Swansea City midfielder Jamie Paterson believes the good times will come for his side providing they work hard enough, also going on to detail resilience as one of their key assets as he spoke to the club's media team.
Along with West Bromwich Albion's Alex Mowatt, the 29-year-old has arguably been one of the best free transfer signings in the EFL this year, combining extremely well with fellow summer addition Joel Piroe and appearing as one of the first names on the teamsheet under Russell Martin.
This is with good reason, scoring six goals and recording four assists in 17 Championship games this term and being a crucial figure in elevating the Swans from relegation danger to the top half of the second-tier table.
Considering they are still in the early stages of their transition under manager Martin, taking a step back and rebuilding after securing consecutive play-off finishes under Steve Cooper during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns, this is a promising sign of progress and something they will look to build on in the coming months.
They ended their previous set of games on a sour note, being on the receiving end of a 4-0 hammering against league leaders AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon after recent wins against Peterborough United and Coventry City.
But Paterson believes their ability to bounce back will serve them well, saying: "I have loved every minute of it (Martin's playing style), and I think you can see we are all enjoying it even if we were disappointed with how things ended up at Bournemouth.
"It’s very different to what I have been used to, but that makes it all the more refreshing.
"I knew from the moment I spoke to the gaffer that this could be a good move for me, and it’s proved that way so far. I just want to keep that going now.
"There’s no negativity at all, it’s all about learning and I think you can see that this is a group that always responds and bounces from disappointment.
"It’s a great group and there are good times ahead if we continue to learn and work hard."
The Verdict:
It may still be early days in Martin's transition, but the signs are very promising and they will only get better if he receives the funding necessary to continue building this team.
They already have some of the core ingredients there to make something special happen, with Ben Hamer proving to be a solid man between the sticks, Flynn Downes only likely to get better and the deadly combination of Piroe and Paterson collaborating in attack.
Now is the time for the board to act, with captain Matt Grimes yet to sign a new deal at the club after being the subject of Premier League interest in the summer.
They need to pay over the odds to tie him down to fresh terms - and bringing in another couple of players in January to further embed their system and increase competition in the Swans' squad will also be necessary to maintain performance levels.
The club's hierarchy certainly haven't been afraid to make high-profile signings in recent years - now is the time for that money to be invested wisely with a promising young manager at the helm.