Sunderland sacked manager Phil Parkinson on Sunday after five games without a win left the beleaguered Black Cats seven points off the pace in League One.
Having plummeted from the top flight in 2017, the club have been in a sorry state.
Here, Sportsmail asks die hard Sunderland fan Jon Stokoe to shed light on what has gone wrong and what the club need to do to come alive again.
Sunderland Association Football Club – it's never dull.
Well, as it happens, this season it has been incredibly dull.
Since the fateful day my Uncle James 'treated' me to a surprise birthday trip to see Sunderland play Spurs at Roker Park on April 7, 1984, I've been hooked.