Southend United boss Kieron Dyer said supporters should direct their frustration at him rather than his players after the Shrimpers suffered a humbling defeat to Berkhamsted in the FA Cup fourth qualifying round.
In what was arguably the upset of the round, the Hertfordshire-based seventh-tier side came from behind to stun a crowd of 4,610 at Roots Hall on Saturday.
Defeat for Southend meant they failed to reach the first round proper of the cup for the first time since 2023-24.
"Yes, be angry, you [fans] pay good money, you can boo," Dyer told BBC Essex.
"But the toxic comments and stuff like that, aim them at me.
"Don't aim at the players. We have a young squad. It's probably the one time this season where we've let the fans down.
Dyer made nine changes to his side for the fixture and said he would "own" having "made maybe too many changes".
He said: "I've tried to give people a lot of minutes, to even out playing time in the squad. That stops today.
"I have a feeling what my strongest 11 players are and they are going to play the majority of the games."
Southend, who are third in the National League, return to action on 24 October with a home meeting against FC Halifax Town.