The January transfer window was, once again, a painful one for Swansea City.
Lewis O'Brien was their only capture on what was, even by their own standards, a chaotic final day of the window. Moves for Jacob Wright and Bobby Clark fell through, while approaches for Ethan Galbraith, Hector Kyprianou and Damola Ajayi similarly left them empty-handed.
Focus now turns to the second half of a season that is in real danger of spiralling towards a relegation battle rather than the top-six charge so many had previously hoped for. Sign up to our Swansea City newsletter here.
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There are a number of priorities that Swansea now need to address if they are to get their season back on track.
Pick up some points
First and foremost, Swansea City simply have to start winning games.
Regardless of all the background noise, results over January simply haven't been anywhere near good enough.
His comments around speculation linking him with West Bromwich Albion had already put a dent into the good faith between Luke Williams and the supporters, and this recent rotten run, which has yielded just one point in six games, has only increased the pressure.
It's a reality that's not lost on the current Swans boss.
"I certainly will do everything I possibly can, until I'm told not to, or until our fortunes turn," he said after the defeat to Coventry City last time out.
"If you are a fan of the club, it's with you all the time. If you are the head coach, there's nowhere that Swansea City is not with you.
"But I am not made of sugar, so I will keep trying as much as I possibly can."
Somehow, Williams has to find a way to start picking up results, or else the prospect of a relegation dogfight will quickly stop being a possibility and instead become a reality.
Arrange fans' forum
There's been no shortage of reaction from fans following the club's perceived failures in the January window, and many feel chairman Andy Coleman now needs to front up to supporters and explain the reasons behind why the last few weeks have meandered their way to this point.
A fan forum is still likely to be scheduled for later this month, and given the level of demand, as well as Coleman's own pledge to try to reconnect with the supporters, it's something that will need to be organised swiftly.
It won't be an easy one for Coleman and Co, particularly if the last forum is anything to go by, but it will be an compulsory piece of hard medicine if the club wish to mend bridges with supporters going forward.
The sporting director search
The shortcomings of the January window have perhaps placed the situation around the club's sporting director under even greater scrutiny.
The departure of Paul Watson, the reasons for which were never properly explained, happened back in October, with Coleman largely taking on many of his duties himself in the interim.
There have been some successes in that time, including new contracts for Ben Cabango and Liam Cullen. But January has perhaps heightened feelings among the fanbase that someone with real pedigree and a proven track record within the game needs to be placed at the heart of the decision-making process.
Swansea have now chosen a replacement for Watson, and they look set to take over in March after serving their notice period at another club. It's understood they perhaps won't have the level of autonomy that Watson enjoyed, particularly when it comes to recruitment, but there seems to be an acknowledgement within the club that there is a lack of footballing expertise at boardroom level right now.
It had initially looked like UAE Pro League technical director Gareth Jennings might be the man to take over. Jennings has family connections to Swansea, which perhaps further intensified suggestions behind his name. But after holding conversations with the club, the decision was made to go in a different direction.
Where that different direction will take the club remains to be seen.
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Scour free agent market
It feels like we make this point after every window. But the lack of depth in certain areas of this squad means it would be remiss of the club to not at least look at the free agent market.
They certainly have previous when it comes to unattached players. Last season it was Yannick Bolasie. This season it was Cyrus Christie. Now, there are a number of options out there that might just appeal. You can read our list of 67 possibilities here.
The club have already been offered former Manchester United man Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who remains without an employer after leaving Bayer Leverkusen.
Williams recently admitted the versatile defender was a player the club were looking at, and was believed to be interested in a possible move.
However, it seems that despite Williams' enthusiasm, he wasn't considered a serious target during the final throes of the window. Whether Swansea might change their stance now the window's closed remains to be seen.
Jamie Paterson, who Williams tried unsuccessfully to keep in the summer, is also looking for a new club, having been training with Coventry recently.
Sort out the pitch
The state of the pitch at the Swansea.com Stadium has become an increasingly pressing point in recent weeks.
Quite frankly, the standard of the surface has been completely unacceptable for a side playing in the Championship.
Williams recently compared it to an allotment, and while stopping short of blaming the pitch for his side's recent woes, suggested it wasn't helping his cause. "It makes it tougher, the way we want to play, in particular," he said at the time.
The Swans have been sharing the Swansea.com Stadium with regional rugby side Ospreys since it first opened in 2005, and there is a feeling that the volume of traffic on the surface isn't helping.
Ospreys are to end their stay at the stadium before the 2025-26 season, with the region in the process of making St Helen's their new home. However, Swansea are understood to have encouraged them to seek other venues in the interim in a bid to give the playing surface a break.
The Swans did attempt to get the fixture between Ospreys and Benetton moved, even offering financial compensation. But despite an alternative venue being identified, they couldn't get the move done.
Whether moving Ospreys games is an option the club will explore again isn't clear. But something surely has to be done if the pitch is to improve.
Resolve Darling situation
Finally, there is still the ongoing noise around Harry Darling.
It's likely the new sporting director will be tasked with taking the lead on this one, but whoever leads negotiations will know the importance of finding some sort of breakthrough on talks with the defender.
The club are understood to still be talking with Darling's camp, but there still doesn't appear to be a resolution imminent at this stage.
Keeping him on board in January was one of only a handful of positives from the January window. But the prospect of losing him for free is one that should gravely concern everyone within the corridors of power in SA1.
