Absolutely. There was no guarantee that returning players would make enough of a difference. We'd lost our top scorer. Confidence was seeping away both from the players and the fans. Pardew was looking like he hadn't slept in weeks. Coupled with the Remy saga it was basically rock bottom after the Reading game. The major turning point was the week of signings that followed. Getting fresh blood (who brought with them their own confidence) made the big difference in lifting every one. You only have to look at how many of our recent goals have been the result of Sissoko and Gouffran's good work and where we'd be if we hadn't signed them. Given the summer transfer window it wasn't unreasonable for fans to have no faith in Ashley to do what he did in January but credit to him.