Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce was left seething after his side's 1-0 home defeat by Middlesbrough.
He said: "Myself and my players were an absolute disgrace and an embarrassment to this club - it was so spineless it was frightening.
"We had no quality, no courage and we were absolutely awful from start to finish and I would be disgusted if I was a fan of this club.
"I'm the first to take the criticism and behind me will be my 11 players."
Pearce added: "It was a performance that I had never seen before and no-one stood up and took any responsibility.
"We didn't have the bottle to play. We weren't good enough, it's my fault, the players' fault and that's the bottom line.
"I want to be a successful manager and I will be and I don't mind ruffling a few feathers and putting people out to do so."
Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren paid tribute to his young side after their win and believes they have the momentum to proceed in their Uefa Cup tie with Basle on Thursday, despite losing 2-0 in the first leg.
He said: "I enjoyed watching them play and it was a look into Boro's future.
"It just shows the great enthusiasm and energy in the squad and some of the play was breathtaking, especially when you consider that we had seven academy players in the side today.
"I wanted some energy, freshness and exuberance and I got that - and Lee Cattermole's goal summed that up.
"The experienced players of Ugo Ehiogu, Chris Riggott and George Boateng were rock solid and that allowed the young players to play around them.
"We needed to build momentum for Thursday and if we score first we can do it.
"We can turn it around as we know we can score goals and we know we can create the chances."