Chris Wilder left Sheffield United bottom of the Premier League in 2021, and that is where he will find his hometown club when he returns this week.
If both parties thought they could go on to better things, the intervening years have told a different story. They are, you suspect, better off together.
That is not to disrespect Paul Heckingbottom, who is set to be sacked after two years in charge, the first top-flight casualty of the season. He won promotion in May and, as he said himself, can leave with his head held high.