they have now taken just one point from the last nine available.

Grayson said: “Maybe one or two players were getting carried away with their own publicity. I had a discussion in the dressing room at Swindon and hopefully it was the major kick up the backside they might have needed.”

The contrast between Leeds’ super-human effort at Tottenham and their abject surrender at the County Ground three days later was described by Grayson as “unacceptable” and he warned there could be changes for the home game against fellow promotion chasers Colchester on Saturday.

“Nobody can be surprised if I make changes at the weekend but I will be rational about the decisions because right up to the last few league games we have been very good this season. We are confident we can get back on track, starting at the weekend,” he said.

“We have to get back to being hard to beat but we were outfought and out-run at Swindon, where we got exactly what we deserved – nothing. Everyone will say the cup run is affecting our league form but I am not really bothered what people say. It is what we said in the dressing room and what we are going to do about it at the weekend that matters.

“The Tottenham game shouldn’t have stopped us running around, making tackles and competing at Swindon.

“We are still second in the division but we are going through a bad patch in the league. Every team in the country goes through a spell like this and it is those who have leaders, grafters and personalities who bring the team through. We have people like that in our dressing room.

“Casper Ankergren was our only player to take any credit at Swindon, where he made some fine saves. Everybody else is looking over their shoulder to see what I will do – whether I bring players in or change the team around.”

Grayson admits wanting to make signings before the transfer window shuts and says: “We have a few irons in the fire. We are in discussions with one or two players.

“We want to improve the squad, though there won’t be a knee-jerk reaction of bringing players in for the sake of it. They will have to be better than those we already have at the club.”