Why things could be looking up for Huddersfield Town...but not until August 2021
It doesn't really need saying, but it's not been the start to the season any of us wanted and it’s very difficult to find positives at the moment.
We look desperately lacking in midfield and attack and, to be honest, never look like creating a chance, never mind scoring.
However, if you look hard enough there are reasons to hope for a brighter future. But be warned, it may be a while off yet.
In the short-term, one positive is that we've played two teams who you would expect to be up there come the end of the season.
Four of the new signings, Danny Ward, Naby Sarr, Carel Eiting and Joel Pereira, are yet to play a league game so it's no surprise to see 'more of the same' at this stage.
Add into that our two best performers from last season Lewis O'Brien and Karlan Grant have been absent, then it's no surprise we've struggled.
Rarmani Edmonds-Green could be this season’s Lewis O’Brien
Highly-rated prospect Rarmani Edmonds-Green is also yet to feature this season as he comes back from injury and it is hoped he will make his breakthrough this season.
The transfer window closes on October 16, which means we have two more games to play before then against a struggling Nottingham Forest side and newly-promoted Rotherham United.
Hopefully we can introduce some of the new signings and returning injured players and pick up our first points of the season from those games to relieve some of the pressure and negativity surrounding the club.
Following the Rotherham game, we have a two-week period until the window closes a day before our game with Swansea City.
By the time that game comes around I hope we will have added a creative, attack-minded midfielder, a winger (ideally two) and a striker.
To do that we need to first get some more high-earning players off the books, namely Terence Kongolo, Florent Hadergjonaj and maybe Grant, though it would be great to keep him if he can recover from the disappointment of his West Brom transfer falling through.
Furthermore, I'm sure the club would be happy to listen to offers for some of the players who are out of contract in 2021, namely: Alex Pritchard, Adama Diakhaby, Isaac Mbenza, Fraizer Campbell and possibly Juninho Bacuna, Ben Hamer and Christopher Schindler, though I would expect most if not all of these players will stay with the club this season.
Players who are out of contract in 2021 but are not subject to offers either now or in January will then have the chance to play for new contracts or, more likely, Corberan will allow them to leave next Summer.
With new players coming in and others returning from injury, we will hopefully have enough to muddle our way through the season and in an ideal world avoid a relegation scrap.
As bad as it may sound on the back of the past two seasons, Town fans may have to settle for minor improvements this time around due to the squad at Carlos Corberan's disposal.
With that in mind, this may not be the worst season for fans not to be in attendance.
By the time Summer 2021 comes around we will hopefully have retained our Championship safety and Corberan will have imprinted his playing style on the team.
Alex Pritchard is one of 14 senior players out of contract in June 2021
Then, Corberan will have the opportunity to truly shape his own squad, with the following 16 players contracts expiring or loans ending in June 2021: Richard Stearman, Tommy Elphick, Fraizer Campbell, Christopher Schindler, Jonathan Hogg, Ben Hamer, Alex Pritchard, Florent Hadergjonaj, Isaac Mbenza, Jaden Brown, Juninho Bacuna, Adama Diakhaby, Demeaco Duhaney, Ryan Schofield, Carel Eiting and Joel Pereira.
Of those names, it would be surprising to see more than two or three in the Town squad come the start of the 2021/22 campaign.
With so many players leaving the club, many of whom are high-earners, this will free up plenty of budget for Corberan and the recruitment team to bring in players who fit our new system.
In addition, hopefully we will see one or two of our promising youngsters emerge in the 2020/21 campaign, ready to step up and become senior players in 2021/22.
By July 2021 we will finally be rid of our Premier League 'legacy' of disinterested, overpaid, under-performing players.
It may seem lightyears away right now, but in 11 months time it's possible we could all be heading down to a Covid-free John Smith's Stadium with plenty of anticipation and excitement of a new-look Town team playing the attacking, exciting football we've been promised.