MIKE FORD admitted that there has been "a few home truths told this week" as the inquest continues into Saracens hugely disappointing start to the season.

Saturday's defeat at Cardiff Blues in the Powergen Cup was their fourth in five matches and was the first time Ford and director of rugby Steve Diamond have lost three games in succession since they took sole charge last Christmas.

Despite his obvious frustration Ford is not pushing any panic buttons during what he is terming "a dark period".

"We've talked as a management team and as a squad about being strong during this period," said the head coach. "We will hopefully look back at this period and say it made the club stronger."

Injuries to key players, inflated expectations and the absence of that all-important edge are three of the factors behind the anti-climatic start of the campaign, according to Ford.

"Maybe our expectations at the start of the season were a touch too high," admitted the head coach.

"Somewhere along the line we have also lost the edge we had last season. Maybe we have been caught in the trap of thinking everything is alright because we have been scoring tries. But we are in the business of winning and we need to get that winning edge back we had last year.

"There are quite a few injuries at the club and a lot of them to influential players. We trust the players that are playing at the minute and we know it is unlikely we are going to have our full strength side out very often as there will always be an injury or so. It's no an excuse it's just reality. But I still fully expect us to play better than we have been doing."

Ford rubbished suggestions of disharmony in the dressing room and insists everyone is pulling in the same direction as the club attempt to fulfil their enormous potential.

"There is no unrest at all," he countered. "There is a huge sense of frustration from the players and the management that we are not winning.

"I can assure the fans that everybody is behind the club 100 per cent. We realise we are going through a bad spell in terms of results and realise it is results by which we are judged. We are in this together and we want the fans to be with us as well. The solidarity at the club is very, very strong.

"It's only a month gone in the season and we believe we are going to be judged on where we finish in the Guinness Premiership. At the moment we've only got eight points but there is a long, long way to go.

"The forwards have got to be dominant like they were last year and if we can find that edge and combine it with the way the backs are playing we feel we are going to be very, very hard to beat."