Roy Keane: team must accept criticism.

ROY KEANE has urged his Manchester United team-mates to make their experience in the Champions League tell after a dismal defeat in Stuttgart blew Group E wide open.

Schoolboy blunders from some of United's most established stars cost them dear as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat in the Neckarstadion.

And Keane said it is essential that the big names regain their top form before they head to Glasgow later this month facing the prospect of a fourth consecutive away defeat in Europe.

Keane said: "Stuttgart are a young side but looking at the game you would have thought they were the ones with the European experience.

But we have been down this road before and we are going to have to accept the criticism. There are four games left and hopefully we can put things right," he said.

Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand were culpable for Stuttgart's first goal when Neville challenged unnecessarily for a header and Ferdinand's position in no-man's land let in Imre Szabics to shoot past Tim Howard.

Ferdinand and Mikael Silvestre were ripped apart two minutes later when Kevin Kuranyi burst through to score the Bundesliga leaders' second.

And things just got worse for Ferdinand as he gave away a silly penalty which Howard saved before limping off injured.

Neville was frequently exposed by Stuttgart's most creative wide man Philipp Lahm down the home left, while John O'Shea endured an unconvincing return to his favoured full-back slot. After conceding two soft goals United were always going to struggle to salvage something. Ruud van Nistelrooy's return to form from the penalty spot should have sparked a late bid for an equaliser but instead it was the visitors' frailty at the back which allowed the Germans dictate the game

Manager Alex Ferguson blasted his rearguard as terrible Suddenly United's crushing 5-0 win against Panathinaikos counts for very little as results between two clubs level on points counts for more than the all-encompassing group goal difference.

From being in a position of considerable power, they now find themselves heading to Ibrox in third place in the group. Ferguson said afterwards his one bright spot from the night was Tim Howard's late penalty save from Fernando Meira which could yet prove vital in terms of goal difference.

But Howard was not basking in any glow. He looked poor on crosses and might have been blamed for racing impatiently from his goal in a failed attempt to reach the ball before second goalscorer Kuranyi. He willingly included himself in the criticism of the United back-line's performance.

"We didn't do too well at the back. We weren't as sharp as we could have been and we all need to take the blame for that," said Howard.