We can turn things around says Edinburgh lock

MacLeod and co were on the wrong end of a 25-12 scoreline at Firhill in their last match of 2009 - a result that sees Edinburgh slip out of the play-off places and into fifth position in the league table.

But despite the nature of defeat in the first of the back-to-back Scottish derbies, MacLeod is confident that Edinburgh will turn things around in the Murrayfield rematch.

"There is no doubt at all that we can turn it around and win on Saturday," said MacLeod, who played the full 80 minutes at the weekend.

"It's frustrating that we lost and the way we lost in Glasgow because we know we're capable of winning there.

"But you give credit to Glasgow - Al Kellock did well in the lineouts, their back row was good and Dan Parks made the most of it.

"But nothing but a win will do for us now. It would be nice to still retain the 1872 Cup, but the bottom line is just winning the game and giving our supporters something back for the great backing they gave us at Firhill and through the season."

If Edinburgh are to narrow the four-point gap between themselves and Glasgow and resurrect their push for an end-of-season play-off spot, MacLeod knows that a huge improvement is needed from Sunday's performance.

The capital city outfit were largely outplayed by an in-form Glasgow side who have developed a winning habit over recent months.

And while MacLeod says the performance of the team as a whole was sub standard, he readily admits that one of his own areas of responsibility, the lineout, fell way short of his expectations.

"The lineouts were pretty shocking and unacceptable," added MacLeod.

"Whether it was bad throws, bad calls, guys forgetting codes ... it was a comedy of errors.

"The restarts weren't good either and that's really annoying as well.

"There are no excuses. Everyone was up for the game and the preparation was sound. We knew it was going to be a big physical battle and I felt we matched Glasgow physically and at the breakdown, but the rest of our game was not good enough.

"We never had much ball because of our mistakes and Glasgow's play, so we had to defend a lot in the first half, and then when we had the ball we didn't really show much imagination. That has got to change this week too."