So the sun has set on another Manchester United manager as Michael Carrick drives away from Carrington chewing on dust, writes Sports News Blitz’s Robert Bore.
One of our favourite sons, set up to fail after a summer of bungled recruitment that fell way short of where it needed to be.
All this on the back of a remarkable caretaker period where he picked up the ruins of the Ruben Amorim tenure and chiselled out Champions League football with a top-three finish.
Today sacrificed at the Ineos altar like some sort of lamb, or the poor goat out of Jurassic Park.
It's like sending your kid to the supermarket with a tenner and then kicking them out of the house because they didn't come back with three bags of shopping and a Playstation.
Ok, that's the first, and not the best, analogy I could think of but the point stands.
Tigers mauling set alarm bells ringing
It was evident a few hours into the new season when Harry Maguire and co were traipsing back across the M62 with their tails between their legs after being mauled by the Tigers (cue cringey hand gesture) that there was trouble ahead.
Three months on and United sit in the relegation zone, one league win to their name and on the cusp of their ninth manager since Sir Alex Ferguson's own departure in 2013 (if you count Ralph Rangnick).
I've sat here wondering if sentiment has driven my reaction as I am genuinely gutted it never worked out. But was it ever going to do so?
Or was Carrick just another patsy in the long line of Lee Harvey Oswalds handed the rifle while the United hierarchy stood on the grassy knoll.
Bungled transfer window
The failure to fill the glaring gaps in the summer - pretty-much the entire backline plus a second striker - weren't papered over by the recruitment of Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba and the head-scratching purchase of Andrey Santos for 50m and some spare change.
Particularly when Carrick's shopping list included Elliot Anderson, Lewis Hall and a combination of Alex Scott, Matheus Fernandes and Ederson, depending who you believed.
The return of the recently-invisible Marcus Rashford and free transfer Karl Darlow, let's not even discuss.
Coupled with a crippling injury list, 'Hard to believe it's not Scholes' was trying to ascend a shitty creek without a paddle, or a boat.
Is he completely blameless in all this?
Of course not.
Left baffled by Dalot at left-back
He's not the first United gaffer to baffle me with the continued use of Diogo Dalot, who is in my humble opinion the worst player to have played a chunk of games for the club.
The decision to deploy him at left-back when he can't play right-back and with young Harry Amass sat watching from the bench was an impeachable offence in itself.
I am sure there must have been a reason, I just can't think what it was.
And his vehement defence of the Portuguese following his debacles against Roma and Aston Villa was as wrong as it was admirable.
There's also the chopping and changing (admittedly down to injuries) and some baffling subs - or lack of - at times.
But again, when your best hand is 'king high', your chances of winning the pot ain't good.
Let’s talk about Bruno’s drop in form
Throw in your ace - Bruno Fernandes - having his form drop like a lemming off a cliff and the end game was an inevitability.
The final word is reserved for the clowns upstairs.
The Glazers, well there's no point even talking about those leeches.
Ineos' 'best in class' claims echo like a bear farting in a cave, and smell just as bad.
Also smelling like brown roses are Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox, inherently clueless while being covered in teflon.
The sight of Wilcox poe-faced in the stands, looking catatonic, while the manager and team implode beggars belief.
Berrada a secret Man City fan?
At least Berrada celebrates a goal, although I wouldn't be surprised if he had a Man City shirt on underneath his suit.
But already we appear to have the next victim lined up, Mauricio Pochettino.
Apparent United wannabe, willing to spice up his life and accelerate either baldness or grey.
As for Carrick, Richard Ashcroft and The Verve put it best: "It's you and me, we're history... there ain't nothing left to say."
The demise goes on.
READ MORE FROM ROBERT BORE: Premier League analysis: Mixed emotions for Man Utd fans after Villa thriller at Old Trafford
