Manager Harry Redknapp called for for AstroTurf to be banned from the competition following the 3-2 defeat at the Stade de Suisse in the first leg of Spurs' play-off round tie.
However, stand-in captain Dawson insists there are no excuses for the calamitous defensive display that saw the visitors fall 3-0 down inside 28 minutes in Bern before finally getting going.
"We can't blame the pitch - we can't make excuses," the England defender said.
"We were slow out of the blocks and it was disappointing. "We trained on the pitch. So it wasn't a problem. If you concede early away from home, it is hard and it took us longer than we would have liked to recover.
"The performance wasn't good enough."
Source: PA
Source: PA