Tactics, formations, individual and collective performances all go out of the window when the basics aren't done right in football.
For Steven Hammell, that's a message he's been making very clear to his players following Friday night's collapse at home to Kilmarnock.
The Steelmen were 2-0 up and cruising against the ten-men of Killie midway through the second-half of their Premiership encounter.
Goals from Kevin van Veen and Callum Slattery had the hosts in pole position to seal all three points, with Alan Power's dismissal seemingly easing their task.
As it turned out, the festive cheer at Fir Park soon turned into festive fury from the stands, with Derek McInnes' side somehow salvaging a draw thanks to a Paul McGinn own goal and a screamer from Liam Polworth.
It was a bitter blow for Hammell & Co. who go to Ibrox next up tomorrow.
He''s calling on his side to take more responsibility for their actions against Michael Beale's men after their capitulation last time out.
Hammell said: “I have watched it back a few times. When you speak after the game, that’s not the time to say ‘we did well with this and that’. The emotion is still there, it’s a game we should have won.
“But after the game we sat in here till late and looked at it back. Everything that we worked on, to the best part, we did it and did it well. We scored a couple of good goals, we could have and should have scored more.
“Everything we are looking for in terms of stats, possession and territory, creation, corners, we were strong. It was just being clinical in both boxes that has cost us again.
“We have a two-and-a-half-minute spell within that game that didn’t go our way and it cost us two points.
“You can speak about formations and game plans and style and everything else, but there’s no getting away from the fact, the position we found ourselves in, the way we were playing, the opposition going to 10 men, regardless of any of these things, we should be winning that game.
“The players on the pitch need to take ownership of that, take responsibility for not getting three points.
“When we get into that position it’s something we need to work on for sure but they need to take responsibility and be professional enough, after the good work they have done, to get over the line.
“We need to put the game at the weekend to bed now and take as many positives as we can and be as prepared as we can be. We will go there (Ibrox) and try to win the game, that will never change.”
Hammell was struggling to put out a back four last week with several first-team defenders out injured, and others playing through the pain barrier.
McGinn, who scored the own goal to help Killie on their way to the 2-2 draw, was rushed back from a knee knock to play out of position at centre-back, showing 'Well's lack of options.
But it's not just at the back that the Fir Park club are dealing with injuries - both Joe Efford and Louis Moult remain on the sidelines as well.
Hammell added: "Numbers are low, not just in defence.
“Paul has trained for a very, very short time, he has not done as much prep but he came in and – for the best part – did very, very well.
“That is consistent throughout the squad in terms of numbers. Even late in the game, you look at trends just now and top teams especially are getting an impact 60-70 minutes in at the top end of the pitch.
“It was something for the Kilmarnock game we planned for. We wanted to ideally win the game and win it quickly because we don’t have that kind of impact in terms of a striker we can bring on and really commit and give us a different dimension.
“We are happy with the players we have got but we have a couple of big players missing and hopefully we will have them back as soon as possible plus potentially adding a couple in January.
“It’s a constant process. I was on a Zoom call late on Christmas Eve, I was on a Zoom call until about half nine on Boxing Day. It’s a landscape that changes every day. We need to be ready if anything drops.”
