I DOUBT there will be much Christmas cheer around the dinner tables of many of the Hull City players after another disappointing performance.
Beaten with little more than a whimper, the Tigers fell to another defeat with a display that didn't reflect the situation they have found themselves in.
A game that called for a never-say-die attitude, a need to roll the proverbial sleeves up and grind something out, saw the Tigers disappoint in all areas.
With a squad that is better than last season in all aspects, the fact City find themselves inside the bottom three at Christmas is a surprise to most.
Because the squad is better, with more depth and more options, I still retain the belief Hull can get themselves out of trouble, but with each passing defeat that belief is slightly eroding away.
The key to turning things around is a settled formation. Swansea made seven changes to their line-up for Saturday's game, not that you'd have known by the manner of their display.
Swansea boss Garry Monk sticks to a tried and tested formula in the way his side play and while the personnel alter from time to time, it is much easier for those players to come in and out because they know what each role entails.
On the flip side, the Tigers are a team that continually seem to be in transition, with Steve Bruce looking to find the best formation to suit the players he has available and to suit the opposition.
It has not helped with consistency and it has not helped with the style of play too. I feel Bruce now needs to decide on a formation best suited to City's position and stick with that for a sustained period to allow the City players to find some fluency.
Formations can be debated until the cows come home, but even with the best formation, the players need to offer more.
The midfield, once a source of satisfaction and dependability is becoming a big problem area for City.
There may be players absent from the defence, but there's enough quality and cover to cope. That doesn't concern me, unlike the midfield.
At Sunderland on Friday the Tigers will be without Mo Diame, Tom Huddlestone and, following his yellow card against Swansea, Jake Livermore too.
That is a lot of experience missing at a time when City need experienced heads.
Stephen Quinn and Robbie Brady can come in and do a job, but whether they are a long-term solution is something I am less sure about.
The midfield is not getting hold of games, they're not showing the necessary tenacity to get at teams, and on the ball, they are not showing the type of quality needed to create chances for Abel Hernandez and Nikica Jelavic.
The blend is not right, but the options are becoming limited because of injuries and suspensions.
It's the worst possible time to see numbers dwindling, but there's still enough bodies to get the job done.
The onus is on the manager to pull his troops together, earn his money and get the team playing to their potential.
If he does that, there's enough quality in the building to start winning games and the Christmas fixture list certainly represents an opportunity to put some points on the board.
What's needed now is a belated Christmas present of three points on Boxing Day to inject some belief back into everyone.
