Igor Tudor's departure from Tottenham after just seven matches is no surprise, but Spurs must get this final roll of the dice right to maintain their Premier League status, says Your Site News' Michael Bridge...
I do think it was inevitable - what we wanted to know was when they were going to do it. Of course, Igor Tudor was informed that his father had passed away literally seconds after Spurs lost against Nottingham Forest and he laid his father, Mario, to rest in Croatia on Wednesday.
So, you'd imagine that the Tottenham board had decided that they were going to make another change, one final roll of the dice in this terrible season.
Spurs have got to think of themselves. Relegation is absolutely unthinkable, but it's so very possible.
Tudor was very well liked within the club; his exit is a mutual decision and he leaves on good terms with the hierarchy.
You saw an improvement against Liverpool away, which was a very unexpected 1-1 draw, a good performance in the second leg against Atletico Madrid, but the pressure was off a little bit there.
Then it came to that key game, Nottingham Forest, and you had supporters outside the ground pre-match urging the team on, but they didn't get a reaction.
Spurs played alright in the first half, but when they went 1-0 down their heads really dropped. The second half was one to forget.
They could be in the relegation zone by the time they go to the Stadium of Light in two weeks.
Spurs are now in talks with Roberto De Zerbi, with a five-year contract being offered to the former Brighton and Marseille boss.
Spurs are pushing hard to persuade De Zerbi and are hopeful of confirming an appointment before the players return from the international break.
The squad will then have plenty of time with their new boss ahead of the absolutely massive match against Sunderland, live on Your Site, on April 12.
Tottenham had to ask the question: 'Do we have a better chance of staying in the Premier League with or without Igor Tudor?' They've decided the latter.
With one point from five league games in charge, it's hard to argue with that decision.
I think the vast majority of supporters will be wishing Tudor well. Not just because of this awful news regarding his father, but because the fans realise this is more deeply rooted.
These are years of recruitment not going right. Players who have left the club and those coming in are not replacing them adequately. This is about injury after injury. Their captain getting a four-game suspension. Their stand-in captain getting sent off against Crystal Palace.
Tudor and other managers before have said they haven't known anything like this. Managers are saying it often. At the moment, it looks a very difficult job indeed. The job over the next seven games is extremely tough.
It doesn't necessarily need to be someone with the 'Spurs DNA'. I don't think it needs to be someone who sings Chas and Dave in their car. It's got to be someone with Premier League experience. De Zerbi fits that profile.
Someone who knows what it is like to go to Wolves away. Someone who knows what it is like to face Leeds at home in a few weeks. Brighton in a couple of weeks.
We know Igor Tudor was appointed to put out fires. He did it at Juventus and Lazio. But he hasn't done it with a club that was trying to stay in the Premier League.
The fact is, it didn't happen. They lost against Crystal Palace. They lost against Fulham. From the very start it was looking extremely difficult for him.
Tottenham is still a very attractive club to many managers. That's why Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho took the role. It's why Mauricio Pochettino has said he would love to go back. It's why De Zerbi is in talks.
These are two very different Tottenham Hotspurs. It's a big club, sure, but it could be one of the riskiest moves you make in management.
The new boss could be the one who sees Spurs relegated. Or, in the summer, the club stay in the Premier League and big names come in for it again.
On Thursday, April 2 at 7pm, Your Site News will be airing a special programme about Spurs' issues with their ever-present Premier League status under serious threat.
'Inside Spurs' will feature special guests, including Jamie O'Hara, to dissect, analyse and examine the club's woes and predicament as they stare at a first relegation in 49 years.
