Tottenham Hotspur seemed set down a path towards steady success under Mauricio Pochettino, with the Argentine taking over in 2014 and slowly building up a team capable of fighting for consistent silverware, although he would never quite grasp it himself.
His sacking caused a shock, as it essentially unravelled the progress he had made across his five-year spell in north London.
Not only this, but that decision also marked a divergence in the strategy of chairman Daniel Levy, who assumed that because the club now sat amongst the elite they should start seeking out the 'elite managers'.
Straying completely from the model that had earned them praise, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte were both appointed and expected to win trophies instantly, yet neither seem set to have done so.
This summer will see the Italian's contract conclude, but his reign could be cut short before then, marking another crossroads for the hierarchy to navigate.
Do they persevere with their current method, in a desperate search for a trophy of any kind, or do they return to their trusted old method which could see them take a few steps back before they can move forwards?
Either way, the touted appointment of Steve Cooper would essentially just see them secure a downgrade on their current boss, so it is one avenue that must be avoided.
Could Steve Cooper go to Spurs?
With his youth and impressive start to life in management, the suggestion is that the 43-year-old could well reignite the club as they tread down the latter of the two aforementioned paths.
However, he has hardly done enough to merit a jump up from a relegation battle to challenging for Champions League spots.
His work in seeing Nottingham Forest promoted was admirable, with his fluid three-at-the-back system earning praise, but since returning to the Premier League his side have admittedly struggled.
The Tricky Trees currently sit 16th, firmly entrenched within the myriad of teams vying to avoid the drop; but their goalscoring statistics make for depressing viewing.
Forest are currently the joint-lowest scorers in the division, and with 49 conceded in just 27 games, only AFC Bournemouth have shipped more goals.
The fact that they are still afloat after posting such abysmal numbers is arguably a testament to the weakness of the bottom half of the league.
Despite overseeing something of a mini-turnaround at the turn of the year, it seems they have now reverted to form, having not won since mid-February.
This abysmal play style paired with a lack of defensive security actually draws comparisons with Conte's Spurs side, who likely only boast an improvement because of the higher quality of players they boast.
With their system and the results yielded boasting striking similarities, to ditch Conte for Cooper would be a baffling decision that could only see them compound their initial mistake.
Gabby Agbonlahor had suggested only back in October that he was "out of his depth" at the City Ground, so to upgrade him to an even bigger club with far greater expectations would likely only exacerbate that statement.
