Russell Slade has been here before.

But he probably never thought he would need another win over Stockport so badly and so soon.

Not to get his side away from the bottom reaches of the table, anyway.

Albion’s usually cheery boss was a depressed figure as he spoke to the media after Tuesday’s 7-1 surrender at Huddersfield.

The headline quote came when the architect of last season’s Great Escape described the defeat as his worst night in football.

Slade is invariably a chirpy character when he greets the assembled reporters after a game.

And that made his mood this time all the more striking as he spoke slowly, somewhat emotionally and certainly very carefully with his choice of words.

He apologised for taking a good half-hour in coming out, saying “we obviously had things to talk about in there” to understanding nods all around.

He gave due credit to Huddersfield’s lethal attacking, his own side’s decent start to the game and the efforts of Liam Dickinson and Andrew Crofts.

Then he did what he must have thought would never be necessary.

He compared Albion’s current low ebb to that he inherited when he took over a side seemingly heading for relegation last March.

He also went as close as you will ever get to a manager describing a fourth league game out of 46 as must-win.

The opponents? Stockport, the side Slade’s men beat to stay up last May.

As the lights started to go out around the Galpharm Stadium, Slade told reporters: “The players that I brought in and the players that are still at the football club, some of them didn’t show that they are as good as they might like to think they are.

“I don’t think it’s time for making excuses. It’s easy to start making excuses.

“When I arrived at the football club the training ground was full of excuses and opinions.

“That needs to stop. The only opinion that matters is mine.

“I need to get things right. The buck stops with me.

“Hopefully tonight will make us all that little bit stronger after we have reflected on it.

“Actions speak louder than words. That’s what I said to the players. The only way to put it right is by putting in the performance that is wanted right now.

“Stockport is the next game and it’s an enormous game for us.

“We would never have thought three games into the season that the fourth game was going to be of such importance but it certainly is.””

Slade made it clear he saw Huddersfield as serious title contenders when he said: “They were ruthless, clinical and showed us what it takes to win a league at this level.”

He expressed bewilderment at how the defensive strength he had lauded after the Brentford game could evaporate.

“You need to reflect and be analitical about it,” he said. “But the bottom line is it was an horrendous night for us.

“After Brentford you would not have seen it coming. After 15 minutes you’d have thought we looked a very good side.

“But you have to say to lose in the manner we lost in the end, even though we were down to ten men, was unacceptable.

“I thought the start was very decent. For 15 minutes nobody in the stadium would have seen that coming. I thought we settled the better team. The shape looked good. But I was disappointed with most of the goals we conceded.”

And so it went on. Slade got it spot on in what he said and how he said it.

Now he needs to mastermind a revival. Another one. Bring on Stockport.