It's getting bleak now. It’s one thing to take your lumps from Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, and it’s quite another when you’re getting slapped about on your own patch by Burnley.
But that’s Cardiff’s lot this season. It was always destined to be hard, but this is tougher still. Seven games, no wins, second from bottom and precious few straws worth clutching.
There was mitigation before in the shape of rotten fixtures – a run of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City is a kick in the teeth in anyone’s language. And yet losing to Burnley will sting more than the loss of 12 goals in those three games.