Cardiff City boss Steve Morison believes he must be decisive and ruthless in the dugout because time is not on his side.
The Bluebirds boss has garnered a reputation for being brutally candid in his appraisal of performances and uncompromising in his decision-making when it comes to team selection and substitutions.
Morison came in for some heat when he labelled Isaak Davies a "hindrance" after he was brought on and then taken off at Bournemouth, wording he admitted he got wrong later, while his early substitution of Max Watters against Coventry City on Tuesday night prompted yet more reaction.
But the manager believes it is the best way to give these burgeoning young players an education in making that step up from youth team or lower-league football into the goldfish bowl of playing for a club of Cardiff City's size.
Morison also made the salient point that while some fans might think a softer approach might be better utilised, he does not have the luxury of time. His contract is up in a matter of months, as things stand, and every passing game is an opportunity to put a tick in the box of his application for a contract extension.
He said: "What people don't see and don't understand… let's take the Isaak Davies situation. I've been no different to him than I was in the under-23s but the difference is I don't get interviewed or asked about it.
"These kids coming through, they need to know what the real world is like. There's no better classroom than the real world - I've nicked that quote off someone!
"It's not to be hard or to be horrible. If [Marcelo] Bielsa takes Rodrygo or Raphinha off and he says it's tactical, that means the player isn't carrying out the job he was asked to do well enough.
"It's so clear. I was watching the game, I didn't feel he [Watters] was giving me what I wanted and what I had asked, so I felt like I needed to change.
"Time is against me, ultimately, it's not like it just doesn't matter. We need to win games so if I need to make harsh calls - and it's not something I want to do - I haven't got the time not to."
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Morison has subsequently held talks with Watters and cleared the air, something he also did with Davies, who has thrived since that night on the south coast at the back of December.
If he does get the job on a more permanent basis, of course, these are the sort of players who will form the backbone of his forward line next season and beyond.
His remit was to steer the club away from relegation, which after four wins in five many believe he has done already. Morison wants more points on the board before he can start planning for next season, utilising players he knows will be in the building and so on.
But he is still caught between a rock and a hard place. Because while he would ideally like to experiment more and plan to hit the ground running next term, with his future still insecure he knows that losing games could prove costly for him personally.
"We need more than 40 points. I just think once you get over those 40 points you are then closer to the number you want to get to," he added.
"If you look at where you need to get to - you're never going to be mathematically done - you look at the start of the season and say 50. But the way the season has gone you are looking at 44, 45 points, so another three wins in the last 15 games will make you sit a little more comfortable.
"You can then maybe think about opening yourself up a little bit, but everyone needs to buy into that. Because you don't want to start losing games of football because you are trying to put square pegs in round holes.
"The planning side of it, that's going to be from the club at the minute.
"I can only deal with between now and the end of the season. What happens after that is out of my hands at the minute."
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