No matter what side of the Thomas Frank debate you sit on, Sunday's performance had something for everyone.
While the first half offered glimmers of hope and indications of what he is trying to build with a squad of mostly average players, the second half confirmed that significant changes are required for the future to look anything other than bleak.
No doubt Frank will be looking nervously over his shoulder at developments in west London and Manchester, but it is our squad which requires an upgrade more than our coaching department.
Granted, things are not clicking for Frank at Spurs yet. It is unclear what his strategy is, particularly regarding creating and scoring goals. Even so, chances were created but could not be finished against Sunderland, and that speaks to a lack of quality players, not coaching style.
The reality is we are sorely missing our most creative and attacking players through injury, and the ones we had brought in to fill the gaps are either absent through suspension, such as Xavi Simons, or simply not good enough, such as Randal Kolo Muani.
Losing Mohammed Kudus to injury in the early stages of the game on Sunday has just added to those woes.
It is more important than ever that the club's owners invest in quality players. We are currently a mid-table team playing mid-table football, yet our aspirations are far higher and so, naturally, tensions arise.
Yes, this is more or less the same squad which won the Europa League, but it is also a team that finished 17th in the Premier League last season.
As much as it hurts to admit it, out of these two results, the trophy is the anomaly.
If we want things to improve, our club must act ambitiously with player recruitment.