Tony Mowbray probably revealed his true thoughts on Blackburn Rovers' squad, even without outright saying it, after their opening pre-season run-out.
Rovers' goalless draw at Accrington Stanley was typical warm-up fodder. Two heavily rotated teams, building fitness and playing without much intensity, reflective of the jeopardy in the baking July heat.
The new Rovers head coach insisted the point of these matches is to learn more about the squad. But the reality is, it probably only helped to confirm what he already knows. What he's known from watching Rovers 'three or four times' live in the flesh last season.
With illness taking hold of the Rovers squad, it mirrored what many of us saw last season with a large injury list. A team lacking some balance and struggling to impose itself without the star men.
“That's the point of these games for me really, to try and assess the group as quickly as I can," Mowbray admitted.
"To see what I think we need and see whether we can move things around if we have to. We've had a bit of sickness this week and illness in the group, which is unfortunate.
"I think we'd have had a bit more control, potentially with Forshaw in one of the midfield slots, putting his foot on the ball and taking it off the back line.
"I think we obviously missed what was one of the main threats for the team last year, with Ryan (Alebiosu) bombing up and down the right wing and Mori playing inside like an extra 10.
"We played some young full-backs there and great credit to the academy that they did very well. And defensive players who helped the team keep two clean sheets.
"But yes, there were positives from it, but there were also negatives. We need to be sharper. We need to be quicker and cleverer at the top end of the pitch and create more chances to score goals."
The reference to Adam Forshaw's control in midfield only highlights what they miss without him. But at 34, Rovers cannot rely on him and that makes recruitment in the middle essential, even if they have enough bodies there.
Ryan Alebiosu and Ryoya Morishita are Rovers' best creative combination down the right. There are no real relationships on the other side of the pitch and that is something they must address.
So whilst Mowbray may be preaching that he needs time to see everyone, it's clear he knows where the priorities lie. Adding more quality in depth, floor-raisers as I like to term them, is imperative.
That's on top of the sprinkling of quality needed to make the first-choice XI even better. Saturday was the first hint that a variation of 4-2-3-1, rather than being wedded to a back five, is the way Mowbray wants to go.
In terms of the starting XI, Rovers need a quality left-winger. They need an imposing central midfielder. Barring any exits, there is enough across the backline and in goal to be content.
Up front, it remains to be seen whether he will mix and match two strikers or play with just one. What does that also mean for Todd Cantwell? Does he play off the left? It would leave Rovers lacking speed and one-vs-one ability if Mori and Cantwell were effectively two narrow 10s in the wide slots of a 4-4-2.
Finding the right blend is imperative but his reference to 'good football players' underlines that he knows he needs better if this team is to suddenly leap forward.
"I thought it was a bit sloppy at times," he said on the attacking play.
"We had good opportunities and wasted them, picked the wrong pass, over-hit the pass, under-hit the pass, didn't get enough bodies into the right areas.
"Ultimately, whilst it was a game, I didn't feel we might lose this. I didn't sit there and think we were going to score three or four goals today. It didn't look like that at any time, really."
The reality for Rovers is that, as much as we can clamour for signings, they actually need to clear some room. That is easier said than done but the sooner that they have clarity on who is and isn't in the picture, the quicker they can act.
History has shown that Mowbray isn't someone to panic, even if supporters are understandably getting itchy feet. He shot down the most concrete transfer link in Daniel Jebbison, though you can't always take that for gospel.
Even if he was tight-lipped on specifics, he revealed plenty in more subtle ways.
Whatever budget they have, it's obvious Mowbray wants to invest at the top of the pitch. Rovers have plenty of solid, good pros who are reliable and trustworthy.
What they need is more magic. More personality. Otherwise, for all the good intention, the idea of a more progressive, possession-heavy style will become stale and exposed pretty quickly.
Pre-season results do not matter and certainly not at the start of July. But Saturday afternoon only confirmed that Mowbray is thinking what most of the fans are saying, even if he didn't say it.
