The final whistle felt less like an ending and more like a mercy. Following a performance so utterly devoid of inspiration against Leeds, the fanbase is left reeling, caught between fury at a contentious penalty and despair at their own team's toothless display.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. The season dawned with a rare and potent sense of optimism. A marquee summer signing had the supporters buzzing with a level of excitement not felt for years, while the manager boldly dismissed any talk of relegation battles, instead setting his sights on the top end of the table. This was meant to be a new era, a departure from the anxieties of the past.

Adding to the hype is the club's magnificent new stadium, a gleaming monument to ambition. It was built to host thrilling European nights, to be a fortress where the Premier League's elite would fear to tread. Yet, the team that currently calls it home looks painfully ill-equipped for such a grand stage. The contrast between the club's aspirations and the on-field reality has never been more stark.

After a 90-minute display that lacked any semblance of creativity, flair, or forward momentum, the pre-season promise has evaporated, replaced by a cold, hard truth. The cracks in the squad, once papered over by summer hope, have been brutally exposed as gaping chasms.

In a moment of refreshing, if unsettling, honesty, the manager has admitted what many fans now fear. He has made it clear that the project ahead is not one of minor tweaks, but a complete overhaul. "This is the biggest rebuild in the league," he conceded, a statement that confirms the monumental scale of the task at hand.

The dream of challenging for Europe has been violently shaken by the reality of a team in desperate need of reconstruction. The question now is no longer how high the team can climb, but whether the foundation is strong enough to even begin the ascent.