Lee Johnson was cool, composed, and relaxed, when he faced the media after Sunderland's embarrassing FA Cup exit at the hands of Mansfield Town.
But, while calmly delivered, the words he used to describe his side's first half performance were deadly.
'Poor attitude'.
READ MORE: Nigel Clough backs Sunderland boss Lee Johnson to overcome the Black Cats' current 'dip'
'Devoid of confidence'.
And, most damningly of all, he accused some of his players of 'hiding'.
Johnson's view of that first period was not just confected for the benefit of the cameras, either.
He made four substitutions at half-time, and said he had considered making those changes after only 20 minutes.
If those were Johnson's thoughts diluted and repackaged for public consumption, it is a safe bet that within the confines of the dressing room he left the players in no doubt that they had let down not just him, but themselves, and, most importantly, the fans.
It was not the result against the League Two side that was the biggest concern because the FA Cup is famous for upsets, but the performance.
For 45 minutes, Sunderland were abysmal. They trailed 1-0 at half-time due a Lee Burge error, after goalkeeper's clearance was charged down and fell to Rhys Oates to score, but they could easily have been two or three goals down by the break.
In the second half they raised their game to the merely sub-standard, but still could not find an equaliser against a side that had won just one of its last 15 games in all competitions, although Dan Neil went close to forcing a replay when he hit the crossbar in injury-time.
They were shaky at the back, overrun in midfield, and impotent up front.
Johnson had made half-a-dozen changes, but this was not a scratch side.
Only on-loan West Ham defender Frederik Alves - one of the four hooked at half-time, along with Tom Flanagan, Aiden O'Brien, and Leon Dajaku - could be described as a borderline first-teamer, the rest of were all seniors.
Some of those who came in think they deserve more gametime. They should have had a point to prove, a case to push for a place in the starting XI for the next league game against Ipswich Town.
After that first half, they are further away from the starting line-up than ever.
The worry for Johnson is that this performance was not a one-off, but the continuation of a recent, alarming, trend.
Over the space of just a fortnight, the mood has changed.
Three straight league defeats - nine goals conceded, only one scored - have seen Sunderland drop off the automatic promotion pace, and now an ignominious FA Cup first round exit.
Sunderland fans were not too concerned at the 1-0 home defeat against Charlton, but they were booed off at half-time and full-time in the 5-1 debacle at Rotherham, again in the 3-0 reverse at Sheffield Wednesday, and now against Mansfield.
The Carabao Cup penalty shootout win at QPR was a brilliant night in West London, but it came after Charlton and before Sunderland's form nosedived.
Sunderland are through to the next round of the EFL Trophy which makes Tuesday's dead rubber group game against Bradford City an irrelevance in terms of the competition, yet it now becomes a tricky obstacle to negotiate because, while a win will count for nothing, another poor performance and/or a defeat will only heap more pressure on Johnson and his players.
Sunderland's next league game is against Ipswich Town at the Stadium of Light a week on Saturday, and that is the game where the Black Cats must deliver.
Defeat against the Tractor Boys would elevate the current situation into a crisis.
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