When the transfer window closed in October, most Cardiff City fans were looking at the squad which had been assembled and were nodding with contentedness.
They had sealed the signature of Harry Wilson on loan from Liverpool, after a glut of Premier League clubs were sniffing around him, having added Sheyi Ojo, Kieffer Moore and Arsenal right-back Jordi Osei-Tutu earlier in the window.
Many were in agreeance that the transfer window had been a success and were eagerly anticipating seeing this squad meld together in the ensuing months.
Of course, as we know now, that has not quite gone according to plan.
The team often seemed a little directionless in attack and leaked sloppy goals at the back time and time again.
As for the transfers, well, they certainly did not disgrace themselves.
In fact, Osei-Tutu was superb in his six Championship appearances at the beginning of the season and looked to be a shrewd acquisition.
Having played on the right wing at VFL Bochum in Germany last season, it was evident he was comfortable striding forward and added a pacy dimension to the right-hand side of City's attack.
Defensively, too, he was sound and earned plaudits for a string of solid performances, notably in the draw against Blackburn Rovers up at Ewood Park.
Wilson, meanwhile, oozed class from early on. There was a weighty sense of expectation on his shoulders, though, which was difficult to shake.
Having been touted as a £15m Premier League player just weeks earlier, Bluebirds fans were expecting the world of him.
In his first 13 games he contributed three goals and five assists and was one of the key components in City's attack under Neil Harris. Then, though, is when the downward turn kicked in for the Bluebirds.
Six defeats in a row in all competitions, during which Osei-Tutu was injured and Wilson did not contribute a goal nor an assist, saw Harris lose his job, with Mick McCarthy swiftly replacing him.
Throughout it all, barring an injury lay-off in December, Kieffer Moore has been superb, netting 10 goals in 22 appearances.
Sheyi Ojo, meanwhile, has lived up to expectations and has popped up with a few important goals and assists throughout the first half of the season.
But now, with 20 games left, we are in somewhat unfamiliar territory for two players who would have been shoo-ins under Harris.
Wales international Wilson has been dropped by McCarthy for his first two games in charge and the manager made no bones about the fact no player has a divine right to a place in the starting lineup while he is at the helm.
"I'm sorry, did I come to a club where there was some gilt-edged positions for players? Because nobody told me and that ain't going to happen, ever," McCarthy said after the Barnsley draw.
"You've got to get in the team and when you get in the team you've got to stay in the team.
"I know Harry is a good player, I've seen him, he was at Hull, he scored for them against Ipswich. I've seen him at Bournemouth, Derby, I've always admired him.
"And I'd like to admire him at Cardiff."
Wilson's impact in the last game against Millwall might have bolstered his chances for a place in the starting lineup against Bristol City this weekend, with the player providing a pinpoint pass to compatriot Moore, who netted the equaliser against the Lions.
However, on deadline day, McCarthy sought to bring in Jonny Williams from Charlton Athletic and that makes Wilson's plight a lot more complex.
They both play in the same attacking midfield position and we know just how much of an admirer McCarthy is of Williams, who played under the manager during two loan stints at Ipswich Town. Indeed, Williams has spoken about just how much of an impact McCarthy had on him at Portman Road.
Wilson had a point to prove to get in the team even before the transfer window shut, but he now has another obstacle in his way and McCarthy's lineup in the Severnside derby this weekend will be intriguing to see.
Osei-Tutu, meanwhile, is a little way away from returning to the first-team fray.
We might be a couple of weeks away from seeing the Arsenal man back in contention for a starting berth, but whether he breaks back into the team at all is no certainty.
Perry Ng was signed from Crewe Alexandra last month and has been solid in his first two games in a Bluebirds shirt, it must be said.
"Perry's been great. I'm delighted with him. I think he's a good signing," McCarthy said last week, while confirming that Osei-Tutu had returned to Arsenal following a setback with his recovery from a hamstring injury.
Ng has the shirt, though, and Osei-Tutu has a job on his hands if he is to wrestle it off the right back, as and when he is fit enough to battle for it.
But a change of manager and a couple of fresh faces has certainly changed the landscape at Cardiff City in recent weeks, of that there is no question.
The hope will be that this current situation lights a fire beneath Wilson and Osei-Tutu and drives up the standards in training. Whether that proves to be the case, however, remains to be seen.