`Improve or you're out', Billy tells flops.

OWEN COYLE last night apologised to new boss Billy Davies after Motherwell's embarrassing five-goal thrashing on Saturday.

The Steelmen crashed to Sandy Clark's high-flying St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park in a nightmare managerial debut for Davies.

Coyle admitted he and his team-mates were "disgraceful" against Saints, who now sit third top of the Premier League thanks to the five-star display.

And 'Well have some hard work ahead of them - they now sit joint bottom with Dundee and have the tough task of toppling high-flying Rangers next Wednesday.

Coyle said: "That was probably St Johnstone's best performance ever - but from our point of view it was just a disgrace, there is no other way to sum it up.

"We've not only let ourselves down but also the fans who travelled to the game.

"Billy didn't have to say anything after the game, the boys knew they'd let themselves down.

"We gave them the goals, to be honest but I'm not taking anything away from them as they knocked the ball about really well.

"I think if you were to go through the five goals, I think we would have the ball on every incident - it was just bad passing.

"I agree with the manager that we have a lot of hard work ahead of us, there is no doubt about it.

"We have to get the thing going again as we have let so many people down, and we need to win them back.

"And the only way to do that is with our performances on the park, and not through talk."

Davies must have wondered what he had taken on as a double from George O'Boyle and singles from Alan Kernaghan, Darren Dodds and Miguel Simao gave Saints an emphatic win. Despite the result Coyle is confident the Premier League's youngest boss - Davies is only 34 - can steer the crisis club clear of danger.

He added: "We need to retain our Premier League status and maybe that is the jolt we need, but I think we do have enough good players in there to turn it round and Billy is capable of doing that.

"He's enthusiastic and knows the game, and he won't stand for any nonsense.

"That's the way it should be. Our next match is against Rangers, but it doesn't really matter who it is against. We have to go out in this next game though, and show a bit of character."

Davies admitted after the game that he will make changes at Motherwell if the situation does not get any better.

He certainly proved he is not going to be messed around either, as he hauled off the dismal Brian McClair at half-time.

Talk before the game was about if Davies was a `yes' man.

Awful

That is clearly not going to be the case. However, he could have done no worse by also substituting his chief executive, Pat Nevin, who ambled through the game and contributed nothing to the cause.

Davies said: "Make no bones about it, if there is not an improvement, changes will be made, irrespective who is on the staff and what position they hold.

"If there is no change then that will certainly happen. I don't think we can start picking on

McClair and Nevin, you have to look at the team as a whole.

"I have to asses the whole playing staff in the next coming weeks and then we'll bring people in or put people out. Whatever is necessary."

When he first walked into the press-conference after the game Davies summed up his day by saying: "Welcome to Premier League management!"

He knows the hard work is just beginning, and added: "I've had a look at the players and there seems to be an awful lack of confidence going through the side. There also seems to be a lack of responsibility.

"Until we start to get that back - the players having a little belief in their own game - then it is going to be a long, uphill battle.

"I was under no illusions when I first took the job that things like this were going to happen as I'd been at the club and knew exactly what was going on.

"The run the team has been on has dented their confidence - and dented their own individual belief.

"The quicker we get that back the quicker we'll make progress."

As Davies' worries just start, things just seem to get better and better for Clark.

His side turned in another professional performance and had an air of superiority through the whole game.

Since Clark's made the move from Hamilton, Saints have proved they're more than capable of holding their own.

And he reckons his side could have scored even more during the game, which was watched by an appaling crowd of just 4,000 people.

"If there was any football played, then we played it," Clark said. "We could have had more but I was delighted with all the goals."

O'Boyle scored what has to be a goal of the season contender with just five minutes remaining on the clock as he lobbed keeper Stephen Woods from 45 yards.

And Clark added: "While George hadn't scored all season, once he got his first you knew another would come."