Arsenal fans got their wish on Friday morning as the club confirmed Unai Emery had been sacked.
The Spanish coach was effectively a dead man walking following Thursday night’s 2-1 defeat at home to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.
It became a question of ‘when’, not ‘if, Emery would be relieved of his duties following the Gunners’ latest result.
Freddie Ljungberg has been appointed as the club’s interim manager as the search for Emery’s permanent successor begins.
Various names are currently in the frame, according to reports, including Max Allegri, Carlo Ancelotti, Mikel Arteta and even the recently-sacked Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino.
It was reported by well-informed journalists prior to the Eintracht Frankfurt fixture that Emery had lost the dressing room at the Emirates Stadium.
At the time of writing, only one Arsenal player has reacted to the news on social media - and that’s the club’s back-up goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
The Argentine shot-stopper thanked Emery and goalkeeper coach Javi Garcia, who has also been dismissed along with Juan Carlos Carcedo (assistant-coach), Pablo Villanueva (first-team coach), Julen Masach (strength & conditioning coach) and Victor Manas (analyst).
“Thank you Unai and Javi I’m sorry we let you down,” the 27-year-old wrote on Instagram. “Its our fault for not performing the right way, I’m sure we will meet again ❤️“
Classy stuff from Martinez and fair play to him for shouldering some responsibility.
Not enough Arsenal players have stepped up in recent months and they deserve just as much blame for the team’s failings as Emery.
Emery, of course, under-performed in his role as Arsenal manager but many of the players should be taking a long hard look at themselves following Friday’s developments.
Meanwhile, Arsenal Supporters' Trust have released the following statement: “The dismissal of Unai Emery was unfortunate but inevitable. Performances and results have been far below what is expected at Arsenal.
"But Emery’s departure is the easy part. The more difficult challenge is to recruit a suitable successor. We are far from certain that Arsenal has the right personnel to lead this process.
"The AST has long been advocating that the most important changes needed at Arsenal are in the Boardroom where Arsenal need better governance.
"It is a sad fact that the club is now wholly owned by an overseas investment vehicle, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, who are largely absent from London.
"This means that the club needs to be governed by a strong Board in London, one that is truly independent and has the expertise and dynamism to drive a football club forward.
"Arsenal’s Board currently has no one with football expertise. Its three 'independent' members are 85, 79 and 77 years old. None of them have football experience nor reflect the diversity of Arsenal’s playing squads nor supporter base.
"A strong Board would be able to hold the club’s executive to account and to provide them with counsel.
"Arsenal also need to build better relationships with their supporters especially at the ownership/boardroom level. New appointments to the Board should include looking for people with the skillset to ensure better dialogue with supporters and provide a sense of purpose and direction.
"So if Arsenal are to genuinely move forward from today it requires not only a new head coach appointment but also a rejuvenation of the boardroom”