It's not easy to find excuses for poor performances during a 10-day period. Ian Baraclough continued to try.
In four matches against teams ranked 55, 105, and 107th in the world, Northern Ireland got two points. Northern Ireland is 54th on the list.
There isn't enough experience. There's a lack of cohesiveness. The temperature. It is necessary to rebuild. There are players that are missing.
The lack of experience is the most obvious reason for some of them. Excuses can only be used for a long time.
The question as to whether the former Under-21 boss is simply kicking the can down the road until September's final two Nations League games, away to Greece and home to Kosovo, is still unanswered. The injured players will be available, the league seasons will begin, and the young players will have gained experience, so does that make it any more important to get results in those games?
Positivity abounded at Windsor Park on the day before the opening 0-1 loss to Greece, with talk of opportunities for young players and the manager setting a target of four wins from four before a quadruple-header to kick off a third-tier Nations League group for which Northern Ireland was demoted
Even though he seems confident he will remain in the role, Baraclough was having to answer questions about his future.
There were boos from supporters at half-time and full-time of the 2-2 draw with Cyprus, while there were brief, but loud, chants of "We want Bara out" from fans in The Kop soon after the visitors went 2-0 up. He was booed while delivering pitch-side interviews.
For a long time, the statistics have been against Baraclough. There have been just three wins in 20 competitive games. The current boss has not won a game in the Nations League. During his two-year reign, he only won one game at Windsor.
Gauging supporters' thoughts is never easy, and far from an exact science, and Baraclough's reaction to the booing was to insist that it is just a small section, and that the majority are behind him.
Baraclough stayed at the touchline to greet the players as they headed up the tunnel, rather than going on to the pitch to acknowledge the crowd. He might have remembered the chants of 'cheerio' from the NI fans that met him after the loss.
One thing that stood out was Baraclough's firm stance on how these games need to be used for rebuilding, and whether he was doing so safe in the knowledge that his Irish FA bosses shared his views.
The half-time boos would have been one of the last things Nelson and Kirkwood would have heard at the game. They left the ground at half-time to go to the airport for a flight to the International Football Association Board's Annual General Meeting.
Nelson wrote about Baraclough's track record of bringing young players through into the senior squad and the need for patience in his matchday programme notes.
After the match Baraclough was asked if he had received assurances from his employers that it was a transition period.
He said that it is something we have talked about. You would like to see those young players come through.
We have a plan that will make us stronger in the future. If you don't give the young players the experience, how do you do that? We have found some really positive stuff in the last fortnight, and you won't know about it.
The supporters of Northern Ireland have always been friendly. It's been a difficult gig for him, for a number of reasons.
Without an international playing career as a base from which to start, as most NI managers have had, he is also the man that followed Michael O'Neill, an act that was always going to be difficult.
There was also Covid-19. The opportunity to form an immediate bond with the Green and White Army was not there when he was in charge. The triple-headers were difficult to negotiate because they were sandwiched between Nations League games.
He has had to blood a lot of young people because of the squad's age. The number of new call-ups in recent squad is testament to the strength of the field he is choosing from.
There are a few contradictions that have arisen during this international window. After the opening night defeat, there was talk of how these games need to be used to rebuild.
He spoke of protecting young players, yet brought teenage full-back Brodie Spencer on for his debut on the opposite side to where he plays and twice asked Ciaron Brown to play out of position.
He talked about the taxing nature of four games in 10 days on the bodies of his players, and then proceeded to start Steven Davis in every match, with the Rangers player having very little time on the side lines during this camp.
What now? Will Baraclough's future be on the table when Nelson and Kirkwood come back? Is it just a group of fans who are upset with one another?
Baraclough is confident that he will be in charge when September arrives. By that time, there will be no more excuses.
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