It's been a simply tortuous week for Swansea City fans.
Members of the Jack Army should, as the rules of football fandom dictate, be taking delight at events unfolding in the capital and the state of play in Cardiff City's managerial search.
Instead, there's a sense of dread that's been steadily growing for the last few days.
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It seems Swansea are flirting with a managerial saga of their own at the moment, with Russell Martin's future appearing increasingly uncertain. What's more, there's precious little to put their minds at ease right now.
Martin was due to meet the club's hierarchy, including new chairman Andy Coleman, in the United States this week to talk about his future and the way forward for the club. It's not entirely clear as of yet whether those conversations have actually happened, and there's no real sign of an imminent extension to his current deal.
The 37-year-old is entering the final year of his contract this summer, and proposed discussions with the club's top brass have been at the eye of a storm of speculation.
Links with a move to newly-relegated Southampton have gathered an uncomfortable amount of momentum in the last few days, and Martin appears to be a leading contender to take the reins at the club being relegated from the Premier League.
The suggestion is Southampton are keen to move towards a more possession-based brand of football as part of a rebuilding operation at the club, and they see Martin has a good fit. Whether Martin himself would be interested isn't yet clear, although at the time of writing there's not been any sort of formal approach at this stage.
Leicester City are also said to have put Martin at the top of their short list of candidates, should they be relegated and part company with Dean Smith, but it's links with the Saints that have clearly gained traction over the last few days.
Southampton's interest is relatively new, but what makes this so frustrating in the eyes of Swans fans is that this is a situation that's felt almost inevitable for weeks now.
One way or the other, a decision on what happens next needs to be made - and soon. Otherwise, there's a real chance that all of the good work we've seen over the last few weeks of the season could quickly unravel.
Of course, there are a few issues to iron out. It's not exactly a secret that Martin will want assurances on what's possible next season in terms of investment and, having come to within three points of the top six, he will feel he's done enough to make a few demands for the coming campaign.
Martin, well aware of the financial realities facing the club, will likely consider those demands to be reasonably modest. Whether the hierarchy see it the same way is anyone's guess, with the latest set of accounts clearly pointing to further financial challenges.
Even so, with or without their current boss at the helm, Swansea cannot afford to be passengers in the transfer window again.
For one, it seems unlikely the club will tie down all three of Joel Latibeaudiere, Kyle Naughton, and Ryan Manning to new deals, meaning replacements will almost certainly be needed.
The Swans don't exactly have a solid track record in finding adequate replacements for outgoing players, so Martin will need some level of confidence that he will have something meaningful to work with in terms of resources.
Transfer plans, on the whole, are largely on hold for now. The agent of at least one potential Swans target has told WalesOnline they've not yet been told if Martin will still be at the helm next season.
Clearly, clarity is needed before the club can press ahead with any sort recruitment strategy.
Outgoings may well be central to any moves. There's an expectation that star striker Joel Piroe will leave before the new season, which won't exactly come as a surprise to anyone.
Like Martin, the Dutchman has one year left on his current deal. Given the state of Swansea's finances, allowing him to leave for nothing this time next year is quite simply an unthinkable scenario at this stage.
It's understood the club have failed with several attempts to extend his contract, and the striker himself has consistently stopped short of publicly committing his future to the club when questioned.
Martin must know it's only a matter of time before Piroe departs, and ensuring the Swans board commit to getting the very best possible price may well be another key part of any potential discussions.
There's a hope on the ground that Martin's situation will become clearer in the earlier part of next week. Certainly, the situation cannot be allowed to drag on, although the manager is only one unanswered question heading into the summer.
The club are yet to follow up their recent public statement on the futures of Julian Winter and Josh March with any sort of meaningful clarity on what happens next. Hitting out at speculation is one thing, but to neither confirm nor deny the pair's possible departure has only added further fuel to the bonfire of rumours around the place at the moment.
Should Martin be spotted at the upcoming DC United game this weekend, as has been suggested he might in some quarters, it could help put a few minds at ease, if only a little.
But this agonising limbo isn't doing anyone any good. Concrete answers are needed, and soon.
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