To state the obvious, these are troubled times at Dundee and there’s a lot of hard work to be done during this international break to turn things round.
Saturday’s reversal at Hibs was a fifth straight league defeat and leaves Neil McCann’s Dark Blues the bottom outfit in the Premiership.
And if there is any consolation for worried fans right now it’s that, however disappointing the situation is, recent history shows it need not spell disaster.
Around this time last year, with Paul Hartley in charge, Dundee were in a similar position following an even poorer losing run of six losses on the bounce.
An even worse sequence later in the campaign saw Hartley replaced by McCann, who did a good job of making sure their top-flight place was retained.
So, frustrating as it is to see his team back in the same position, the evidence he can get them up the league is there.
As a strong character, it’s a sure bet the manager will do that by sticking to his principles and continue to play the brand of passing football he believes can bring the club success in the long term.
McCann, though, might just have to tweak them a little.
Despite a lack of results — just two league wins so far — few can argue his team don’t play attractive football.
In almost every game to date, Dundee have posed problems for the opposition and created chances.
Unfortunately, far too many have been squandered and a defensive record that shows an average of two goals a game are being lost, says there are problems at the other end of the park as well.
The squad, though, still looks decent and, while a striker with a nose for goals must be a priority for the looming January transfer window, the route to a revival may lie in a tactical tightening up.
The desire to attack teams, even the likes of champions Celtic at Parkhead, is admirable, but it could just be leaving the rearguard exposed at times.
That might lessen the flowing football being played further up the park but, for teams in this position, the priority has to be making themselves hard to beat.
Do that and there’s a platform on which to build. As good as Dundee can look at times, right now they just do not seem to have those foundations.
Things on that score were certainly not helped by the news goalkeeper Scott Bain, arguably the best player so far this term, is out of the picture for the time being because of a disciplinary matter.
That could be resolved after meetings with players’ union reps this week but, with his contract up next summer, there also has to be a chance Bain has made his last Dee appearance.
With Kilmarnock next up when they visit Dens on Saturday week, it might well prove a case of it never rains but it pours.
Under new manager Steve Clarke, the Rugby Park side are a rejuvenated bunch.
After impressive draws at both halves of the Old Firm, they did suffer a hiccup when they went down at home to Hibs last midweek.
Then, though, they bounced back big time with a vital win over Hearts at Murrayfield.
That gives Killie a three-point gap and, although Partick are a point nearer, they’ve also picked up in recent weeks, thanks largely to Dundee gifting them a first win of the campaign.
What that means is a sixth defeat on the bounce could see a worrying deficit opened up.
Not one that couldn’t be closed via two or three quick victories.
Right now, though, it’s hard to see where those wins will come from.
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