Sunday 16 December 2018 17:54, UK
Geordan Murphy admits Leicester have sunk to their lowest point during his two decades at Welford Road following Sunday's 34-11 rout by Racing 92.
An eighth successive defeat has registered the club's worst sequence of results since 1975 and all but ended their hopes of qualifying for the Champions Cup quarter-finals.
On the domestic front, they sit eighth in the Gallagher Premiership and are only three points above bottom place.
Murphy joined Leicester as a player in 1997 and is now interim head coach during one of the bleakest periods in the Tigers' history.
"From my experience it is the lowest ebb in the time that I have been here - so 20-odd years. It's really tough," Murphy said.
"We are on an horrific run, confidence is low and Harlequins will come here next Saturday and really sense blood in the water.
"We need to learn our lessons, we can't concede as easily as we did.
"The players are working hard in training and working hard on the field, but we are making silly errors in attack and defence.
We are on an horrific run, confidence is low and Harlequins will come here next Saturday and really sense blood in the water.
"The system was really good but we gave Racing a foothold in our 22 in the first half and missed some one on one tackles.
"They score under the posts and then from the kick-off Finn Russell waltzes through untouched - we are aware of how elusive he is but they go the length of the field and score and it is 14-3.
"We then go to a lineout and, as easy as under-14 rugby, they cut us open again. It's a player error. He is not trying to make a mistake but he has done it.
"We are stretched player-wise and are right to the limit with injuries - players are broken - but I don't see anyone not trying."
George Ford admitted Leicester have been left behind by their rivals, both on these shores and in Europe.
"It is a bit of an emotional roller-coaster, you are up and you are down and we just have to find some sort of stability," the England fly-half said.
"It's horrible really. Every time you lose, every time you lose quite well it hurts, especially at home in front of your own fans here.
"I go in the changing room and it's not an effort thing, the lads are shattered in there. They are really down because it means a lot to them and they care a lot.
"Whether that is we have stood still as a club, I am not too sure. But if you look at the top teams in Europe, and the top teams in England, they have taken their game to the next level.
"The way they are playing and the way they go about their things on and off the field, we need to have a serious look at what we can do to catch them up."
