Norwich City fans could be forgiven for a certain amount of floor gazing and head scratching this week after the last minute disaster against Stoke and the Carling Cup whipping from MK Dons.
And, if expected, Norwich succumb to defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, I for one, think it could be a defining week in the club's season.
The Stoke game was a harsh lesson in Premier League life. Referees are far stricter in the top flight with the pressure to get things right immense and City have far from had the rub of the green so far.
Two penalties conceded in two games and a red card too show City may need to be more cautious when they face Chelsea. But even an expected big defeat could be a good thing for the club right now.
This is the last game before the transfer window closes and if the first two Premier League games have taught Paul Lambert anything it's that City lack a cutting edge in midfield.
Lambert's about to spend 90 minutes watching frank Lampard and he's exactly the sort of player Norwich need, someone to really take a hold of things around the edge of the box.
While Bradley Johnson and Andrew Crofts did a sound if unspectacular job across the midfield against Stoke, I think City need someone to drive them forward and attack the opposition - someone a bit like Lampard, or indeed, like Wes Hoolahan.
Whether Lambert feels that Hoolahan doesn't have the strength to patrol a Premier League midfield against a physical side like Stoke certainly throws open the question as to whether we need to sign someone else.
Like I said on Sunday, if PL doesn't fancy Wes at home to Stoke because they're a tough physical side then we can kiss goodbye to seeing him figure in more than half the games this season.
I fully expect Chelsea to comprehensively beat Norwich on Saturday. We've lost our last three games there 4-0 and haven't scored at Stamford Bridge since 1993.
What I hope, though, is that playing Chelsea now underlines just what we need in our starting elevens for the rest of the season.
In an ideal world we will get taught a football lesson on Saturday and the board would dip their hands in their pockets for Lambert to go out and sign an adventurous midfielder before the deadline next week.
I know football doesn't quite work like that, but hopefully playing Chelsea on Saturday will give us an idea of what our weaknesses are and, with a 15-day break before the next game against West Brom, it'll give him time to get things right.
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