DEREK Adams insists his post-Exeter blast at City’s players was not too strong.

Adams voiced his frustration after last week’s FA Cup exit – the latest in a run of results that the Bantams have thrown away this season.

After a weekend off, their first since coming back for pre-season, the players are now building up to crucial back-to-back home games against Colchester on Wednesday and Sutton.

And the City boss felt they needed to be reminded of their responsibilities following the St James Park loss.

“I don’t see there was anything harsh about it,” he said.

“As a football player, your job is the same as the manager and that’s to go out and win matches.

“Unfortunately, the manager can’t go out on the pitch and put the ball in the back of the net or stop it.

“Always, as a team, we are very much going for the same goal. That’s promotion at the end of the season.

“Sometimes you have to cajole your players into understanding that.

“That’s something I’m obviously going to come to Bradford City to do because they haven’t done it for many years.”

City are looking to put right a record that has seen them win only twice since August - leaving them currently six points adrift of the top seven.

The last win was at Swindon in October and they have failed to keep a clean sheet in 12 outings in all competitions.

Adams has become increasingly annoyed by the number of points that have been wasted from winning positions. City have dropped nine from league games when they have been in front.

He added: “If you look at the games that we have lost and, apart from the one at Salford, we have probably deserved to lose them.

“But I would suggest that the ones we have drawn we should have won.

“We should have won more home games, even though we’ve only lost one at home in the league this season.

“The supporters are as frustrated as we all are. We’d all love to be on more points.

“As a football club and supporters, that’s where we’d rather be. But that’s what we are trying to do and we have been.”

Adams does not expect any of the crop of injuries to ease in time for Colchester’s Valley Parade visit.

Caolan Lavery is getting nearer but Charles Vernam is still a couple of weeks away.

Andy Cook, who had a double hernia operation over the weekend, is on course to return around the Boxing Day clash with Harrogate.

Abo Eisa is also facing another extended spell on the sidelines after his hamstring went again at Scunthorpe.

Adams is continuing his attempts to get to the bottom of the hamstring problems that have plagued the squad – and is studying what happened in previous years.

City also suffered with similar injuries last season to the likes of Niall Canavan, Lee Novak, Billy Clarke and Clayton Donaldson.

Adams said: “We’re going to look at what’s happened last year, the season before and the season before that to see if there are any similarities with the hamstring injuries that have been picked up.

“It’s something I have to look at but some of the players that have picked up bad hamstring injuries have had them in the past as well. So, we’re going to look at that.

“We have to look back at the records and see if there’s anything that correlates and gives us an idea why we are having these problems.”