Timing is everything for Tony Mowbray. He is planning to start his spring clean in January, just to make sure that his West Bromwich Albion team have the best possible chance of securing promotion when spring arrives for real.
Albion have won only one point in four Coca-Cola Championship matches and a baffled Mowbray has promised to "freshen things up" when the January transfer window opens.
There are sure to be players moving on. Mowbray regularly discusses the matter with Jeremy Peace, the Albion chairman, although the manager will have to sell before he can buy. With that in mind, Mowbray will have been pleased with the news that Neil Clement, the Albion defender, is on the brink of a return to the first-team squad after coming through 90 minutes of a reserve-team match on Monday night.
Clement has not played for Albion since the defeat to Newcastle United in the Premiership last April. He sustained a knee injury and has spent the past seven months in rehabilitation.
The return of Clement was the best news from The Hawthorns since the victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers on October 22. It has been that kind of period.
But Mowbray is already casting his mind towards January and the period that could make or break Albion's chances of returning to the Premiership.
"I talk to the chairman just about every day about potential ins and outs," Mowbray said. "If you want players to improve the squad, you have to buy them. As the chairman has said, I will need to create some funds to make that happen.
"The clear message is that the players we see taking us into the future won't be going anywhere because I understand you need your best players to win football matches.
"But, sometimes, the players you wouldn't mind moving on are the ones that people don't covet. There might have to be a sale down the line to create some movement for players in.
"But it has to be the right person coming in and someone I think we can do without. We'll weigh all that up come January. This group of players has been through a lot over the last couple of years and we need a bit of freshness in the squad.
"A new drive, a new face around the place isn't a bad thing. It can stir things up and get players trying to show the new signing they are better than him. It sparks people out of a zone where it can be just another day's training.
"Having said all that, I've found January is not an easy month to make things happen. People are mid-contract and there are not a lot of free transfers around.
"If they are free, you've got to ask the reasons why they're not wanted. The chemistry of January has got to be right.
"There aren't many players that are out there on free transfers who will improve the squad and I'm not bringing numbers in for the sake of it."
Between now and then, Mowbray has emphasised the need for his players to show mental strength. Albion are creating chances and working hard but results have been disappointing.
He said: "It becomes a mental issue for the players now to get that win and get back on the right road. They know there is not a lot wrong so it's not as if we're going to have to totally rebuild confidence and belief. They know they're playing well enough to win football matches so it's about digging extra deep to get this result. The fitness we showed on Saturday was as high as it's been this season."
