Six wins in 24, Colchester humiliation, Mike Dean row, and 7-2 Bayern Munich thrashing – Mauricio Pochettino’s final months at Tottenham
Tottenham fan's might be yearning for the return of Mauricio Pochettino - but is he the answer?
Antonio Conte looks set to be axed by Tottenham this week after an explosive rant directed at the club and players, talkSPORT understand.
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Ryan Mason looks set to take immediate charge, possibly until the end of the season until a permanent replacement can be found.
And Pochettino is being linked with a return to the club where he spent five years before getting sacked in 2019.
After the Argentine's exit, Spurs have gone from bad to worse with Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and now Conte all failing to win an elusive trophy.
If Pochettino does make a grand return to north London, it would likely appease a large portion of Tottenham fans who have missed his attacking style of play, engagement with the support and strong relations with the players.
But are Spurs fans looking back with rose-tinted glasses? There was a reason why Daniel Levy made the decision to get rid in the first place.
Pochettino was sacked on November 19 2019, just months after leading Tottenham to their first ever Champions League final where they were on the brink of European glory - how did it go so wrong so quickly?
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In many ways, the Champions League final, and the extraordinary luck-fuelled run to it, papered over the cracks - there were longstanding problems.
An FA Cup loss to Crystal Palace, and Premier League losses to Burnley, Southampton, Bournemouth, and West Ham, left him rattled.
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After the Burnley loss, an irate Pochettino flew into a rage at referee Mike Dean, repeatedly saying 'you know what you are' - earning himself a touchline ban - showcasing his irritability.
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Pochettino wanted an overhaul having navigated the club through the turbulence of moving to their brand new stadium.
He eloquently postured: “When you talk about Tottenham, everyone says you have an amazing house but you need to put in the furniture. If you want to have a lovely house maybe you need better furniture."
A 'painful rebuild' was needed, especially given their midfield two in the latter days of Pochettino's reign were Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko.
But it only started in the summer of 2019 and the increasingly surly and sulky coach was unable to get to grips with Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon.
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A decent pre-season saw wins over Juventus, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, albeit on penalties.
And the season even started with a victory over Aston Villa - albeit after going a goal down - but that was about as good as it got for Spurs in the early months of the season.
Fast-forward two months and Pochettino was packing his bags after six wins in 24 matches - just three in the Premier League - and some humiliating performances along the way.
In September, Leicester dealt them a 2-1 defeat before Harry Kane saved them against Southampton in the Premier League but either side there were two astonishing losses that might have been the catalyst for Levy's decision.
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First there was the embarrassment of crashing out of the Carabao Cup to Colchester on penalties - and this was no second-string side either.
Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Heung-Min Son, Lucas Moura and Eric Dier all played against the League Two side and Spurs never truly recovered.
They were rocked by a 7-2 at home by Bayern Munich days later, despite a promising first-half which only saw them 2-1 down due to a late Robert Lewandowski goal.
But in their brand-new stadium built to prove they were a European powerhouse, they looked powerless as former Arsenal star Serge Gnabry made a mockery of them by scoring four times.
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At full-time, the writing was on the wall - the fans had fallen out of love with the team, the players were sick of Pochettino and the manager was still furious with the chairman.
It was an unsustainable situation - something had to give - but the inevitable was on the horizon.
What would follow was more turmoil, failing to win a Premier League game for over a month including draws against Watford, Sheffield United and Everton, while a 3-0 loss to Brighton was devstating.
Eventually, Levy put Pochettino out of his misery and Mourinho was brought in just hours later.
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It could be argued that the Spurs chairman has not learnt his lesson with the current situation with Conte similar - a disatisfied manager, an unhappy squad and another season without silverware.
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Pochettino took Tottenham to dizzying heights in the Premier League and brought attacking football back to White Hart Lane and he could bring it back again.
But it's worth remembering the decline which preceded his exit and the chaos that has ensued.