Three consecutive losses, a worrying loss of identity and a confidence crisis. It's not unreasonable to say there is some growing concern at St Mirren over a disastrous recent run.
Take St Mirren's last Scottish Premiership outing against Hearts - the Paisley club only just managed one shot more than the number of goals conceded in the capital. And none of their efforts were on target.
So bad was the outing, in fact, that Stephen Robinson himself suggested it was the worst performance in his two-year stint at St Mirren.
In his post-match debrief he stated: "It'll be a relegation scrap if that is the level of performance and level of doing the right things. Sometimes you need a wake-up call, that's our wake-up call."
He then told BBC: "The performance is not acceptable, and it's on me. Arguably the worst performance since I've been here and it's not acceptable."
Partner the dreary display in Edinburgh with an uninspiring 1-0 loss to Dundee United and 2-1 defeat to Motherwell and you've got a thoroughly challenging month for even the most positive of Paisley punters.
Why then, is there such fanfare at the prospect of tying down manager Stephen Robinson to a new contract?
At the weekend Robinson lambasted "stupid decisions" contributing to the downturn in form but few with their finger on the pulse at St Mirren have had anything close to that to say about a new deal being dished out to Robinson.
In fact, it has been quite the opposite reaction with the dejection of the weekend shelved, but not forgotten, and near-rejoicing amongst supporters at the thought of Robinson committing his future to the club.
It's understood the contract extension is all but finalised and formally announced with club chiefs including chief operating officer Keith Lasley, vice-chairman Jim Gillespie and chairman John Needham keen to keep Robinson in-situ.
There's good reason for the overwhelming backing of Robinson, first off he has an overwhelming amount of credit in the bank.
A return to European football for the first time in 37 years after two back-to-back top-six finishes places Robinson amongst the best managers at the club in recent history.
Those outwith the club and surrounding community may well have been understandably confused by the decision to table a new contract on the backdrop of results alone but Robinson's impact stretches far beyond the dugout.
When the 49-year-old stepped into the SMiSA Stadium the club were in a bit of a rut, the academy had been seriously scaled back and there was little in the way of concrete foundations in pathway, scouting or networking.
The training centre was outdated and in need of a refresh with new pitches installed and improvements made to the facilities - with money Robinson could have demanded to be funnelled into the budget for his playing squad.
Instead, there has been total buy-in from the St Mirren manager. He's committed to, excuse the cliche, project with roots quickly put down back in Scotland and genuine aspirations for the club in the future.
Partnerships have been developed through Robinson's leadership at the club with a link-up with the JD Academy in Northern Ireland a possibility, a global reach for the academy being crafted with increased host families to allow an expansive recruitment platform and Robinson bringing right-hand man in scouting Martin Foyle to the club with a contacts book to rival the best in the business.
Read more:
-
Robinson fumes at ‘unacceptable’ St Mirren showing against Hearts
-
Mooney & Thompson: Stephen McGinn on promising St Mirren prospects
If Robinson was to depart the SMiSA Stadium then - while club initiatives to continuing progressing would continue - it was have a telling impact on the creation of the building blocks to re-position the club in the Scottish football hierarchy.
Beyond Robinson's efforts to develop the club away from on a Saturday afternoon - he has also faced a seriously challenging past few months with issues impacting routine and selection.
First, there was the need to train at the Garscube complex and at Neilston Juniors due to the six-figure pitch not bedding properly due to adverse weather conditions.
Then, there was the rigour of European football, something Robinson and Lasley were vocal in stating the club was not quite ready for and came a bit too soon in some senses.
You had Greg Kiltie and Conor McMenamin ruled out for months forcing a complete overhaul of the formation ahead of the league season.
Shaun Rooney was suspended by the club due to an ongoing police investigation and then departing by mutual consent.
Assistant Diarmuid O'Carroll, a tireless worker in the backroom staff, was poached by Newcastle as their under-21 coach prompting and enforced reshuffle with Brian Kerr promoted and Peter Hartley recruited.
Vice-chairman Gillespie was also rumoured to be ready to depart the club to join Rangers as chief executive before a late change of heart.
It has been a relentless season for St Mirren and Robinson but the good heavily outweighs the bad and has done for his sustained period in charge of the club.
Ultimately, in football patience wears thin but Robinson is not remotely close to overstaying his welcome or warranting serious questions over his position.
St Mirren may well have suffered for "stupid decisions" in recent weeks, but dealing Robinson in for another few years certainly wouldn't be one of them.
