MODERN coaches must look at the big picture. In the amorphous path clubs traverse on the way from not good enough to nearly, to maybe, to eventual success, results can turn on one kick or the bounce of the ball.

In the game between North Melbourne and the Sydney Swans, it was the width of the behind post at Etihad Stadium's Lockett End that denied North Melbourne a rushed behind late in the game. Had the ball gone through a one point loss could have been turned into at least a respectable draw. 

The maddening reality for North Melbourne coach Brad Scott however is that he can see the improvement but he is not getting the results…yet.

Again North Melbourne had won in key areas other than the scoreboard: contested ball 155 to 131, clearances 41 to 29 and inside 50s 53 to 48, yet again the Kangaroos had lost the game.

It is the fourth time this season North Melbourne has lead the inside 50s, yet it only has two wins to show for it. That they are averaging 55.44 inside 50s a game in 2011 shows they are performing well in many parts of the game. But they are not winning.

Scott said the team had lost four games by a combined total of 28 points. That he knows this fact straight after the game shows how much the close results are hurting Scott.

However, with a young, competitive side that is on the improve he is smart enough to recognise a trend of improvement.

"I know the football world looks at win loss and that is ultimately what you are judged on but as coaches we look at improvement in the side," said Scott. We've improved in that area but we're just not executing and finishing off games well enough. But with hard work, that polish will come."

Successful modern coaches look behind results to see patterns. Scott is a realistic adherent to this professional approach. As are all well managed football clubs. 

Accuracy in front of goal is hurting. Against the Sydney Swans, the team had kicked 9.17 (71), the fifth time this season it had kicked more behinds than goals. They have now kicked 111 goals, 127 behinds for the season.

Lindsay Thomas, the sharp shooting forward is the worst offender, kicking 10 goals, 22 behinds this season. His miss in the first quarter after a desperate, chase down tackle that resulted in a set shot from 15 metres out was the perfect example of how poor skill execution can be the difference between winning and losing.

He wasn't a lone wolf. Leigh Adams had a set shot late in the game that could have made things very difficult for the Sydney Swans. But he pushed it wide.

In relation to Thomas, Scott showed great faith. He has absolutely no doubt he can turn that part of his game around. "With Lindsay, it's like a golfer. You practice the golf swing and the key to a golf swing is being able to repeat the same good swing time after time after time under the heat and under the pressure of the moment," said Scott.

"Lindsay has got to keep working on his goalkicking routine and his goalkicking action so he is able to repeat that under pressure."

When US golfer Fred Couples made a back nine charge late in a US Masters in the early ’90s, he took exactly nine seconds each time between putting the ball on the tee and hitting it.

It was just such repetition that Scott might point to. After all, there is no problem with Thomas' technique. It's just executing in the moment when it matters.

And everyone is aware that failure to execute is North Melbourne's biggest problem at the moment. Their inability to convert at critical moments and hit targets through the midfield is costing them a higher position on the ladder.

During this game, it was the one extra handball that was too low, too high, too sharp or too wide that proved decisive. The ability to put a player in space with tight handballs was fell over at the last stage of the chain. 

Scott is aware of the process required to fix the deficiency but he also knows it takes time.

"You look at any study of expert performance and it's a long term process. At the moment, we're not good enough in that area. We're well aware of that; I'm sure everyone is aware of that but it something that we have to work extremely hard on. We do work extremely hard on it and there is no substitute for repetition. We've just got to keep working and working and working," said Scott.

He understands that is not an easy story for supporters to stomach when it's repeated and repeated and repeated but everyone feels the same desire to turn it around.

"It's incredibly frustrating for the other players and it's frustrating for coaches, but there is no substitute for hard work in that area and that is what we will continue to do, it is not a short term process."

The next month against Adelaide, Gold Coast, Essendon and Port Adelaide present perfect opportunities to turn improvement into wins. Take them and the season may be revived.

Now is not a time to shy away from working on skill development. Although training loads are finely managed in professional sport, the emphasis remains at North Melbourne on performing skills quickly, under pressure.

Training will continue to be at a faster pace than games. It is the only way the team can improve. The players must maintain the faith. As artist Pablo Picasso once said: "He can who thinks he can, and he can't who thinks he can't. This is an inexorable, indisputable law." It might be a motto worth considering.

"There is very little I can say to them after the game that is going to help them play better next week," said Scott, "so we've got to emphasise the work we've got to continue to do on the track to reinforce we are doing a lot of things well to give ourselves an opportunity, but we just have to reinforce how important it is to do the amount of skill work we need to do on the track."