Neil Warnock launched a stinging attack on his Crystal Palace side after they slumped to a fourth successive league defeat to 10-man Blackpool.

Palace had been handed a huge advantage when Blackpool 'keeper Paul Rachubka was sent off after just three minutes for bringing down Shefki Kuqi.

But Warnock's men were unable to capitalise and failed to respond when the Seasiders' striker DJ Campbell struck home a 40th-minute penalty.

And that prompted the manager to condemn the lack of spirit within his side and complain of a "malaise" that has gripped his Championship side who now lie eight points off the play-off zone.

Warnock said: "I've made the players aware of what I think but I think at this moment that is best left in the dressing room. They know how bitterly disappointed I am with some of them.

"It hurts, and I'll be hurting tonight. And I know some of the lads who will be hurting as well. My challenge is make sure that they are all hurting just as much.

"It's difficult because there are a lot of players who are out of contract this summer and know they will be leaving the club. There is a malaise around the club and that has to be dealt with."

Warnock insists he is now even more determined to bring in at least two new faces before Tuesday's clash with Birmingham.

He added: "I want to bring in players who are characters, the kind of characters you would want alongside you in the trenches.

"The players have got to take responsibility and look at themselves in the mirror. I've told them these are the times when you blame referees, like I always do, or the state of the pitch or anything.

"But this is when players have got to look at themselves in the mirror and not blame anything else."

Blackpool caretaker-manager Tony Parks accepted Rachubka's dismissal, laying the blame firmly at the feet of centre-back Ian Evatt who had let Kuqi in with a poor back pass.

And he hopes the win will boost his prospects of landing the manager's job on a full-time basis.

Parks said: "I've no complaints about the sending off. There is only one man to blame for that, and that is Ian Evatt, not the referee.

"But we responded well and battled very hard. I'm not sure we deserved to win the game but Crystal Palace didn't have too many chances.

And he added: "I've always had an appetite for management and it doesn't do any harm winning games if you want to stay in the job."