Falkirk manager John Hughes blasted his players following their 2-1 SPL defeat against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Saturday.Hughes claimed his side's lacklustre performance could be traced back to Friday at training when some of his players were "messing about".

Despite taking the lead in the 10th minute through Pedro Moutinho, the Bairns, who had captured seventh spot in the SPL, were second best for most of the game.

Killie's Moroccan midfielder Mehdi Taouil levelled in the 24th minute with a deflected shot from the edge of the box and with nine minutes remaining Paul Di Giacomo, on earlier for Paul Dalglish, popped up to head Garry Hay's cross past Bairns keeper Robert Olejnik for a deserved winner.

Hughes, who has recently signed veterans Neil McCann, Lee Bullen and Jackie McNamara, also pointed to Sunderland boss Roy Keane as the type of character missing from his side.

The Bairns boss said: "If Roy Keane was in a Falkirk strip do you think he would have accepted that?

"I've not got anyone like him in my dressing room and that's why we are not in the top six.

"Credit to the boys for getting seventh spot but if you are analysing the season, that performance might tell you why we are not in the top six.

"The players will bang on your door and tell you that they are the best thing since sliced bread.

"I have a lack of character in the dressing room and I need to do something about it.

"It all started on Friday on the training pitch when one or two of them were messing about, thinking they are something that they are not and it carried over right into the warm-up.

"We were lucky to get away with 2-1 and that is why I am bringing in players like Neil McCann, Lee Bullen and Jackie McNamara, good experienced boys with good character and they will not accept that.

"You always treat the game with respect and I thought one or two of my boys were just wanting an easy day.

"I am not going to molly coddle them or cuddle them, and that goes for the young boys as well, I was expecting better of them

"It was disappointing but the message to them all when they are away on their holidays is, 'make sure you are ready to go when you come back because that type of performance will not take the club where I want to go'."

Killie boss Jim Jefferies will meet with Taouil and his agent Herve Cros tonight to try to persuade the talented Moroccan to agree a new contract.

Jefferies, who joked that he will ply the agent with wine to soften him up, alluded to losing striker Colin Nish to Hibernian in January when he sounded a note of caution.

He said: "Mehdi is positive about staying and I will meet his agent tonight.

"I will get a few bottles of wine into him but knowing my luck he will be tee-total!

"Mehdi told me he is desperate to stay but sometimes these boys are controlled by the agents who are trying to get as many options as they can, which is their job.

"I had a player who told me that he wanted to stay and we agreed terms and then he left.

"So I will wait until the contract is signed."

Taouil insisted that he would like to remain at Rugby Park next season, saying: "My agent is meeting with the manager and I hope that I can stay with Kilmarnock because I love it here.

"The manager really wants to me to stay so I hope we can agree a deal."

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