Hull coach Peter Gentle slammed his side after they sneaked a narrow 14-12 victory at the struggling London Broncos.
The Black and Whites needed a late Danny Tickle penalty to secure the two points in a game that went right to the wire.
And Gentle admitted his side need to step things up if they are to achieve anything this season.
Gentle said: "I'm pleased we got the win but there is not a lot else to be pleased about.
"Our kicking was poor and we forced too many passes.
"It was ruck and rumble for most of the contest and we gifted them far too many opportunities.
"If we want to be a top-four side, we have to be better than that."
The Broncos were out of the blocks the quickest and took an early, deserved lead when Kieran Dixon rounded off a wave of London pressure in the corner.
In fact, it took an age for the visitors to get going, and it was fully 23 minutes before they pulled level, Willie Manu setting up Ben Crooks for a try.
Craig Gower then had a try disallowed for crossing as London pressed, but Hull moved into the lead for the first time on 50 minutes when good work from Manu again saw Richard Whiting touch down.
The game continued at a sluggish pace, with neither side seizing their opportunities, but Tickle seemed to have finally sealed the deal when he slotted over his late penalty.
There was still time for another London try from Michael Robertson, though, leaving the outcome in doubt to the final hooter.
Broncos coach Rob Powell said: "We defended really strongly today.
"I thought our energy levels were good and it was a bit of an arm wrestle.
"We were looking for a reaction and the players gave it a go.
"I know the fans want to see us trying different things and I really thought we did that today.
"Now we need to show this type of form more consistently."
