"We're very, very close to being a good team."
Swansea City's start to life under Russell Martin has been nothing if not consistent so far.
At Pride Park, Martin was left displaying a curious and visible mix of satisfaction and frustration.
Once again, his side showed they have bought into his philosophy of expansive, possession-based football.
Once again, his side failed to turn their clear superiority into goals.
Despite racking up a total of 10 shots inside Derby's penalty area, Swansea just couldn't find the breakthrough needed for their third win of the season.
There's not an awful lot of panic at the moment. The 'trust the process' mantra still seems to ring true with many members of the Jack Army.
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That said, there is clearly some room for improvement, particularly ahead of a South Wales derby in a fortnight's time.
Should it continue, Swansea's inability to put the ball in the back of the net will soon drift from niggling concern to outright crisis.
Martin will believe he can get more out of the players he has at his disposal, but added firepower in January still appears a must.
"I think we'll need a bit of help at the top end of the pitch, there's no doubt about it," Martin explained after the draw with the Rams.
"These guys will definitely get better between now and then. I don't want to be disrespectful to the players we've got at the minute, they've been excellent.
"They're all taking on new ideas, there's been so much change and the way they've handled it has been incredible.
"You've seen it, the fact they can go and produce what they've produced over the last four or five games on the pitch, it makes me incredibly proud of them and makes me feel a lot of love for these guys.
"But every window brings opportunity around to try and improve the squad. By January I'll have a really clear idea of what we need."
Such positive comments will be welcomed by Swans fans, many of whom have been scarred by traumatic January windows in the past, but the middle of the season is always a difficult time to do business.
Once again, Swansea will likely have to work with a modest budget in the new year, meaning they will have to be smart in their approach.
The free agent market is already on Martin's radar, but loan moves will likely once again to be a key part of Martin's bid to further rebuild an attacking squadron gutted by the departures of Andre Ayew, Jamal Lowe and Conor Hourihane.
Martin might not have the sort of contacts that his predecessor brought to the table, but it's clear that his philosophy has created an environment that appeals to players - and impresses those in the Premier League.
Manchester United clearly believe Ethan Laird is in good hands under the Swans boss, while Tottenham also believed Martin's MK Dons was a good fit for highly-rated youngster Troy Parrott.
Whether a reunion with Parrott would ever be back on the cards remains to be seen, although there is already a suggestion that he's attracting Championship interest.
"Me and Mark [Allen] are working tirelessly to get ready for January, and Julian and the owners have showed their support in that," Martin continued.
"We'll keep identifying who suits us and what we are having now is a lot of agents calling up with a lot of players really interested in playing for us because of the way that we play, and they think that they'll enjoy it."
Clearly even those outside of the club are beginning to 'trust the process', and there may well be a few attacking players who believe that they can thrive in the setting that Martin has already created.
Even so, to maximise their pulling power, Martin will surely need the full support of the club's hierarchy, who simply cannot afford to allow the squad to drift if they are to hold out any hope of Martin's revolution bearing any fruit.
There's clearly now a very good core to this squad, but a couple of quality additions, capable of topping up the creativity and flair in the final third, would surely take the Swans to the next level.
Should Martin get his wish, it will still spark questions, mind.
Morgan Whittaker was seemingly on the verge of being loaned out towards the end of the summer transfer window, with League One Lincoln City understood to have been close to getting a move over the line.
His role in this Swans side has been shrouded in doubt ever since.
Whittaker has found game-time hard to come by this season, with his appearance off the bench on Saturday his first since league outing since mid-August.
A hat-trick against Plymouth in the Carabao Cup may well have kept him on the radar, but Martin has quite openly said that Whittaker still has some way to go before he can be considered a fully-fledged first-team player.
There's surely every chance that he may well be given the chance to shine elsewhere if reinforcements arrive.
Martin will be hoping that his side will have found their shooting boots long before the January window creaks open, but in terms of taking his team up to the next level, this upcoming window would well be decisive in the context of Swansea's season.
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