Kit Symons’ departure from Fulham was an inevitability since being booed from the Craven Cottage faithful after a last-gasp equaliser against Huddersfield in August.
The former Wales coach took 19 wins from his 55 matches in charge of the Cottagers but his time in charge was riddled with crowd discontent and a failure to propel the Whites into the top six.
It was a rollercoaster reign plagued by anomalous results, to the point where it was difficult to establish which performances represented the real Fulham.
This season, an emphatic 4-0 victory against fierce rivals Queens Park Rangers was followed up merely four days later with a 3-0 defeat to Wolves.
Likewise the Cottagers thought they had downed their away day blues with a 4-1 win at Bristol City but then collapsed to a 3-1 defeat at high-flying Burnley.
Kit Symons' record at Fulham
As Symons said in his final press conference; they were as likely to win by a heavy margin as they were to lose by one.
The former boss always seemed to be an awkward fit at the Craven Cottage helm, despite his audition seeing the Whites somehow picking up four wins from six league matches.
There was a lack of conviction in those early victories, with their opponents’ profligacy and the new tidal wave of morale after Felix Magath’s departure working in the Welshman’s favour.
Their good fortune was doomed to expire, but with his record and the fans’ backing, Fulham’s infamous five-man committee had no choice but to appoint Symons on a full-time basis.
Symons’ biggest issue was a failure to get his team performing over the entire ninety minutes to pick up a good result.
Defeat at home to Birmingham in what proved to be his final game was a perfect example - after a positive start the Whites collapsed to a three-goal deficit and culminated in a James Husband red card despite two wins from their previous three games.
Even in victory against high-flying Reading, the Whites found themselves outplayed for 45 minutes and two goals down before retaliating in style with four of their own.
The former Fulham centre-back failed to deal with defensive problems that had been evident not just during his 13 month tenure at the helm, but from the 2012/13 season.
The Whites haemorrhaged goals throughout 2014/15, with huge defeats to Watford, Derby and Bournemouth, not to mention the humiliating derby defeat to Brentford, and although Symons introduced a horde of new defenders over the summer, he could not stem the flow of goals.
Indeed, it is hard to tell if that made his case for dismissal stronger or weaker - having brought in a higher quality defence, the Whites still had chronic problems at the back.
The team’s lack of focus had proved a nauseating issue for Symons and will haunt whoever replaces him - they have already dropped eight points this season from conceding after the 86th minute in matches.
But fans should not forget the positive work that Symons provided - he converted a club looking set for consecutive relegations and provided a foundation to push on with.
The signings of James Husband, Tim Ream, Richard Stearman and Tom Cairney were all notable successes despite a frustrating season.
And the energetic Welshman also helped to embed Moussa Dembele into the side - with the French youngster striking a formidable partnership with Ross McCormack.
He picked up the crucial points the club needed, when they needed them, and it was indeed the supporters who demanded he was given the permanent job in the first place.
Despite his inability to maintain consistently high performances, Symons should not have been objected to such a horrid send-off.
Fans demanded his appointment, and it was a shame to see them demand his sacking - although it is evident that their discontent is aimed at three years of failure.
But ultimately the former manager failed to deliver, and the Whites’ hierarchy once more faces the daunting prospect of choosing the right man.
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