Rangers manager Derek McInnes is both grateful for the transfer window to build a new-look team and desperate for it to be over, as he knows he probably still needs five more players for the squad to resemble how he wants it to look.
McInnes must be craving the day when the window slams shut, when all the rumours, speculation, conjecture and uncertainty finally stop. Then, and only then, will he be able to stand in front of a group of players and know exactly what he's working with.
Not every Rangers new boy will have been his first pick, with some on the Ibrox recruitment team's list even before he arrived. But at least when the window closes, he'll feel that it's his team, and he should know who he can trust in the dressing-room.
Turning point after St Mirren win
The start of the McInnes reign has been a bit all over the place in terms of performances and results, with the manager having to make far more changes than he'd have liked. Sunday's thumping win over St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup felt like a turning point, with Rangers scoring five but it could have been seven or eight.
The victory should give McInnes and his players confidence, not just for their Euro tie against FK Jablonec, but also for a tough run of Premiership games coming up after this weekend, starting at Pittodrie against Aberdeen a week on Sunday. But even by then, the window will still be open, and McInnes is well aware the squad still needs quality additions.
Key positions identified
James Penrice looks like a clever signing, especially after his performance against St Mirren on his debut. Kosta Nedjelkovic from Aston Villa has bags of potential and key attributes which should help at right-back, where he'll compete with Dujon Sterling.
But McInnes needs more. Rangers want striker Kevin Kelsy from Portland Timbers to replace the injured Youssef Chermiti. On the right flank, he's keen to give Daisuke Yokota a rival and the man he wants is Amario Cozier-Duberry. McInnes is a huge fan of the Brighton winger and he'll be praying the Seagulls' demands in terms of a fee don't take him out of Rangers' price range.
He also needs another wide left man to supplement the likes of Djeidi Gassama and Findlay Curtis. A left-sided centre-back is also on his shopping list because at the moment, he doesn't have one.
Potential midfield scramble
That could be his whack as McInnes somehow tries to recover from a poor start in the league to get Rangers challenging Celtic for a title. But he might need one more before September 4. If Nico Raskin and/or Connor Barron are sold on, which appears likely, the manager will need another midfielder.
He has already added Dan Neil and Vanja Dragojevic in that department this summer. But even when Rangers were 2-0 up against St Mirren at the weekend, they lacked control in the middle of the pitch. An orchestrator doing the kind of job Callum McGregor does for Celtic. Rangers haven't had that type of player since Steven Davis and Ryan Jack were in Govan.
If Raskin and Barron go, on top of Mo Diomande who was punted last week, it would leave him short. On deadline day, that might be the one position McInnes and the club find themselves scrambling around for. If he does get everything he wants, he'll breathe a huge sigh of relief on September 4 and be glad it's over, so he can finally get settled into the job and start work on making Rangers successful again.
