A third of the season has been completed yet Chester FC still have the appearance of a work in progress.
We've seen flashes of promise, passages within a match that cause fans to believe this squad can back up pre-season talk of the play-offs.
But we're still waiting for a complete performance and a run of consistent results that can convince this team are capable of doing that.
There's no obvious reason but there are factors that might explain what has at times made for exasperating watching.
Injuries, individuals out of form and a lack of depth in certain positions haven't helped, but these are not unique challenges. Every club must contend with them at some point.
It might be the squad is not as strong as last year's, however I don't think that's true, and I would guess neither does Steve Burr or most supporters.
There's talent within the ranks, no question. We've seen that here and there, but something's not quite clicking.
At this stage of the campaign, managers expect to know the shape that suits their squad best and their strongest line-up. I'm doubt whether any two Chester fans would agree on those two points right now.
The present formation is somewhere between 4-1-2-3 and 4-1-2-2-1 with a back four, holding midfielder behind two central midfielders and two wingers supporting a lone striker.
It's a similar shape to last season although not quite the same with Luke George more defensive minded than Kingsley James and John Rooney assuming more creative duties than Sean McConville, whose role was to link the midfield and attack.
If we accept the formation isn't getting the best out of the squad then we need to look at the alternatives.
There are regular calls for a more traditional 4-4-2 but with most sides now favouring a three-man midfield, the fear of being overrun means few teams employ that shape and it might leave the Blues far too open without the ball.
Could something more unorthodox work for Chester? Looking at performances to date and the balance of the side, I'd suggest it could.
Experimenting with a three-man defence in a 3-1-4-2 shape might enable them to get the edge on their opponents. There has been a minor renaissance of the three central defenders of late, and if the personnel are right it can work well.
A back three of Ben Heneghan, Ian Sharps and Michael Kay has a good mix of experience and promise, the two younger man having the legs to cover the areas behind the wide midfielders and Sharps able to organise those around him from a central position.
Luke George would continue to assume the holding duties in front of them, winning seconds balls and mopping up counter attacks as he does now in such impressive fashion.
Johnny Hunt and Ryan Higgins are natural attacking full-backs who should be comfortable in advanced roles, and both have the speed and stamina to get up and down as required.
In central midfield, John Rooney and Tom Shaw, both better going forward than coming back, would be able to concentrate more on making things happen with George behind them to look after the defensive side.
Ross Hannah, who looks so much more dangerous when he has support, would benefit from having a partner in attack, most likely Craig Hobson to give a physical presence and outlet for his team-mates.
A bench of Craig Mahon and Jordan Chapell, both of whom could take on wide midfield roles, George Thomson, Kane Richards, Sam Hughes and Tom Peers boasts the pace to change games, as we saw when Thomson and Richards came on at the weekend.
As with all formations, there are of course weaknesses and the lack of full-backs could be exposed, while there's no real defensive cover. And whether the manager would even consider such a change is unknown.
Chester have used three central defenders once before under Burr, starting with Heneghan, Kieran Charnock and Matty Brown against Woking back in March.
It didn't work on that occasion but with different personnel, the outcome would not necessarily be the same.
