Sunderland were laboured, sluggish and slow in the lead up the festive period which cost former manager Phil Parkinson his job on Wearside.
The Black Cats were a shadow of the side that went on an unbeaten run around January last season.
They needed a creative spark but there were no signs of anyone stepping up to the plate.
When Parkinson's tenure came to an end a lot of people thought Sunderland's promotion hopes for this season had too, simply because his successor would have such a massive rebuild on his hands.
So credit to Lee Johnson, he got his first decision at the Stadium of Light bang on the money.
Aiden McGeady had been left in the cold for over a year and the chances of him making an appearance in a red and white shirt again were diminishing.
The 34-year-old says he still has no idea why he was banished from the squad but knew he would "outlast" Parkinson on Wearside.
The former Republic of Ireland international was thrust into the starting XI for Johnson's debut as Sunderland manager.
The result may not have gone the way of the Black Cats but McGeady was thankful to just be back out on the pitch.
Fast forward to now and McGeady is top of the assists chart in League 1 with ten assists in just 14 games.
It's no coincidence that Sunderland are back among the goals after his reintroduction to the side.
Coupled with Johnson's new counter pressing tactic - the Black Cats look dangerous on the attack and finally look like they're playing without the shackles.
As for McGeady, he said that he still has unfinished business on Wearside. He was part of the Sunderland side that lost twice at Wembley Stadium and despite his age he still feels like he can play in the Championship.
If they can keep McGeady fit - there's no reason that the play-offs can't be a realistic target at a minimum.
Given the way League 1 is at the moment, with games coming thick and fast, everyone is dropping points against one another.
Johnson's side look like they're hitting their stride at the right point in the season and with a Wembley final on the horizon there's reason to be optimistic at last.
The former Celtic trainee has chipped in with four goals since being brought back into the fold, and Sunderland will need their talismanic winger to maintain his current levels of form if they're to challenge for the automatic spots.
