Josh Cullen admits international football is a "results business". Therein lies the rub for his Ireland manager Stephen Kenny.
After the widespread positivity of the performance in defeat last week in Portugal, a game very few expected Ireland to win, came the first point of this World Cup qualification and with it a completely different reaction.
The fallout from the hugely disappointing 1-1 draw with Azerbaijan underlined the fact that Ireland fans remain divided over Kenny's position and his record of one win from 15 games over the course of 12 months while 13 new players have been capped in competitive fixtures.
Ultimately it will boil down to this when this campaign ends in November: do the FAI feel that Kenny is the right man to guide them through a necessary but painful period of renewal for the men's senior international team, or should they look elsewhere?
Kenny has been dealt a difficult hand, inheriting a squad at a low ebb and in need of an overhaul and he has had to go about his work in the middle of the Covid pandemic, while losing players for key matches because of the virus.
The players are still with him, but figures such as Brian Kerr and Richard Dunne have been critical and certain player selections have back-fired - most recently, that of James McClean and Jason Molumby. Keeping faith with Aaron Connolly, for now at least, isn't working.
Many fans want to keep the faith as they can see what Kenny is trying to do here and plenty would question the FAI's ability to replace him with a manager with a similar view of playing a progressive, attacking game.
Having said that, drawing with Azerbaijan after losing to Luxembourg in March doesn't cut it, and certainly not after the level of performance displayed in Serbia and in Portugal.
Are we seeing the inconsistency that comes with picking young players, or is it a deeper malaise? That is the question the FAI must grapple with.
There has been little time to draw breath. Next up is Serbia tomorrow night, the table-toppers.
Cullen, at least, has been a real plus for the manager and it is no coincidence that he has played week in, week out for Anderlecht. Other selections have struggled as they try to get up to speed despite a lack of club game time.
“We have to be confident, we have to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves down," said the 25-year-old.
"We know we’ve got a group here with the character and talent that should be able to get a result on Tuesday night.
"And as frustrating as it is today with the result on Saturday, we have to learn from it and fully focus on Tuesday night and come back to the Aviva and get a positive result.
“I don’t think it was a bad performance. I think if we score three goals in the second half and have a bit more fortune in front of goal or a little bit more quality in the final third, we’re probably not saying it’s a poor performance.
"But yeah, there are definitely things we need to improve on. And the main thing in football, it’s a results business and that’s what we need to start doing.
"We need to start turning our good spells in games, scoring when we’re on top, and winning games, simple as that."
If only it were simple, though. On the eve of the Azerbaijan game, Matt Doherty said the answer to Ireland's problems was simple - score more goals.
But afterwards, the players interviewed spoke of a "really frustrating" afternoon.
Cullen insisted: "We believe in the character and ability we have in the squad.
"All we can do is keep working hard, believe in ourselves and, like I said, a little bit more quality in the final third this evening and maybe a little bit more luck with ricochets in the box and we’re here talking about a positive result.
"There is no time for us to be downbeat, it’s a quick turnaround, we have to fully focus on Tuesday night and as players, it’s our job to be confident and we have to be on, going in against a good side."
Cullen was quick to put his hand up and accept the blame for Azerbaijan's goal on the stroke of half-time on Saturday.
In fairness to the former West Ham starlet, Seamus Coleman dithered at first before he was joined by Cullen, and together they allowed Emin Mahmudov too much time.
He fired into the gap between them, unsighting Gavin Bazunu in the process, and his long-range effort flew into the back of the net.
"Yeah, I need to get out and block the shot, it’s as simple as that," acknowledged Cullen.
"It’s part of the responsibility of a player to recognise when I could have done something better and for sure I could have done better in preventing that goal and blocking the shot."
It was a rare error from Cullen, who was outstanding against Portugal in Faro - his performance suggesting that he has settled into life on the international stage.
"You never take it for granted," he said. "Every time I get to pull on a shirt it’s an honour, I just want to keep on trying to deliver the best performance I can for the team and for the country."
