For the first time this season, sections of the Stoke fanbase became audibly frustrated and second-half substitutions were greeted with boos, ironic cheers or a mixture of both as the Potters lost at home to Sheffield United.
Mark Robins called for unity, took aim at the criticism of individual players whose effort he could not fault and praised the supporters' response to Stoke's goal and improved second-half performance.
The fans' frustration and their response to that renewed hope was an outpouring of emotion provoked by the unmistakable and all-too-familiar feeling of a chance at success slipping away like a bar of soap in a power shower.