Sheffield United live dangerously near the relegation zone after ten matches whilst Bristol City; who beat United 2-0 yesterday are in the top six positions.
He said: "A number of our players are not as good as I thought they were when I took the job and we have a lot of work to do.
"I'll be hoping to make a couple of loan signings soon, but we also need to get on the training ground and improve the players already here.
"I didn't expect to be in such a lowly position after ten games, but we are where we deserve to be.
"It's very disappointing for our supporters, but I don't feel under pressure myself because the board understand I need time to make a difference."