'Glasner said quiet part out loud... his critique is not without merit'

On Sunday, following back-to-back second-half collapses and losses, Oliver Glasner said the quiet part out loud.

His answers regarding squad depth issues and recruitment failures were telling and, naturally, were omitted from the club website's write-up afterwards.

If he desired to divert blame away from his squad, given the past two results, then mission accomplished.

His critique of the summer is not without merit. As Glasner put it: "When you play European football for the first time in your history, let's invest instead of save. We saved, and this is what we're facing."

What his team is facing is 11 matches in the space of five weeks, now without Ismaila Sarr, who went off injured against Manchester United and is then off to Afcon. The team can still be competitive, but it will stretch them.

The manager's desire for a couple more attacking options does not mean he has an insatiable appetite for spending - something the rest of the league can achieve.

As three of the four directors appear on the Forbes Rich List, there should be the means to add extra funds to address cash flow issues, with future sales to cover them down the road. There is either no desire or ability to do so within the current structure.

Meanwhile, the club's academy is not producing the talent to make up for that shortfall. Some players have been poached; others just have not been maximised. Despite impressive new infrastructure, the faces running it remain the same.

This month has all the potential to be a fun one, with European games and a Carabao Cup quarter-final. The situation is not dire, but at the end of this season, if Glasner leaves or the team misses out on Europe for a second season, there will be the lingering question of what could have been.

Find more from Alex Pewter at FYP podcast