ALL the questions were of Hatem Ben Arfa, Hull City's enfant terrible, after this drab stalemate with West Bromwich Albion.
The on-loan winger, omitted for the second game in succession, appears to be staring down the barrel at the KC Stadium. The only question now is whether Steve Bruce chooses to pull the trigger.
The City boss says that will be a decision left for January but the form of Sone Aluko could yet make it easier to say goodbye.
In a week when one forward's stock plummeted disastrously in City colours, another's was on a sharp rise.
Aluko has been the one big plus for Bruce in the last two games.
After coming off the bench to score an excellent equaliser that earned a 1-1 draw with Everton on Wednesday, the Nigeria international was the Tigers' one ray of attacking hope against West Brom.
A tiring Aluko left the field on 77 minutes, unable to break the deadlock, but the warm applause from supporters told its own story. At least the forward had left nothing in reserve.
The sight of Aluko starting to trouble defenders again is cause for celebration in these trying times. This was only his second start of the season and third of 2014.
The Achilles injury that ruined his debut season in the top flight has taken time to overcome but all the indications suggest the Aluko of old is ready to return. Aluko shares many characteristics with Ben Arfa. Although there is a tendency to blow hot and cold from one week to the next, he has that stardust to turn a contest on its head.
The goal at Goodison Park was the demonstration of that. Collecting possession, outstripping his defender and converting a self-manufactured chance was just what Aluko is capable of.
There would be no repeat of that impact against a West Brom side that had come to frustrate City, but Aluko was the man to probe and plug away. He, more than any other, made the Baggies sweat with a sense of purpose and direction beyond most of his team-mates.
One clever piece of play set up Abel Hernandez to shoot wide from the edge of the box early in the second half, while he created his own chance soon after when cutting in and dragging a low effort wide.
Defenders are unlikely to enjoy playing against Aluko. That unpredictability in his armoury sees to that.
The availability of Hernandez and Nikica Jelavic at Chelsea next week casts doubt over Aluko's involvement but he deserves another chance in the City attack.
A willing worker with fitness levels improving by the week, Aluko is offering Bruce all the things that Ben Arfa has not.
