It's just over a week to go until the January transfer window shuts.
Cardiff City are marooned in a relegation battle and my word couldn't they do with an upturn in fortunes.
Their display at Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoon - especially in the second half - was extremely poor and had all the hallmarks of a team destined for the drop.
In the aftermath of the defeat, manager Steve Morison sounded a warning blast at his out-of-contract players.
"Human nature takes over. There is uncertainty, but my question to them today, after the game, was, 'You’re playing for your future, whether it’s here or somewhere else,'" Morison said.
"Because if someone is here today going, ‘Oh Cardiff have got X amount out of contract, let’s have a look to see if there are any of them I could take’… are you taking anyone on the back of (that performance)?
"But that’s how football is. It’s that constant cycle and ultimately they are going to be constantly watched. If people are looking to sign, your reputation only gets you so far.
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"Nowadays, with video footage, it’s constant and you’re going to get questioned.
"I totally get it. It falls on me. I’m the one who gets the stick. I’m the one who is going to get hammered for not bringing Rubin [Coliwll] along or not putting this player on, or taking this player off.
"It’s easy to have a go at me, I’m the new guy, the one who has got no experience etc etc. But once they step over the white line it falls on the players.
"It's nothing I haven’t said to them. If anyone doesn't like it in the dressing room, the door is always open, they walk past it every day."
It was hardly a ringing endorsement of the players at his disposal - out of contract or not.
Two signings have already arrived this month in the shapes of Cody Drameh and Tommy Doyle. Both featured against the Robins, the former struggling with the intensity of the battle but the latter was simply a cut above. The Manchester City youngster was operating on a different plain to those around him.
Although very early days, his signing should be the blueprint in terms of their loan strategy.
Can Morison repeat the trick and pull off further signings of Doyle's calibre? Well, he's certainly doing his best to convince Ryan Giles - another loan success - to return to south Wales.
The manager revealed he's been bugging the former loanee and his club Wolves on a daily basis about the situation.
“Nothing imminent," Morison said when asked about transfers on Saturday.
“If Ryan Giles becomes available, it’s no secret that we’d like him and I’m sure most teams in the Championship would.
“That’s something I’ll try to do, if I get a phone call to say it’s an option. I’m sure there will be conversations taking part in the early part of the week.”
We could, then, see Giles back in a Bluebirds shirt ahead of Sunday's clash with Nottingham Forest. That would be the dream scenario.
Morison has also made no secret of the fact he wants more quality in the final third. Following the defeat to Blackburn Rovers, he told his attacking players in no uncertain terms how he felt.
"Two-thirds of it is excellent, but the final third has got to be better. We cannot keep saying, ‘Oh, we were unlucky, oh the keeper made an unbelievable save’," he said.
“We need to be better in the final third. We have got to put the ball in the back of the net.
“And if the boys in the dressing room are not capable of doing it, we will try and get people who are better at doing it."
We know all too well the financial predicament Cardiff are in; there is no money to spend this month and it will be unlikely that much will be splurged in the summer either - whatever division they find themselves in.
Despite their defensive frailties, another centre-back is unlikely, with Morison admitting there are only so many gambles he can take at this level, referencing the signings of Drameh and Doyle.
The smart money - if you excuse the phrase - would be on two loan signings before next Monday's deadline.
Outgoings obviously can't be ruled out; could Kieffer Moore be prised away? Would the Bluebirds cash in right now? If they did it would be hammer blow to their survival chances and to morale amongst the fanbase. Bournemouth appear to be moving on from their interest in the Wales striker but in the final throes of a window, teams often leave things very late and can be forced into late re-thinks.
The out-of-contract players too - should an offer arrive for any of them in the next week - it would be difficult to turn them down.
But the main squad overhaul should be left for the summer. For now, it should be about getting in players who can help Cardiff out of this mess.
Everything, at this stage at least, points to a hopeful return for Giles and another forward player to help Cardiff's goal effort. Their ability to get deals over the line will have a huge bearing on what level of football they will be playing at next season. That much is inescapable.
The clock is ticking.
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