Town boss Kieran McKenna has played down the suggestion that Tuesday’s disappointing 3-0 home defeat to Charlton Athletic was a consequence of fielding a side featuring seven changes from the previous match.
McKenna has generally named a relatively consistent XI this season, but with the Charlton game and the other midweek match, at Bristol City last month, the outliers.
Following the surprise heavy loss to the Addicks, McKenna was asked whether he ultimately wants a settled team week to week.
"There are a lot of different elements to that,” he said. "First and foremost, we know that we've come together late with a group, so everyone's not going to be in a flow.
"Relationships are still being built, we're not going to be as settled as we would like to be, as if we've had the players for longer, if we'd had a whole preseason with the group etc.
"As you build your squad, you can look at it in different ways. You can have a small number of really nailed-on players who are almost automatically going to be first choice, and then go with players who are more clearly going to be back-up players. And, of course, there are some benefits to that.
"But we also know that in a long season, and we felt it last year when injuries come, it can be really, really difficult.
"Or you can decide to try and have a stronger squad, a bigger squad where you have two players really competing for the position.
"That can have some advantages, but also when you have everyone fit and available, not so much the team selection, but there are people being left out of the squad at the moment who are training well.
"We’ve preferred this year to have what we see as really good depth, people who we believe could start and we have trust in to start any game at the level. And we hope that that will make us successful over the course of a very long season.
"In terms of changes, I think the reality is we haven’t changed more than only a couple of players for two games, for the Bristol City game and the other night.
"Other than that, we were pretty consistent in the first four games and then we had some players come in late, and then the majority of games since then it has been a pretty consistent team, and we've made more changes for the two midweek games.
"The first week, the Bristol City game, was probably the first one that you can refer to and say that we made quite a few changes for.
"I still think it was a pretty good performance on a difficult night, a not bad result, and also part of what helped us be fresh enough to physically dominate Norwich on the Sunday and get the win and get a seven-point win.
"The other night we made, again, quite a few changes, one enforced with Azor [Matusiwa, who was suspended]. Do I think that we'd have played any better in the first half of the game if we'd have played the same team as Middlesbrough? Possibly, but I don't think so.
"I thought we played really, really well. Do I think that we'd have found a better reaction in the second half if we'd have played the same team as Middlesbrough? Possibly, but I think some of the traits that were the problem in the game were the same traits that were the problem in the game in Middlesbrough [last Friday, which Town also lost, 2-1].
"So, of course, we take everything into consideration, but do I think our issue the other night was changes in the team? I don't think we're going to be fully settled yet with the amount of new players we have in the building.
"And it's something that for now we need to keep working through. I think the good things that we have in the group are more group things, and the things we need to do better as a group are more group things, more so than one player playing or the other player.
"I think as the season progresses, it's more natural that certain relationships develop, really, really well.
"Certain players really, really step up to a high level, hopefully, and really grab a shirt and determine that they're going to play the majority of games.
"Certain partnerships will develop better than other partnerships and, of course, results, hopefully, once you get to a consistent level, dictate that a team usually stays a little bit more consistent.
"So, I think that will naturally happen over the course of the season. Of course, injuries and suspensions will come as well.
"In the meantime, we've utilised the squad well off the bench in most of the games. We've utilised it more so in the two midweek games so far, and I think the first half of both of those games have certainly not been two of our worst performances.
"I know when you make changes to a team, it's always going to be an easy thing to say. It's never said after Middlesbrough that we shouldn't have played the same team as we did against Norwich, but when you make changes, it's always the reason that is what it is.
"We're happy with the squad, that we have the depth that we have. We believe that we have players that we can trust to play in any game. I know that relationships aren't fully formed yet and we've got to keep finding the best way to do that.
"Sometimes that might be making one or two changes, but sometimes it's easier to make more and have a front four that have been coming off the pitch together, that have been training together, that have already started a game together for them to go into the next game at the same time. It's sometimes easier.
"There are a lot of things in the mix. I understand that until we're winning really consistently, it's going to be a narrative. It's not that it isn't a challenge, trying to integrate new players and trying to find a balance and consistency, but it’s something we consider.
"We'll always try and make the decisions to try and win the next game and also to have a successful season.”
Put to him that it’s not unusual for relegated former Premier League teams to start seasons slowly with their squad in a state of flux but then develop through the campaign and challenge for promotion come May, McKenna said: "That’s possible and, of course, that’s the direction we want it to go in. But we know there are no guarantees.
"There are lots of cases lately of teams coming down from the Premier League not hitting the ground running at the start of the next season, and having seen and experienced some things this year, I can fully understand why.
"Each club will be different in their circumstances. Some clubs have more turnover, some clubs less. We’ve had quite a big turnover, so it’s natural that you maybe don’t hit the ground running.
"We feel there’s a good possibility if we can do the right work, if we can stick together, if we can keep working day by day to improve, stay balanced on the good days and the bad days that we can be a much stronger team as the season progresses.
"But we also know there are cases of teams who have come down from the Premier League and not managed to pick up that form to turn the momentum around from the previous season and pick up results on a consistent basis.
"There’s no guarantee and there’s no point looking too far down the line about what we might be in three months or six months or nine months, you look at the next day, you look at the next game, try and do the right things and if you do enough of those, learn lessons along the way, then hopefully good habits can accumulate into becoming a stronger team than we are today.
"I think we’re fully aware of where we’re at. I see things every day in the group that I really, really like. I’ve seen in almost every game that have been really, really positive and I think we’re clear, we’ve seen moments in games where we haven’t been the team that we want to be.
"We have to keep working really, really hard in that direction and hopefully that will accumulate over time and that will get us where we want to get to.”